According to Plan. By Graeme Goldsworthy (Review | Product Info). An introduction to the art and science of “biblical theology”, which is just another way of saying “a responsible way to read the whole Bible as one story about Jesus.” If you’ve heard the accusation that the Bible is incoherent and contradictory, then you need to wrestle with a book like this. Highly recommended for beginning theology students and those aspiring to understand the Bible. Apart from the Bible, I’ve read and used this book more than any other.
Acts 1-12 For You. By Albert Mohler (Review | Product Info). A devotional/expositional commentary in the God’s Word For You series. If you want an accessible, easy-to-read, no-prior-Bible-knowledge-required introduction to the earliest era of church history (about the first 15-20 years), then you can’t do much better than starting here. And if you do, don’t miss the second volume to finish the author’s tour through Acts–apart from the Gospels, regarded by many as the treasure chest of the New Testament.
Acts 13-28 For You. By Albert Mohler (Review | Product Info). Part 2 of an Acts devotional/expositional commentary in the God’s Word For You series. This section of Acts follows the expansion of the early church mostly through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. The quality of research, explanation, and application measures up to the first volume. If you liked the first, then you’ll like this one just as much. Reformed Baptist.
Against Christianity. By Peter Leithart (Review | Product Info). Biblical and theological musings criticizing modern Christianity from a perspective longing for a return to Christendom.
AiG Pocket Guides. By Answers in Genesis: various authors (Review | Product Info). At about 100 pages each, this set of 20 booklets explores issues related to the Bible’s doctrine of creation from a young earth creationist perspective. A few booklets are more tangentially related to the science of creation. Most booklet chapters appeared first as AiG website articles still accessible. Overall, pretty good, but as with any series by multiple authors, unevenly good.
An Anxious Age. By Joseph Bottum (Review | Product Info). Sociological study by a conservative Roman Catholic. Argues the collapse of the Protestant Mainline denominations contributed significantly to our current American problems.
Ancient Christian Devotional – A. Edited by Cindy Crosby & Thomas Oden (Review | Product Info). Devotional utilizing the words of many Church Fathers. Follows the revised common lectionary.
Ancient Christian Devotional – B. Edited by Cindy Crosby & Thomas Oden (Review | Product Info). Just like the first in the series, a devotional utilizing the words of many Church Fathers from the Patristic period. Follows the revised common lectionary (year 2) through the church year.
Ancient Christian Devotional – C. Edited by Cindy Crosby & Thomas Oden (Review | Product Info). The third and last in in the lectionary devotional trilogy. Follows the revised common lectionary (year 3) through the church year. Content and quality is consistent with the first two volumes.
Ancient Man Series (Volume 1: Genius of Ancient Man; Volume 2: Secrets of Ancient Man). By Don Landis (Review | Product Info: Volume 1 & Volume 2). An alternative presentation to the mainstream history of ancient civilization. From a young earth creationist biblical perspective. Audience is middle grades up to adult. Thoughtful, interesting, professionally arranged, but sometimes amateurish writing. Recommended with those caveats.
Angels in the Architecture. By Douglas Jones & Douglas Wilson (Review | Product Info). A Mere-Protestant vision for the good life: family, church, community… Seeks to learn from the best of medieval and modern times in a visionary (and achievable) picture of a new Reformed Christendom. Presbyterian and reformed, with a post-millennial eschatological bent.
The Answer. By Randy Pope (Review | Product Info). An evangelistic conversation with an author who is homey, down-to-earth, and a seasoned pastor who has invested his life in making disciples. Good for spiritual seekers. Evangelical and reformed, but not sectarian.
Apologetics in the New Age. By David Clark & Norman Geisler (Review | Product Info). Defense of Christianity and critique of New Age beliefs.
Archaeological Study Bible. Edited by Walter Kaiser & Duane Garrett (Review | Product Info). A Study Bible emphasizing history and archaeology.
As Kingfishers Catch Fire. By Eugene Peterson (Review | Product Info). A collection of sermons by the celebrated pastor and author of The Message paraphrase of the Bible. The author is known for his meditative, almost poetic style of contemplative preaching. Learn from this master of style. Glean from the substance of his preaching. Then turn to Jesus and the cross for a clear expression of the gospel. Good intro to the author’s thought.
Back to Basics. Edited by David Hagopian (Review | Product Info). Introduction to the Christian faith from the Reformed tradition.
Bad Religion. By Ross Douthat (Review | Product Info). The subtitle says it well: “how we became a nation of heretics.” From the perspective of a conservative Christian (Roman Catholic) journalist writing for the New York Times. Douthat may be Roman Catholic, but he grew up Pentecostal. Theologically and social conservative Christians of all stripes will resonate with his observations and arguments because he “gets” it.
The Benedict Option. By Rod Dreher (Review | Product Info). As the subtitle says, “a strategy for Christians in a post-Christian nation.” If that resonates with you, then this book is absolutely a must-read. If not so much, then you need to read it to walk in the shoes of conservative Christians–for the sake of empathy and mutual understanding.
The Bible and Its Influence. By the Bible Literacy Project (Review | Product Info). Introduction to the Bible and its influence upon Western civilization. Secular high school textbook.
Bible Overview. By Steve Levy (Review | Product Info). A very readable and enjoyable overview of the Bible. Explains the Bible by recounting the biblical story line. Puts forward the idea that Jesus is the interpretive key to the whole Bible. This is not a new idea, but it will be new to some. Highly recommended for getting right the main point of the Bible.
A Biblical Case for an Old Earth. By David Snoke (Review | Product Info). As the title says. Just looking for a place at the evangelical Christian creationist table. Presents an interesting positive argument and a gentle rebuke to young earth creationists who claim their position is without difficulties and therefore the only option for Bible-believers.
Biblical Hermeneutics: Five Views. Edited by Stanley Porter (Review | Product Info). Various viewpoints, compared and contrasted, on how to best interpret the Bible. Technical.
Billy Graham: His Life and Influence. By David Aikman (Review | Product Info). A great biographical introduction to the 20th century American evangelist. Written by an award winning journalist who evaluates the life and influence of Billy Graham from his unique perspective.
Blue Like Jazz. By Donald Miller (Review | Product Info). A fun and artsy memoir of a man who tries to make sense of his Christian faith in the postmodern world in language that is both accessible and apologetic. Worth reading with a healthy dose of theological discernment.
Bonhoeffer. By Eric Metaxas (Review | Product Info). Biography of the famous martyr from WWII Germany. Bonhoeffer may have been more evangelical in his theology and practice than he’s been portrayed.
The Book of Kells. By Bernard Meehan (Review | Product Info). A definitive illustrated introduction to the famous Irish medieval masterpiece known simply as The Book of Kells. Some have described the original as a book produced by angels. Meehan’s introduction explains why. A good place to start for Christian/Art history buffs.
Brave New World. By Aldous Huxley (Review | Product Info). Dystopian classic that paints a horrifying portrait of a future when we’re all under control of the central planners, but few care because we’re all drugged up, entertained, and sexually promiscuous. Subtly horrifying because almost a century after publication it appears prophetically spot-on in many ways. Not written by a Christian, but very much worth reading. Classic.
Breaking The Da Vinci Code. By Darrell Bock (Review | Product Info). An evangelical scholar writes a popular level defense of the traditional view of Jesus as presented in the canonical Gospels, as that view is challenged by the historical claims in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. Helpful, reassuring, and ultimately evangelistic.
The Call. By Os Guinness (Review | Product Info). What is life really all about? A good book for those at one of life’s crossroads.
Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport. By Richard Mouw (Review | Product Info). Reformed theology meets the street.
A Canticle for Leibowitz. By Walter Miller (Review | Product Info). Apocalyptic dystopian novel that is widely recognized as a 20th century science fiction classic. A very “Catholic” book, but religious and secular people will learn much from its arresting story. Although they will surely respond to it very differently! If you’re not Roman Catholic that is no excuse to dismiss this one.
The Case for a Creator. By Lee Strobel (Review | Product Info). A popular level overview of an alternative theory of origins (of the universe and biological life). Argues for a specific theory of creationism called Intelligent Design (ID). Strobel is a trained journalist, a former atheist, and converted Christian who years ago investigated the Christian truth claims, including in the realm of science. Strobel’s book and my review attracted ridicule and dismissal in the comment section. Ideological warfare in my corner of the blogosphere!
The Case for Life. By Scott Klusendorf (Review | Product Info). The title says it all. The author is an experienced and successful Christian pro-life activist and apologist. If you’re looking for an onramp to the pro-life argument (and maybe even to the movement), you’ll be up-to-speed in no time after reading this one.
The Case for the Real Jesus. By Lee Strobel (Review | Product Info). Addresses challenges to the Bible and Christianity that have become prominent in the 21st century. Responds to Bart Ehrman, Dan Brown, and other critics. Strobel is a journalist by training who is a popular evangelical apologist. Reads more like journalism that apologetics, but you get both.
Celebration of Discipline. By Richard Foster (Review | Product Info). Spiritual theology. Explores the spiritual disciplines from the Anabaptist tradition. A modern day classic.
Children and the Lord’s Supper. Edited by Guy Waters & Ligon Duncan (Review | Product Info). Biblical, theological, and historical study that argues children should make a profession of faith prior to admittance to the sacrament.
Church Discipline. By Jonathan Leeman. (Review | Product Info). Readable introduction to a very touchy subject.
Church History in Plain Language. By Bruce Shelley (Review | Product Info). Not a history of theology, but a history of people, places, and events. Lots of stories. A modern day classic.
Church Planter. By Darrin Patrick (Review | Product Info). The who, what, why, how, and where of planting a church, written by a church planting leader.
Churches Partnering Together. By Chris Bruno & Matt Dirks (Review | Product Info). The case for reaching out to your church neighbor for the sake of working together on a particular ministry goal. Practical how-to tips and pitfalls to avoid.
The Christ of the Covenants. By O. Palmer Robertson (Review | Product Info). Introduction to covenant theology from a Presbyterian and Reformed perspective. Standard seminary textbook. A modern day classic.
The Christian Almanac. By George Grant & Gregory Wilbur (Review | Product Info). One-year devotional. History but not just Christian History. Heavy on American history. Lots of “almanac” features, facts, etc.
Classical Apologetics. By R.C. Sproul, John Gerstner & Art Lindsley (Review | Product Info). Defense of the Christian faith from the classical perspective. Includes a critique of presuppositional/transcendental apologetics.
A Closer Look at the Evidence. By Richard & Tina Kleiss (Review | Product Info). A one-year devotional (a page per day) on the evidence that the Bible’s account of creation is true. Heavy on the scientific evidence. From a young-earth creationism perspective. Somewhat helpful but flawed.
The Coming Glory. By Paul Swets (Review | Product Info). Comfort for the dying and those who love them. For Christians and those who are interested in what the Bible says about heaven and eternal life. Very simple and biblical explanation. Highly recommended for anyone to read.
Confederates in the Attic. By Tony Horwitz (Review | Product Info). A tour of the New American South that reveals the culture of the Old South just under the surface. Not at all an expose of latent racism or cultural backwardness. Rather is splendid tour de force of what the Civil War means today and its outsized influence in the lives of many more overall-normal Americans than you probably realized.
Confessing the Faith. By Chad Van Dixhoorn (Review | Product Info). A devotionally-rich reader’s guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Sounds like it’s only for Reformed theology nerds and seminary students. Don’t be fooled. You won’t want to miss this accessible and beautiful introduction to the biblical and historical Christian faith.
Confronting Christianity. By Rebecca McLaughlin (Review | Product Info). Apologetics from a fresh voice attempting to give thoughtful answers to 12 of the hardest questions skeptics and critics level at Christianity. The chapters on science and homosexuality could be better. Oh well…10 out of 12 ain’t bad! Evangelical and broadly Reformed.
Controversy of the Ages. By Theodore Cabal & Peter Rasor (Review | Product Info). An historical and apologetical survey of the “age of the earth” debate. Read this one first before anything by one of the various camps (young earth creationism, old earth creationism, or evolutionary creationism). Highly recommended!
Counterfeit Gods. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). A pastorally sensitive, culturally observant, and still-relevant treatment of idolatry as it manifests in the heart of a person today. Best of all, the author points to the cure for chronic idolaters. Destined to become a classic?
Crazy Busy. By Kevin DeYoung (Review | Product Info). Life today is more busy than ever. Why and what can we do about it.
Creating a Missional Culture. By J.R. Woodward (Review | Product Info). Theory meets practice for a church planter in the Emerging Church tradition.
Creation and Change. By Douglas Kelly (Review | Product Info). An introduction to the doctrine of creation and its many implications. Approaches the questions from the text of Genesis 1:1-2:4. Semi-technical for a non-scientist author, but he is not in over his head. The next level up from a popular-level read. Can be tedious, but it’s insightful.
Creation Answer Book. By Hank Hanegraaff (Review | Product Info). A volume in Thomas Nelson’s popular Answer Book series–this one about the doctrine of creation. Short answers to common and vexing questions by one of America’s most trusted Christian radio personalities. The author is quick on his feet, sharp, broadly evangelical in most of his theology (although he is in the Eastern Orthodox Church). Argues for an Old Earth Creationism that is not “Progressive Creationism” but does not believe in animal death before Adam’s fall into sin. Adopts Framework Theory to interpret Genesis 1. Recommended, but not for Christians who are hard-core sectarians about their doctrine of creation. If that’s you, then this book will offend you in places!
C.S. Lewis: A Life. By Alister McGrath (Review | Product Info). A biography of the incomparable author of popular books in the genres of Christian apologetics, adult and children’s fiction, devotionals, and even scholarly medieval English literary analysis. This biography gets into Lewis’s mind and heart through a close reading of his published letters and diary.
Darwin on Trial. By Phillip E. Johnson (Review | Product Info). Launched the Intelligent Design movement that has become the primary scientific rival to neo-Darwinian evolution.
Darwin’s Doubt. By Stephen C. Meyer (Review | Product Info). A thorough case for the Intelligent Design theory of origins. Written on an upper college level. Examines the evidence from the Cambrian era fossil record and the complex DNA code of animals.
The Da Vinci Code. By Dan Brown (Review | Product Info). The novel that became a cultural sensation. Exciting story and thesis. Too bad it pretends to be true because it’s not. Enjoy it as fiction. Dismiss it as historical fiction. Shame on the author for misleading a generation away from the truth about Jesus and his church.
Deep Exegesis. By Peter Leithart (Review | Product Info). Reading, interpreting, and preaching the Bible from a perspective informed by classical literature, biblical theology, historical theology, and literary criticism.
Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds. By Phillip R. Johnson (Review | Product Info). A primer for upper high school students and beyond on the problems with Neo-Darwinism, the only scientific alternative of Intelligent Design, and how to navigate the debate in our culture, particularly in school.
The Demon in Democracy. By Ryszard Legutko (Review | Product Info). Compares and contrasts the political systems and ideologies of communism and “liberal democracy.” Concludes they are eerily similar. Dense political philosophy and cultural analysis.
The Devoted Life. Edited by Kelly Kapic & Randall Gleason (Review | Product Info). Friendly introduction to the Puritans and their most influential books. Best place to learn where to begin reading the Puritans.
Devotional Classics. Edited by Richard Foster & James Bryan Smith (Review | Product Info). Selected readings from authors throughout church history, and from each of the six “streams” or traditions (contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical, incarnational). A mixed bag in terms of the effect each reading will likely have on any particular reader. But it will certainly expand your horizons regarding how Christians have devoted their lives to Christ throughout history in many diverse cultures and eras.
Did Adam Exist? By Vern Poythress (Review | Product Info). A booklet that approaches the question from a biblical and scientific perspective. The author is qualified to speak for both the Bible and modern science. Rule of thumb: you won’t regret reading anything Poythress writes. He’s a super-rare combination of lucid and brilliant. Reformed.
Discipleship Explored. By Barry Cooper (Review | Product Info). A video series with accompanying study booklet. The book of Philippians is the subject. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is the goal. Beautiful and compelling. Evangelical and broadly Reformed.
Dynamics of Spiritual Life. By Richard Lovelace (Review | Product Info). A Christian theologian and historian analyzes the necessary ingredient of spiritual revival. A genre of its own. May become a modern day classic.
Earth’s Catastrophic Past. By Andrew Snelling (Review: Volume 1, Volume 2 | Product Info). A biblical and scientific case for a young earth, a global flood, and a 6-day/24-hour creation view. The Bible sections tend to be simplistic; the science sections are technical and cumbersome for all except the trained geologist. Replaces Morris’s classic The Genesis Flood in the young earth creationism literature.
Ecochondriacs. By Doug Wilson (Review | Product Info). A novel about what might happen if a rising star climate change true believer discovered it was all a hoax and conspiracy to profit global elites. A fun page-turner.
Economics for Everybody. By R.C. Sproul Jr (Review | Product Info). Video teaching series introducing young people to the basics of economics.
enGendered. By Sam Andreades (Review | Product Info). Explores the biblical doctrine of gender, concluding gender is God’s gift to human beings for relational intimacy in asymmetrical relationships. This one is ground-breaking.
ESV Literary Study Bible. Edited by Leland Ryken & Philip Ryken (Review | Product Info). A reader’s Bible that introduces chapter-length sections with insights gleaned from literary criticism. Broadly Reformed perspective.
ESV Study Bible. Edited by Wayne Grudem (Review | Product Info). A massive (and massively important) Study Bible in the tradition of historic evangelical orthodoxy. Its supplementary features make this a must-have for Christians, skeptics, and the spiritually curious.
Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace (Review | Product Info). Seeks to awaken the American church to the need for a more biblical faithful evangelism. The author says the way forward is a covenantal understanding of evangelism in which doing justice and preaching grace are married to each other. Foundational to the missional conversation. A manifesto both brief and helpful, theoretical and practical.
Evangellyfish. By Doug Wilson (Review | Product Info). A novel about the theological and moral shallowness of the American evangelical megachurch. Throw a faithful, small-church pastor into the mix of brokenness, sin, and scandal. Out pops a story worth rereading for subtle and obvious insights. Yes, grace is for pastors too.
Every Good Endeavor. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). Argues that our vocation matters to God. Seeks to remove the sharp secular/sacred distinction that tends to control our view of work.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God, but were afraid to ask. By Eric Metaxas (Review | Product Info). Snarky apologetics for young people. Evangelical and Arminian perspective.
Exalting Christ in Ephesians. By Tony Merida (Review | Product Info). An expositional commentary in the broadly reformed evangelical tradition. Excellent for personal or group study. Chapters on Ephesians 4-6 are especially engaging, helpful, and relevant.
The Explicit Gospel. By Matt Chandler (Review | Product Info). Combines the gospel metanarrative with the way many share the gospel in systematic categories (God, Man, Christ, Faith). Shows how we need both to grasp the whole gospel.
Eyes to See. Edited by Bret Lott (Review | Product Info). A collection of ten short stories written from a Christian worldview about a variety of spiritual topics common to humanity. Some famous authors mixed in with those forgotten and a few contemporary literary lights. A fun and meditative read.
Fahrenheit 451. By Ray Bradbury (Review | Product Info). Classic dystopian novel from the 1950s and set in the distant future. Except its vision of the future doesn’t seem so distant anymore. Abounding Christian imagery skillfully employed by an unbelieving author.
Faith in the Face of Apostasy. By Raymond Dillard (Review | Product Info). Expositional commentary on the biblical narratives of the OT prophets Elijah and Elisha. Practical.
The Faithful Spy. By John Hendrix (Review | Product Info). A graphic novel of the life of 20th century Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Focuses on Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the plot to kill Adolf Hitler. Wrestles with the intersection of existential moral questions and faithfulness to Jesus Christ. More than typical graphic novels, which are like glorified comics, this book is worth not only rereading, but reading to the family. Highly recommended for Christians, general history lovers, and anyone who loves a great story.
The Fellowship of the Ring. By J.R.R. Tolkien (Review | Product Info). Book 1 of 3 of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Whether you read the books before seeing the movies or not, don’t miss the books. Immerse yourself in the fantasy world of Middle Earth–and place that operates on much of the Christian worldview–and get caught up in the adventure to destroy the ring that threatens to undo the goodness inherent in the world. Feeds the imagination in a healthy, uplifting way.
Finding a Pastor. By Joel Hathaway (Review | Product Info). Has your church been burned in the past when searching for the next pastor? Does your church like to do things methodically and by purposeful process? Need help finding a pastor for your church. This book could be your blueprint. Use judiciously, but don’t treat it like it’s the best way. Helpful for churches that have the responsibility of finding their own pastor. Not for churches that inherit their next pastor.
1 Peter For You. By Juan Sanchez (Review | Product Info). A helpful guide to reading, understanding, and applying the epistle of First Peter. Author is a Southern Baptist with Reformed theology leanings. Good for pastors, Bible study leaders, and a popular audience, but we could use more expositional commentaries on 1 Peter.
Five Views on Law and Gospel. Edited by Stanley Gundrey (Review | Product Info). Debate between various perspectives on how biblical law and gospel relate to each other. Technical.
Flags Out Front. By Doug Wilson (Review | Product Info). A novel exploring a hypothetical. One day the president of a small conservative but floundering Christian Bible College discovers the flags out front have been rearranged as a prank. The Christian flag has been elevated over the American flag. He decides to leave it that way. Mayhem ensues. The author’s imagination is almost prophetic!
The Flow of the Psalms. By O. Palmer Robertson (Review | Product Info). A theological and structural study of the Psalter, from a Reformed and redemptive-historical perspective. Groundbreaking and surprisingly helpful for getting a handle on the book of Psalms.
Fool’s Talk. By Os Guinness (Review | Product Info). An attempt to marry apologetics and evangelism with biblical roles in order to effectively address our post-modern culture. Want to think carefully and deeply about why the people in your social circles don’t care about Christianity and don’t care to know? This book will give you answers and broader your understanding for what to do about it.
40 Questions About Creation and Evolution. By Kenneth Keathley and Mark Rooker (Review | Product Info). The best place to begin on the massive topic of creation and evolution. The authors manage to produce and coherent, unified, and readable book even though one is a young earther and the other an old earther. Who knew such a thing is possible without cantankerous, condescending debate?
Four Views of Youth Ministry and the Church. Edited by Mark Senter (Review | Product Info). Debate between various schools of thought for doing youth ministry. All four views fit on a quadrant grid and overlap to some degree. Theoretical with practical aspects.
The Freedom Answer Book. By Judge Andrew Napolitano (Review | Product Info). Lots of concise, cock-sure answers about the freedoms we enjoy and used to enjoy in the American democracy. From a libertarian perspective. Released by an evangelical Christian publisher, but not an explicitly Christian book. Dogmatic but interesting, therefore fun!
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). A popular sermon put into print for a wider readership. The key to your view of self is not thinking more of yourself, or thinking less of yourself, but through the gospel you think of yourself less.
From Eden to the New Jerusalem. By T. Desmond Alexander (Review | Product Info). Redemptive historical study of the major biblical theological themes of Scripture. A major payoff for a small book. Technical.
Galatians For You. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). An excellent introductory and expository commentary (verse by verse) on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Vintage Keller: clear and compelling exposition, with lots of good-for-you “heart-surgery” that distills the essence of the gospel message. Highly recommended as an supplement to reading Galatians for study in private, in your family, or with study groups.
Gender. By Brian Seagraves & Hunter Leavine (Review | Product Info). A conversation guide for parents and pastors to prepare our children how to think about gender issues from a Christian perspective informed first and foremost from the Bible. Brief and practical.
Generous Justice. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). An impassioned plea and reasoned case for Christian involvement in mercy ministry and social justice. Grounded in the Bible and the gospel, not in Christian ethics like the old “social gospel” movement.
Genesis 1-4. By C. John Collins (Review | Product Info). Commentary on the first 4 chapters of the Bible. Shows how our reading of these chapters shapes our understanding of the rest of the Bible. Sensitive to literary analysis.
Gilead. By Marilynne Robinson (Review | Product Info). A beautifully written novel about the spiritual battles that characterize the relationship between fathers and sons. The author is a Christian who employs biblical imagery without hitting the reader over the head with it. It won the Pulitzer Prize, and deservedly so.
Giving Up Gimmicks. By Brian Cosby (Review | Product Info). Argues for making youth ministry less about fun and more about discipleship. Challenges the paradigms of youth ministry as glorified babysitting or ghettoized subculture.
The Glory of Their Times. By Lawrence Ritter (Review | Product Info). Simply the most entertaining baseball book ever. It’s a collection of transcribed interviews with ballplayers from the Deadball Era around the turn of the 20th century. Short stories of the sports genre at their finest. Highly recommended for baseball fans, those who love American history, short-story aficionados, and every else who loves to listen to old people talk about the glories of yesteryear.
God and the Transgender Debate. By Andrew Walker (Review | Product Info). A gentle and pastoral guide that seeks to answer the question: what does the Bible actually say about gender identity? Faithful to the Bible and accessible to the reader. Evangelical.
God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life. By Tim & Kathy Keller (Review | Product Info). A thematically-arranged year-long daily devotional through the book of Proverbs. Written for Christians who want life wisdom but also want to see Jesus in Proverbs. An excellent companion to their Psalms devotional The Songs of Jesus. Simple, deep, and practical.
Good & Angry. By David Powlison (Review | Product Info). Do you have a serious problem with anger? This book shows you the answer for everyone is “yes” and then shows you the solution in the gospel. Takes a while to get going, but the payoff is worth it. Biblical counseling in the Reformed tradition.
Good Faith. By Kinnaman & Lyons (Review | Product Info). How to be a “good faith” not “bad faith” Christian when your culture and neighbors think you are both irrelevant and extreme. Combines statistical sociological research, personal stories of cultural engagement, and advice for Christians on how to be winsome ambassadors. Great for book discussion groups.
Gospel Eldership. By Robert Thune (Review | Product Info). A handbook and discussion guide for training elder candidates in the church. Best useable resource for addressing a man from the holistic perspective of head, heart, and hand.
The Gospel as Center. Edited by D.A. Carson & Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). What it means for the gospel to be at the center of a person’s belief system and in the life of the church. In many ways a commentary on the founding documents of The Gospel Coalition.
Gospel in Life. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). A small group Bible study that doubles as a how-to manual on how small group ministry ought to function for Christians. The thesis is that every small group ought to be a microcosm of the larger body of Christ.
A Great Mystery. By Peter Leithart (Review | Product Info). Wedding homilies preached at real weddings. Not decontextualized at all. Every one is different, so the collection is sort of a theology of marriage. Practical and theological at the same time.
The Hardest Sermons You’ll Ever Have to Preach. Edited by Bryan Chapell (Review | Product Info). A collection of sermons preached by accomplished and polished pastors on extraordinarily difficult occasions. National disasters, suicides, murders, and other tragedies.
Harper Collins Study Bible. Edited by the Society of Biblical Literature (Review | Product Info). The standard Bible textbook for secular and liberal college classrooms.
The Heart of Evangelism. By Jerram Barrs (Review | Product Info). Meditations on evangelism from biblical, theological, and practical angles. Obviously the fruit of many years of reflection and practice.
The Heart of the Gospel (Tabletalk). By Ligonier Ministries (Review | Product Info). A special issue of Tabletalk, a devotional magazine, with a gospel-centric theme. Like a gospel tract on steroid. Just one of many, many, MANY wonderful resources produced by R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries. Evangelical and Reformed.
Hidden Christmas. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). A little book that distills the true but often hidden meaning of Christmas from the author’s many years of meditating and preaching on the story of the Christ’s incarnation. A feast of joy for believers, and a winsome and clear tract for unbelievers.
Hillbilly Elegy. By J.D. Vance (Review | Product Info). Subtitle: “A memoir of a family and culture in crisis.” The author is a Yale-educated lawyer who comes from hillbilly stock. An important book that does a marvelous job of opening non-hillbilly eyes to the beauty and plight of this sometimes overlooked and often despised American subculture. Misunderstand hillbillies and you will likely not “get” America.
The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. By Craig Blomberg (Review | Product Info). A modern classic that answers the critics and those skeptical of the historicity of the four gospel accounts Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Scholarly but accessible.
A History of Western Philosophy and Theology. By John Frame (Review | Product Info). An excellent single volume overview and analysis of just what the book title promises. From a reformed, Van Tillian perspective. Everything was readable and understandable except the section on Process Theology. But that’s my brain’s limitation, not the author’s fault.
History of Theology. By Bengt Hagglund (Review | Product Info). The title says it all. An important seminary and reference work. Informative as it connects the dots, but not fun reading except for the enthusiast.
Homosexuality. By Edward Welch (Review | Product Info). The best little booklet I’ve read on the biblical and theological position regarding the topic of homosexuality. Pastorally sensitive.
Hope in the Midst of a Hostile World. By George Schwab (Review | Product Info). An expositional commentary on the book of Daniel. Despite some questionable hermeneutical presuppositions, the end product is evangelical and reformed.
How (Not) To Be Secular. By James K.A. Smith (Review | Product Info). A book about a book. An easier (but not easy) book about a difficult book. A pretty short book about a really long book. An important book about a very important book. Basically the author brings the philosophy, theology, and apologetics of Charles Taylor’s seminal work “A Secular Age” down to the bottom shelf for greater accessibility. Reformed in the Kuyperian “cultural engagement” tradition.
How the Irish Saved Civilization. By Thomas Cahill (Review | Product Info). Bestselling history of the people and influence of Irish culture from the fall of Rome to the present. How did they save civilization? By preserving the cultural treasures of classical antiquity, not for posterity’s sake, but for Christ’s sake. And that made all the difference. Popular treatment of the subject. Three out of four stars. A fun read.
How Then Should We Work? By Hugh Whelchel (Review | Product Info). An seminary integrative paper in published form. Approaches the topic from more of a redemptive historical than a systematic theology method. The author founded the Institute of Faith, Work, and Economics.
How to Live as a Christian. Edited by Joel Beeke (Review | Product Info). Sounds like a simplistic, even stupid title for a book. Don’t be fooled. This is an absolute gem. Should be widely known and read. Use for personal or group discipleship training. Reformed in the Puritan tradition.
Icons of Evolution. By Jonathan Wells (Review | Product Info). An expose of ten icons that most people, including professional scientists, believe prove Darwinian evolution is true. The author explains why each is deceptive or outright false by citing uncontested scientific literature. A seminal work in the Intelligent Design movement.
Immanuel in Our Place. By Tremper Longman (Review | Product Info). An expositional commentary on the biblical passages that teach on tabernacle, temple, the priesthood, and worship. Redemptive historical method. Christ-centered.
In Search of Deep Faith. By Jim Belcher (Review | Product Info). A travel memoir, sketches from church history, and parenting tips all weaved together. It’s the account of the author taking his family on Christian pilgrimage into the heart of European Christendom.
InSourcing. By Randy Pope (Review | Product Info). A plan for making disciples in the church the old fashioned way–like Jesus did it. The author’s story of how his church came to make disciples of its folks. Inspiring and practical. Evangelical and Reformed.
Interpreting Eden. By Vern Poythress (Review | Product Info). A sort of prolegomena (read this first) for the creation/evolution debate with pastors and Bible scholarship lovers as the intended audience. Nothing like it precedes this book.
In the Steps of Jesus. By Peter Walker (Review | Product Info). A theological, pictorial, and biblical tour through the holy land of Israel following in the steps of Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke. Doubles as a coffee table style tourist guide for today’s pilgrim.
In the Year of Our Lord. By Sinclair Ferguson (Review | Product Info). Not quite an introduction to church history, but it’s something like that. One author’s attempt at serving as a tour guide to survey all 20 centuries, giving the each equal time. Part museum, part explanation, part worship service. A great book to get a feel for the sweep of Christianity in its first two thousand years. From the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition.
Is God Anti-Gay? By Sam Allberry (Review | Product Info). A booklet written by an Anglican priest who is single and struggles against his same-sex attraction, striving to live a holy and celibate live for Christ. Deals briefly with most of the relevant biblical passages on homosexuality. We need more books that tells these kinds of stories, and for many to hear this side of the argument.
It Couldn’t Just Happen. By Lawrence O. Richards (Review | Product Info). An apology for the Bible’s view of creation and a critique of the theory of evolution. Written for older children and younger teens. A beautiful and engaging book. Highly recommended!
The Israel of God. By O. Palmer Robertson (Review | Product Info). A biblical-theological study that traces OT Israel through to the NT Israel, which the author identifies as the Church–composed on Jews and Gentiles.
Jayber Crow. By Wendell Berry (Review | Product Info). A hauntingly beautiful novel that speaks to the subtle goodness of human life in community before modernization, statism, and the information age squeezed out folk cultures. All wrapped in a most unusual but satisfying love story. It’s biblical imagery is wonderful.
Jesus Outside the Lines. By Scott Sauls (Review | Product Info). For all those, Christians or not, who are tired of taking sides in social, cultural, political, moral, and theological controversies. If you want a refreshing reflection on how to trailblaze a third way while looking to the whole Bible as the North Star, then start here.
John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life. By Herman Selderhuis (Review | Product Info). A biography that tries to get at John Calvin the man as a man of his times and a man for all times. Portrays Calvin as sincere, an imperfect yet model Christian. This book is not hagiography.
Journey Through the Ark Encounter (Review | Product Info). Volume two documenting the young earth creationism attractions by Answers in Genesis in Kentucky. The massive Ark Encounter museum and theme park garners its own attention as visitors tour the massive life-size replica of Noah’s Ark. This book, coupled with Volume one featuring the Creation Museum, makes a fun supplement to start interesting conversations with friends and family who image the project is a misguided exercise in the mythological.
Journey Through the Creation Museum (Review | Product Info). A coffee-table style book that takes the reader on a tour of the (in)famous Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. Young Earth Creationism via Answers in Genesis meets Jurassic Park. A fun conversation starting book.
Judges For You. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). A devotional commentary on Judges: a particularly strange and difficult book of the Bible. Very practical, relevant, and well received by people who engage in small group Bible study.
Judges: Such a Great Salvation. By Dale Ralph Davis (Review | Product Info). Want to read an expositional commentary on the difficult, strange, but rewarding and relevant Bible book of Judges. You couldn’t do much better than this one. Practical, funny, interesting, insightful, informed, accessible, God-centered, Christian, and faithful. Written at an intermediate popular level (technical details most confined to footnotes).
Keeping Holiday. By Starr Meade (Review | Product Info). A fictional allegory written for children, to be read during the Christmas season. Two kids discover what Christmas is all about. Endearing enough to be read more than once.
Knowing God. By J.I. Packer (Review | Product Info). A classic practical and devotional book on how to really know God. By a modern day Puritan. A beloved masterpiece and best seller.
The Language of God. By Francis Collins (Review | Product Info). The lead scientist of the historic Human Genome Project chronicles his personal experiences in coming to Christian faith alongside his quest for scientific knowledge of genetics, biology, medicine, and the origins of life. From a theistic evolutionary perspective.
The Leadership Dynamic. By Harry Reeder (Review | Product Info). How to be a leader in the mold of this pastor-general. Author seems to think his style of leadership (Man up and lead from the front line!) is the best.
Letters to a Young Progressive. By Mike Adams (Review | Product Info). The subtitle is “how to avoid wasting your life protesting things you don’t understand.” Conservative politics from a Christian perspective. The author’s voice owes a bit to Rush Limbaugh. Written for high school and college students who are in danger of ruining their relationships with everyone “back home” now that they’ve been “awakened” to everything wrong about their childhood upbringing. If simple family values are wrought in the family nursery, and liberalism is caught at the indoctrinating university, then conservatism must be taught in the free-thinking academy.
Liberal Arts for the Christian Life. Edited by Jeffry Davis & Philip Ryken (Review | Product Info). A festschrift in honor of long tenured Professor Leland Ryken. Essays by professors and notable alumni of Wheaton, a Christian liberal arts college. Makes the case, from soup to nuts, for pursuing the liberal arts academically (and for life) from a Christian perspective. Don’t get caught up on chapter one’s closing illustration. Recommended for lovers of the liberal arts, whether rising college students or life-long learners.
Life Explored. By Barry Cooper & Nate Morgan (Review | Product Info). A video series with a companion workbook in the trilogy of Christianity Explored Ministries. Approaches life questions from the perspective of the biblical faith. Artsy and eclectic. Promotes fascinating and probing discussions like no other resource I’ve encountered. Evangelical and Reformed.
The Little Way of Ruthie Leming. By Rod Dreher (Review | Product Info). A touching memoir about a woman who never moved away from her small tight-knit hometown in Louisiana, dying of cancer too young but overwhelmingly supported by everyone she knew–the entire town. Told by her older brother who witnessed the beauty of true community and was so transformed by the love he saw that he moved back home.
Live Not By Lies. By Rod Dreher (Review | Product Info). Just as the subtitle says: “A manual for Christian dissent.” From the soft totalitarianism the author believes is fast coming to the West. Gloomy and pessimistic, yet strangely hopeful in a long-term-view sort of way.
Lost Women of the Bible. By Carolyn Custis James (Review | Product Info). Argues the traditional view of women as submissive to and helpers of men/husbands is at best incomplete and at worse misleading. Men and women are designed to work as a Blessed Alliance.
Lou Gehrig: The Lost Memoir. By Lou Gehrig & Alan Gaff (Review | Product Info). The legendary baseball player recalls his life up through the 1927 season. With a long-form essay that fills in the gaps and explains the significance of Gehrig’s short but remarkable life. A fun and quick read.
Love into Light. By Peter Hubbard (Review | Product Info). A biblical view of homosexuality, written by a pastor with years of experience ministering to those with same-sex attraction and those who have left the homosexual lifestyle for life in Christ. Practical and encouraging.
Love Thy Body. By Nancy Pearcey (Review | Product Info). Looking for a scholarly yet accessible, apologetic and compassionate, broad and deep introduction to good answers to hard questions about life and sexuality? And from an evangelical Christian worldview? Start here.
Make College Count. By Derek Melleby (Review | Product Info). A manifesto to wake up slumbering high school and college students to the life of the mind and its compatibility with a vibrant, exciting faith in Christ.
Making Sense of God. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). A sophisticated, up-to-date, comparison of the secular and Christian worldviews. Approaches questions with an eye to reason, emotion, and culture. Highly recommended for serious readers and book clubs.
Man is the Measure. By Reuben Abel (Review | Product Info). An introduction to the enduring problems of philosophy. Seems to be Kantian in perspective, arguing for common sense realism. Gives short shrift to Christian philosophy and the Bible (because the author is not familiar with sophisticated Christian philosophers?).
Married For God. By Christopher Ash (Review | Product Info). A helpful primer on marriage, orienting the human institution to its divinely designed purpose: sex in the service of God. Useful for singles, dating and engaged couples, newly marrieds, and marriage vets. Evangelical and reformed.
The Marrow of Modern Divinity. By Edward Fisher (Review | Product Info). An old Puritan classic that explains and explores the differences between legalism, antinomianism, and the gospel. Written as a dialogue between characters taking the three positions. A classic book of history that caused quite a controversy in England and Scotland back in the day (the Marrow Controversy).
The Meaning of Marriage. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). An extended study on marriage from the teaching of Ephesians 5. Based on the author’s famous marriage tape series recorded in the 1990s. The best book on marriage written to date. Period.
The Meaning of Marriage: A Couple’s Devotional. By Tim & Kathy Keller (Review | Product Info). Not as good as the book it’s based on (see above), but still excellent for reading with your spouse. The strength of this book is it takes a whole year to work through. Reformed and evangelical, but useful for pretty much anyone, including non-Christians. Seriously.
The Message of Acts. By Dennis Johnson (Review | Product Info). Not quite a commentary. More like commentary on key passages from the book of Acts, arranged by topic, and approached from a redemptive historical method.
The Message of Acts. By John Stott (Review | Product Info). Not related to Dennis Johnson’s book except that they are both commentaries on the book of Acts. This book is more suited for personal and group studies through the entire book of Acts. Not technical, but essential reading for understanding what Acts is all about. Evangelical and Reformed.
The Message of Daniel. By Dale Ralph Davis (Review | Product Info). An expositional commentary on the book of Daniel. Each chapter reads like a sermon. Reformed and covenantal perspective. Davis is a master expositor.
The Message of Galatians. By John Stott (Review | Product Info). The first volume in “The Bible Speaks Today” commentary series, which has become a trusted, modern-day classic in terms of biblical expository commentaries. Takes a standard evangelical stance on Galatians. Not ground-breaking or technical, but one of the best go-to studies for pastors and their flock.
The Message of 1 Peter. By Edmund Clowney (Review | Product Info). A introductory commentary on the first epistle of the apostle Peter (1 Peter). Not the most outstanding commentary on this book, but a solid effort. Still, the author manages to shine in his strong suite: biblical theology and redemptive history of the OT. Evangelical and Reformed. Useful for personal or group study, but a little dated now.
Ministries of Mercy. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). Not quite a handbook on mercy ministry, but certainly a theological rationale and how-to plan for doing mercy ministry in the context of the local church. Useful for church leaders just beginning a journey into this vast need, the mercy ministry veterans, and all those in between. Read with other church leaders and begin praying how to put it into practice.
The Modern Search for the Real Jesus. By Robert Strimple (Review | Product Info). Takes the roof off the three historical-critical searches for the real Jesus by unmasking the movement’s presuppositions: antisupernaturalism, Bible as man’s religious musings rather than divine revelation, uniformitarianism.
The Myth of Certainty. By Daniel Taylor (Review | Product Info). An extended musing on the experience reflective people feel about knowing anything for certain, particularly truth claims related to the worlds of secularity and the conservative Christian church. If you totally relate, you’ll feel understood and encouraged. If you only partially or not-so-much relate, you’ll feel irritated. If you’re something in the middle, you’ll probably feel the author both goes too far and not far enough. Me? I liked it and didn’t. Go figure.
The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head. By Gary Small (Review | Product Info). A secular psychiatrist recalls his most bizarre cases after an illustrious thirty-year run as a high-profile practicing and publishing career. Part memoir, part Psychiatry 101, all fun.
Navigating Genesis. By Hugh Ross (Review | Product Info). A trained scientist and (lay?) pastor explores the concordance of Genesis 1-11 and mainstream modern science. A progressive creationism perspective. The author’s biblical exegesis sometimes strains the text to accord with what contemporary science claims. Hence his reinterpretation of traditional biblical teaching comes off a bit amateurish, like eisegesis. Recommended for understand the position of progressive creationism, not so much for understand the plain teaching of Genesis. Evangelical, not Reformed.
A New Apostolic Reformation? (Review | Product Info). A critical but fair assessment of the “Fourth Wave” charismatic movement, examining the history, teachers, doctrine, and practice of NAR from a biblical and theological perspective. Authors are evangelical and continuationist regarding spiritual gifts today. Maybe the best one-volume treatment of the subject?
New City Catechism Devotional (Review | Product Info). A 52-chapter devotional with contributions from historical and contemporary authors that supplement the New City Catechism (a modern restatement of Reformation theology in Q&A format). An excellent resource for personal or group discipleship. Broadly reformed and evangelical. Destined to become a classic devotional book?
New Living Translation Study Bible. (Review | Product Info). A good English Bible translation that leans hard in the “dynamic equivalence” direction on the translation spectrum. Great for devotional reading, but not for textual study. The notes and study helps are mostly excellent, with a few exceptions. Evangelical.
The New Man. By Dan Doriani (Review | Product Info). Not just another Christian book on “how to be a Man”. This one is really about a man being more like Jesus. Theological, practical, and refreshing in a realistic down-to-earth way. Good for group study.
The Next Story. By Tim Challies (Review | Product Info). A wake-up call for techies and those who love the latest electronic gadgets. Remember that first we shape the technology, and then it shapes us. Stay alert and in control to avoid addiction and idolatry.
NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible. Edited by Third Mill Ministries (Review | Product Info). Thoroughly reformed in the notes and study helps. I find the notes more insightful than many commentaries. Out of print, but lives again online.
NIV Zondervan Study Bible. Edited by D.A. Carson (Review | Product Info). One of the best study Bible’s out there. It’s very thick in terms of theology and number of pages. From a biblical theology perspective. Contains the updated NIV translation, which is only a partial improvement on the original. But the supplemental content of this study Bible is excellent.
Old Earth Creationism On Trial. By Tim Chaffey & Jason Lisle (Review | Product Info). A decent introduction to the creationist debate on the age of the earth. In the format of a trial in a court of law with the reader as the jury. Has a distinct fundamentalist flavor.
The One Year Christian History. By Michael & Sharon Rusten (Review | Product Info). Packed with engaging stories from Christian and biblical history, written as a devotional. I wrote a topical index to make it easier to mine for illustrations.
Only Two Religions. By Peter Jones (Review | Product Info). Not a book, but a DVD teaching series. It’s from Ligonier Ministries, so the format is a “talking head” lecturing to a classroom of serious looking people taking notes and furrowing their brows. But lots of written material supplement this resource, so there is much to read about the two religions. Only two? In the final analysis, according to Jones’ reading of the Bible, those two are paganism (Oneism) and Christianity (Twoism). Every other religion is a footnote. This resource helps make sense of the times that are a’changin’.
Orthodoxy. By G.K. Chesterton (Review | Product Info). Classic apologetic work from the early 20th century. Still reads as if it were fresh. The author is a master of turning a phrase and utilizing paradoxes to shine light on the hidden truths we already know.
The Other Worldview. By Peter Jones (Review | Product Info). Published in 2015, an up-to-date analysis of resurgent paganism and a Christian response. The author (a scholar and minister) is very intelligent, well-read, and convincing. Seeks to answer the question: “What in tarnation is goin’ on in this crazy world of ours?!?” Eye-opening!
The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness. By Donald Optiz & Derek Melleby (Review | Product Info). High school and college students like being challenged. Not just in their Christian faith, but to live out the academic and vocational implications of their faith with excellence. God’s calling is no less.
The Pagan Heart of Today’s Culture. By Peter Jones (Review | Product Info). A little booklet on a big topic. Jones is the expert in the church on neo-paganism’s rise an infiltration of modern western civilization. Church beware!
Of Pandas and People. By Percival Davis & Dean Kenyon (Review | Product Info). A high school textbook written for non-Christian schools (public and private) introducing the critique of scientific evolution from an intelligent design perspective. Now old but still useful. When it was first published, it made a big splash in America!
Parenting in the Pew. By Robbie Castleman (Review | Product Info). Tips for parents with small children struggling to make it through the church service without going crazy. Emphasizes patience, congregational support, and training for worship (not babysitting).
Passed Over and Pissed Off. By Mia Mulrennan (Review | Product Info). The author is a member of Generation X, and she wants Boomer to take notice of her peers, because they’re tired of being passed over in the business world, and they’re so upset they’re not gonna take it anymore! Not really an angry book as the title suggests. Mildly interesting.
A Patriot’s History of the Modern World: Volume 1. By Larry Schweikart & David Dougherty (Review | Product Info). A (mostly) “just-the-facts” recounting of the history of the world from 1898 to 1945. Written from a politically conservative perspective that espouses American Exceptionalism.
A Patriot’s History of the Modern World: Volume 2. By Larry Schweikart & David Dougherty (Review | Product Info). Continues the story begun in Volume 1, picking up at the beginning of the baby-boomer era. Ends half-way through Obama’s presidency. Whereas the pessimism for the future was veiled in the first volume, in this book the pessimism ends in alarmism. Will America’s four pillars of exceptionalism soon crumble?
The Person of Christ. By Donald Macleod (Review | Product Info). A historical study on the doctrine of the person and work of Jesus Christ. A readable seminary textbook. In the important Contours of Christian Theology series.
The Politically Incorrect Guide (PIG) to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. By Jonathan Wells (Review | Product Info). Sarcastic, funny, informative, and well-rounded introduction to the scientific debate regarding biological origins. A Christian-friendly book, but not an explicitly Christian book. Written for an audience with an open mind, willing to look at objections to scientific orthodoxy.
The Pilgrim’s Progress. By John Bunyan (Review | Product Info). An allegorical novel on the Christian life, narrated as a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Written in the 17th century. A readable classic!
Popologetics. By Ted Turnau (Review | Product Info). And now for something completely different. Well, not exactly. It’s apologetics applied to popular culture. Through the lenses of creation, fall, redemption, and re-creation. Eye opening, interesting, and entertaining.
Popular Crime. By Bill James (Review | Product Info). The quirky writer on all things baseball ventures into his other lifetime passion: famous and historic crimes in American pop culture. James tells the story of each crime and then argues his solution. Clever, witty, populist, and snarky.
Porn Nation. By Michael Leahy (Review | Product Info). A Christian writes for Oprah’s audience, warning us of the dangers of porn addiction. His story is a cautionary tale. His solution is the gospel. Sobering and hopeful.
Power Ball. By Rob Neyer (Review | Product Info). Subtitled, “The anatomy of a modern baseball game.” Sit next to your baseball-nerd companion and soak in a typical major league baseball game, musing on all things inside baseball informed by sabermetrics. Fascinating.
Prayer. By Tim Keller. (Review | Product Info). This one revolutionized my prayer life because after reading, studying, thinking, digesting, and practicing this book, I feel like prayer is finally something I basically understand: it’s like rowing while waiting for the winds to fill the soul’s sails. Want to learn about prayer from someone who learned from the Christian “masters of prayer”? Start here.
A Praying Life. By Paul Miler (Review | Product Info). Along with Keller’s book on prayer, this book helped me to get over the hump to a “natural” prayer life. Now prayer feels a little more like breathing to me. Want to learn how to “pray without ceasing”? Start here.
Praying the Bible. By Donald Whitney (Review | Product Info). The title says it best. If you are a Christian and hate to admit that prayer is often boring to you, then you’ll definitely want to read this little book. “Riffing on” the Bible in prayer is a powerful method to give your prayers a jolt of high-octane spiritual fuel. Try it!
The Preacher’s Catechism. By Lewis Allen (Review | Product Info). All the truths of the Westminster Shorter Catechism condensed and repackaged for the heart needs of the preacher. Soul food for the hungry. Attention preachers: Keep this one close at hand. You’ll like referring to it often.
Preaching. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). This should follow closely on the heels of every seminarian’s Preaching 101 class. Probably as the last assigned text in that first class. And for the non-preacher? You need this book to discern good biblical preaching from a poor sermon or a good lecture. Preaching is unique speech. Keller will show you what it is, and how to do it in this era of late-modernity.
Preaching Christ in All of Scripture. By Edmund Clowney (Review | Product Info). The author’s method of preaching redemptive-historical Christ-centered sermons. Sound too technical? Then start with the second half which includes examples of his best sermons.
Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture. By Graeme Goldsworthy (Review 1 & Review 2 | Product Info). A supplement to Clowney’s book. Highly recommended for those who are not quite sure how to find and preach Christ from every Bible passage.
The Prodigal God. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). Highlights both the younger prodigal son and older Pharisee-like brother to magnify the “prodigal” (lavish) grace of God. This book will expose the latent Pharisee in your heart, which is good medicine for Christians.
The Prodigal Prophet. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). An exposition of the book of Jonah. Exegetical, theological, and pastoral. Explores the dimensions of rationality, human emotions, and cultural transformation. Manages to be profound and simple, always at the same time! Vintage Keller. A capstone book of his lengthy public ministry?
Psalms For You. By Christopher Ash (Review | Product Info). A cross between a homiletical/expositional commentary and a Bible study manual on select portions of the book of Psalms. Devotional and Christ-centered. A delight to read and study in a group. Reformed and evangelical.
Pulling Back the Shades. By Dannah Gresh & Juli Slattery (Review | Product Info). Two women sound the alarm regarding “Mommy Porn”. The titillating literature is bad enough, but the poison becomes more potent in Hollywood movie form. But they also highlight the gospel’s hope for women (and men) who have fallen into sexual temptation and sin.
A Quest for More. By Paul Tripp (Review | Product Info). Somewhat like “The Purpose Driven Life” but better because it’s more faithful to the Bible. Stop pursuing your little kingdom and settle for nothing short of the Big Kingdom (of God). Insightful on heart idols.
Quitting Church. By Julia Duin (Review | Product Info). Why are so many Christians (especially singles) leaving the institutional church but not their faith? Religion Journalist Duin sheds light on the question, sharing her personal struggle to not quit church too.
R.C. Sproul (Tabletalk). By Ligonier Ministries (Review | Product Info). A post-humous tribute in magazine format to the founder of Ligonier Ministries and champion of Reformed theology for a generation of Christians. Read about a man beloved by many for lots of reasons, first and foremost was his love for God and his unwavering awe of God’s holiness.
Read/Mark/Learn Romans. By St. Helen’s Bishopsgate (Review | Product Info). A small group study book on Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Commentary and discussion questions. Highly recommended. Anglican and Reformed.
Real Sex. By Lauren Winner (Review | Product Info). Why is sexual activity outside the bounds of biblical morality wrong? Lots of Christians in our hyper-sexualized culture need better answers than the church sometimes gives. They need the Bible’s theology of sex narrated in the Story of Love. Winner tells of her search for answers, placing her story of searching for and finding love into the Bible’s metanarrative of Love.
The Reason for God. By Tim Keller (Review | Product Info). An apologetics book for today’s masses. Both defensive and offensive (but not abrasive). Keller is a top-rate apologist who continues to actually do apologetics through dialog with unbelievers in their forums.
Redeeming Science. By Vern Poythress (Review | Product Info). Rebuilding the thoughtful, responsible, and faithful foundations of modern science. Seeks to give God’s written Word the primary place of authority, yet open to reexamining the accepted human interpretation of the Bible in light of our observations of God’s natural world. Brilliant and original.
Reformed Means Missional. Edited by Samuel Logan (Review | Product Info). The title is the thesis. As controversial as it is in the wider Christian world, the evidence bears it out. A collection of essays, with more content included in the ebook than the print edition.
Replacing Darwin. By Nathaniel Jeanson (Review | Product Info). A biblical young-earth creationist presents a cogent scientific case, informed by the Bible’s doctrine of creation, of the origin of earth’s species. A semi-technical work that aims to convince open-minded naturalists and curious Bible-believing Christians that a better case of origins can be made based on 21st century science than 19th century Darwinian theory. This one is a serious, humble, respectful, and challenging book worth reading by anyone willing to rethink this question. College level, textbook-like, and rooted in the gospel. Highest recommendation.
Resilient Ministry. By Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman & Donald Guthrie (Review | Product Info). An interesting sociological and psychological study of what factors help and hinder ordained ministers in being successful and faithful to their calling.
A Return to Modesty. By Wendy Shalit (Review | Product Info). Written by a young secular Jewish woman who calls the modern West back to a traditional modesty for the sake of true feminism and femininity. Part memoir, part research. Reaches many conclusions to which Christians can say “Amen!”
The Return of the King. By J.R.R. Tolkien (Review | Product Info). The final episode of the classic, epic fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings. If you have read the first two, what are you waiting for? Finish it already! It’s great.
The Returning King. By Vern Poythress (Review | Product Info). A study guide and commentary on the book of Revelation. Possibly the best place to begin studying when you aren’t sure which millennial position or school of interpretation is right. Sees the good, the common ground, and the not-so-helpful aspects of the various ways of reading this beautiful book of the Bible. Essentially amillennial and idealist.
Romans. By Paul Barnett (Review | Product Info). A beginner’s commentary on Romans that combines interpretation, exposition, and application in a good balance. By an Reformation Anglican from Australia.
A Royal “Waste” of Time. By Marva Dawn (Review | Product Info). Worshiping the King of kings could not possibly be a waste of time. Dawn provides the theological answer why this is true, and then offers practical suggestions for helping worship services to feel more alive and worthy of the God we serve.
Same Lake, Different Boat. By Stephanie Hubach (Review | Product Info). A theology of disability, written by a mother of a grown Down-syndrome child. The premise of the book is that we live in world where the abnormal is normal. This both humanizes those who are different and allows room for lament. This is not the way it’s supposed to be, and one day it will all be made right again. Until that day, we all live in the normality of the abnormal.
Same-Sex Mirage. By Doug Wilson (Review | Product Info). Judge this book by its cover and title, and you might think it’s just a cute screed against same-sex marriage. But inside is actually a fresh breeze of truth, written in witty satirical prose, that will leave you wondering, “Why doesn’t anyone else say it this way?”
1 Samuel: Looking On The Heart. By Dale Ralph Davis (Review | Product Info). Another jewel of an expositional commentary by a master preacher/teacher. Biblical narrative can be hard to preach without devolving into merely rehashing the story. This book shows one way to do it well: by focusing on the main actor: the LORD! Highly recommended for personal enrichment or group study. Reformed.
2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity. By Dale Ralph Davis (Review | Product Info). Another solid expositional commentary from the pen of this esteemed pastor-scholar. Once again, the LORD is the main actor. Use this to supplement sermon or lesson prep, or just for personal spiritual enrichment. You’ll definitely be enriched after working through this one. Reformed.
1 Samuel For You. By Tim Chester (Review | Product Info). Readable, Christ-centered, and useful for devotional and group study, this expositional-like commentary on the book of 1 Samuel is a great non-technical resource for understanding the historical and contemporary significance, and applying the lessons, to this famous OT book. Gets at the Jesus-story behind the stories. Biblically faithful from a Reformed perspective.
2 Samuel For You. By Tim Chester (Review | Product Info). Just like the author’s 1 Samuel For You (reviewed above). Read this one for the ending. But you already knew that.
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. By Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (Review | Product Info). Inside the mind of a formerly “churched”, then prodigal lesbian professor, and now a heterosexually married pastor’s wife and mother. Her description of her conversion to Christ as “a train wreck” is honest, raw, and gripping.
Scaling the Secular City. By J.P. Moreland (Review | Product Info). An introduction to the art and science of Christian apologetics by a philosophically-minded Arminian-leaning evangelical. There is much for a Reformed Christian to glean from Moreland.
Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness. By Eric Metaxas (Review | Product Info). Biographical essays of seven Christian male heroes. Mextaxas holds them up as worthy of honor and imitation. Not quite hagiography, but certainly not touching much on their sins and faults.
The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses. By Vern Poythress (Review | Product Info). Want to know how the Mosaic Law may be profitably read, understood, and applied by Christians? Start here.
Should Christians Embrace Evolution? Edited by Norman Nevin (Review | Product Info). Answers with an emphatic, unqualified NO! The essays are a mixed bag. For those more interested in the arguments from science than theology and biblical studies, this book might not whet your appetite for thorough answers. But the scientific arguments contained therein are still useful.
Side By Side. By Edward Welch (Review | Product Info). Want to be a certified Christian counselor? Better to start reviewing the basics of true friendship. That’s what this book is essentially about–being a true friend. Provides very doable tips on how to walk with others side by side.
The Songs of Jesus. By Timothy Keller (Review | Product Info). A wonderful devotion through all 150 psalms. Arranged as a one-year Christian devotional, with each day including on a single page a psalm (or a portion thereof), a small paragraph of Keller’s reflections and meditations, and a brief summary prayer. This devotional is simple and deep. You may not think so at first, but I found it really grows on you. A future classic?
The Space Trilogy. By C.S. Lewis (Review | Product Info). Three science fiction novels by the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. These are not for kids, as they deal deeply with the big questions of life from a Christian vs. secular modernist perspective. Made up of the novels Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.
Spiritual Classics. Edited by Richard Foster (Review | Product Info). From an ecumenical perspective. Reading these will give you a glimpse into how lots of different Christians, from various traditions, places, and eras pursued the discipline of spiritual piety. Not everything will scratch your itch, but there is likely something here for everyone.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. By Donald Whitney (Review | Product Info). The author is a recognized authority on the classic spiritual disciplines. This is a readable introduction to the ins and outs of daily living as a Christian. Evangelical.
The Stories We Tell. By Mike Cosper (Review | Product Info). A reverent but folksy meditation and analysis of popular TV and movies from a Christian perspective. With an eye to cultural engagement. A fun and insightful read. Broadly reformed.
The Story of Christianity. By Michael Collins & Matthew Price (Review | Product Info). A coffee-table styled book with lots of pictures, charts, diagrams, tables, and blurbs. But don’t be fooled. This is not fluff. Although written for a popular audience, the reader will have a good grasp of the story of Christianity just by using this book. Ecumenical.
Supernatural. By Michael Heiser (Review | Product Info). The Bible has a much wider supernatural worldview than most Christians realize. This book fills in some of those gaps in a systematic, narrative way. I wish the author would lay off the libertarian free-will theism. It’s not necessary to his thesis. Simplifies the author’s academic writings for the layman. Evangelical.
Supernatural Study Guide. By Ronn Johnson (Review | Product Info). A companion study guide to Michael Heiser’s Supernatural. Useful for personal or group study.
The Symphony of Scripture. By Mark Strom (Review | Product Info). A introduction to the Bible from a “biblical theology” perspective. Unfortunately, this one seems antagonistic to systematic theology in a few places. It also has a couple places where it runs off the rails. Evangelical and reformed.
Tactics. By Greg Koukl (Review | Product Info). A simple game plan for Christians to engage in apologetic conversations in order to stay in the “driver’s seat”, turn the tables on objections, and find the flaws in bad arguments. A sort of meta-evangelism. Every Christian should read this book, beginning with college students.
Taking God at His Word. By Kevin DeYoung (Review | Product Info). Why trust the Bible in this day and age? This is a good, succinct answer. Easy to read and finish. It’s a short book that packs a wallop! Reformed.
Takin’ It To Their Turf. By Tom Short (Review | Product Info). A collection of vignettes from the author’s experiences preaching the gospel in the open air at America’s college campuses. Inspiring and enlightening. We need more preachers who major on grace, sin, love, Jesus, and apologetics. This book is a rare gem that deserves a wide audience. College professors teaching evangelism–are you listening?
Teaching to Change Lives. By Howard Hendricks (Review | Product Info). Written for teachers and those who are teachers at heart. By all accounts Hendricks was a beloved and universally-admired seminary professor. You’ll wish you knew him, and be glad you learned his wisdom on great teaching.
Ten Things I Wish Jesus Never Said. By Victor Kuligin (Review | Product Info). Sort of a “Hard Sayings of Jesus” updated. Written by a first time author who is a seasoned missionary in Africa. His perspective and illustrations are fresh and convicting. Here is a man who takes the words of Jesus seriously and seeks to follow his Master wherever he leads. Evangelical.
The Texas Baptist Crucible. By James Spurgeon (Review | Product Info). One spiritual survivor’s hilarious memoir of his college years spent deep in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement. One of the best in the genre of ex-fundy exposés. Easiest to find as originally posted online.
Theistic Evolution. By J.P. Moreland, Stephen Meyer, Christopher Shaw, Ann Gauger, and Wayne Grudem (Review | Product Info). By far the most comprehensive critique of theistic evolution ever published. More than a reference work, this one is written to be read! If you believe or have been told Intelligent Design is NOT SCIENCE, then you really need to educate yourself by plowing through all three parts (science, philosophy, and Bible/theology), but especially the first two. Technical, but for studious amateurs.
Theology in Three Dimensions. By John Frame (Review | Product Info). A short book about a very big topic. Introduces the concept of viewing anything from three distinct perspectives in order to get a holistic grasp of it. It’s “triperspectivalism”! But if that name just serves to confuse rather than clarify, you’ll want to read this to see how accessible and helpful this way of thinking, seeing, and feeling can be. Broadly reformed.
To Change the World. By James Hunter (Review | Product Info). A sociological study that argues Christians have been going about culture change all wrong. Turns out if we want to change the world, rather than focusing on “one heart at a time,” we should concentrate on building and maintaining institutions. Heart change will happen apart from and through faithful institutions. We’ve neglected the latter and lost the culture. Scholarly.
True Community. By Jerry Bridges (Review | Product Info). Explores the biblical idea of fellowship (koinonia) and how Christians can cultivate more of it. Evangelical and reformed.
True Truth. By Art Lindsley (Review | Product Info). Apologetics in the the school of the late great Francis Schaeffer. Argues for absolute truth in an age of relativism and post-truth. Evangelical and reformed.
2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Volume 1. By Nick Needham (Review | Product Info). A lively introduction to the first era of church history (1st to 6th century) emphasizing the doctrinal and ecclesial developments, with special attention given to the real-life stories of its major players. For beginner church history buffs and intermediate enthusiasts. From a Protestant Baptist perspective, but quite respectful of the great Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Highly recommended!
2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Volume 2. By Nick Needham (Review | Product Info). A somewhat plodding but still interesting tour though the nine centuries of church history known as the Middle Ages. Everyone will learn something helpful about a person, event, and/or a doctrine. If you read volume 1 on the early Church, or plan to read volume 3 on the Reformation era, then you really should commit to reading this one.
2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Volume 3. By Nick Needham (Review | Product Info). For Reformation-era church history enthusiasts. Or just church history buffs. Or for those who feel cheated out of missing the great stories of the faith from the 16th century. There are many good stories from this era, and this book contains many of them. The quality of this series only improves with volume 3. Don’t skip this one!
2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Volume 4. By Nick Needham (Review | Product Info). Covers the era after the Protestant Reformation through the 1700s. A very active and complicated time in church history. As always, the author gives attention to all three major branches of Christ’s church: Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox. Written for Protestants who need to hear about the Spirit’s work among the Roman Catholic and Orthodox faithful. This volume rounds out the 4-volume series. Eagerly awaiting volume 5!
The Two Towers. By J.R.R. Tolkien (Review | Product Info). The second installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Spawned the famous hippie slogan: “Frodo Lives!”
Unbroken. By Laura Hillenbrand (Review | Product Info). A biographical novel that narrates the story Louis Zamperini–the man, the myth, the legend! Seriously, what a life this man lived. Like any good biography, you’ll be changed by reading it.
The Unseen Realm. By Michael Heiser (Review | Product Info). A biblical theology of the Divine Council worldview. Haven’t heard of that? Then you absolutely must read this book. Start with a few of the introductory teaser videos linked at the end of my review. Fascinating and eye-opening. May be a Bible game-changer for you!
War of Words. By Paul Tripp (Review | Product Info). Biblical counseling on family and marital communication. Tripp understands your struggles because he’s made all your same mistakes and more. He’s at his best when unpacking a longer passage of Scripture and teasing out implications. If you fight with your tongue (actively, passively, or via the silent treatmnet), this book could be very helpful.
Washed and Waiting. By Wesley Hill (Review | Product Info). The author identifies as a “celibate gay Christian.” His foundational identity is as an evangelical Christian first. But his lifelong sexual desires lead him to identify as gay. But he sees those desires as disordered and broken, so in submission to Christ lives in celibate obedience. This book is basically his testimony and story. If you don’t know anyone who identifies as gay, then you could start here. And it might be a provocative read for those who struggle with same-sex attraction. There is abundant life in living chaste, especially by pursuing spiritual friendships.
The Wax Pack. By Brad Balukjian (Review | Product Info). The author buys an old unopened wax pack of 1986 Topps baseball cards. Why? To set out on a trek across the country to track down, meet, interview, hang out with, and learn life lessons from former Major League Baseball players. He doesn’t get too close to the stars, but it doesn’t matter in the end because the “common” players are more than interesting. A baseball memoir about live after baseball. Entertaining and meditative.
The Way of the (Modern) World. By Craig Gay (Review | Product Info). A socio-theological analysis of the shape and power of the secular culture that characterizes so much of the modern world. The author lumps post-modernism into the modern world as a late-modern phase of the Enlightenment experiment. Conclusion: It’s tough being a serious Christian these days! Evangelical and scholarly.
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an. By James White (Review | Product Info). Written by one of today’s foremost Christian apologists. Years ago White saw the need in the very near future for an answer to Islam. He was right. Thankfully he prepared and now get to profit from the fruit of his labors. This book focuses less on Islamic theology and more on the Qur’an itself. For Muslim detractors–yes, White does know Arabic so he reads the Qur’an in the original language.
What’s Your Worldview? By James Anderson (Review | Product Info). A “choose your own adventure” style apologetics primer on the various worldviews that people hold throughout the world. This is a fun and eye-opening read. The author makes self-assessment fun! The book is also a GREAT conversation starter.
When Giants Were Upon the Earth. By Brian Godawa (Review | Product Info). A fascinating tour through the whole Bible, with emphasis on the OT, from the divine council worldview perspective. Ever wonder who those mysterious Nephilim of Genesis 6 were? Take up this book to get most of your questions answers. Tantalizing and paradigm-shifting. Biblical theology not tied to a particular church tradition.
When Harry Became Sally. By Ryan Anderson (Review | Product Info). The first comprehensive, scholarly study of the “transgender moment” that is flooding our culture. Looks at this issue from the angles of biology, sociology, psychology, metaphysics, and public policy. Perspective is conservative natural law. Accessible, helpful, and sane.
When Helping Hurts. By Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert (Review | Product Info). For those working in the fields of community development or poverty alleviation, this is affectionately called (with tongue in cheek) The Bible of Mercy Ministry. If you hate what happens when presented with the dilemma of giving a handout to the street-side beggar, then this book is must reading.
When Shall These Things Be? Edited by Keith Mathison (Review | Product Info). A biblical and theological reply to the heresy of hyper-preterism (the belief that all Bible prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD–including Christ’s second coming and the consummation of the new heavens and earth). Not all essay contributors are partial-preterists, but some are such as Ken Gentry. If you’ve picked up hyper-preterist convictions on the internet (I think the web is its last habitat!), then you owe it to yourself to grapple with this book.
When Sinners Say “I Do”. By Dave Harvey (Review | Product Info). A helpful marriage preparation book. The author loves his wife and marriage as a glorious covenant between husband and wife. But he doesn’t harbor any fantasies about what real marriages look and feel like. Engaged couples: put all your cards on the table beforehand by working through a book like this one. Your future selves and grown children will rise up and call you blessed.
When Watchers Ruled the Nations. By Brian Godawa (Review | Product Info). A compilation of 4 smaller books by the author who is obsessed (in a good way!) with the supernatural background and culture of the Bible and Israel’s ancient Near East neighbors. A bit repetitive, but worth the trouble for information you won’t find in too many places. Hopefully that will change as the OT worldview filters down from the scholars to the preacher to the popular mind. Just as good a book as its predecessor, When Giants Were Upon the Earth.
Why Evolution Is True. By Jerry Coyne (Review | Product Info). The best case for evolution, but not a very good case against creationism and intelligent design. Great for what it is on the evolution side. Not so great for the creationist critiques. Naturalistic, materialistic, atheistic, popular level treatment.
Wild At Heart. By John Eldredge (Review | Product Info). A valiant attempt at calling men to biblical masculinity. Asserts every man has a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and beauty to rescue, and that these are God’s design for every man’s life. The book is soul stirring, but unfortunately riddled with serious problems. Nice try Eldredge, but no cigar.
Wise Words. By Peter Leithart (Review | Product Info). Allegorical faith lessons for children. Leithart is a deep thinking intellectual who a master communicator. Sort of a renaissance man. Those familiar with Leithart’s theological work know his ideas can be untrustworthy. But not here. This book is worthy of reading to your children as devotional or bed-time stories. Reformed.
Women and Ministry. By Dan Doriani (Review | Product Info). A conservative, complementarian survey on what the Bible teaches about women and their role in ministry within the institutional church. Practical suggestions are worth the price of the book, but if you lean egalitarian they may not be convincing until working through the argument. Reformed.
World War II: A Definitive Visual History. By DK Publishers (Review | Product Info). A coffee-table book that begs to be picked up. There are no “buffs” like WW2 buffs, and this history will not disappoint them.
Write Better. By Andrew T. Le Peau (Review | Product Info). Not a grammar handbook, but sort of an aspiring writer’s seminar between two covers. Prose not poetry. Non-fiction not fiction. From square one to the cusp of deciding to publish. For Christians. Helpful.
You Asked. By William Edgar (Review | Product Info). A Christian apologetic for 21st century youth. Some of the issues and questions are timeless, but every generation asks its own peculiar questions that pertain to the culture they inhabit. Suitable for mid- to late-teens up to perhaps college students. Reformed.
Zero Hour for Generation X. By Matthew Hennessey (Review | Product Info). A manifesto aimed at the “slacker” generation born between 1965 and 1980. Every chapter is a fun nostalgic stroll down memory lane, boosting the confidence in the middle child generation sandwiched between the larger older Boomer and younger Millennial generations. Every chapter except the last, when the author’s cure for what ails us falls flat.
DANGITBILL! 