Books Archives - Blogging Theologically

New and noteworthy books

September 23, 2016 by Aaron Armstrong

One of my favorite times of the day, after coming home and greeting my family, is seeing what mail has arrived. This is not because I love finding out how many bills are waiting for me, but because there’s often a new book waiting for me. Here’s a look at several of the more noteworthy books that have arrived over the last while:

NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Zondervan). This new study Bible offers believers a glimpse into the context of Scripture, which helps us to get a better sense of the “behind the scenes” details that enhance and clarify our understanding of tricky passages, and ultimately, deepen our affection for Christ.

Being There: How to Love Those Who Are Hurting by Dave Furman (Crossway). This is a book that’s legitimately been needed for some time, along with titles on ministering to families with disabled children (and I hear there’s one like that out, too). In it, “Furman draws on his own life experiences, examples from the Bible, and wisdom from Christians throughout history to address the heart and ministry of those who are called to serve others.”

Disappearing Church by Mark Sayers (Moody Publishers). If this book is half as thought-provoking as Facing Leviathan, it could be one of the best books to come out this year. “Weaving together art, history, and theology, pastor and cultural observer Mark Sayers reminds us that real growth happens when the church embraces its countercultural witness, not when it blends in.”

Designed to Lead: The Church and Leadership Development by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck (B&H Publishing Group). This right here tells you why this book matters: “A church focused on developing God’s people to serve is a church that knows why she is on the planet, and the people are likely to sense the urgency and significance of the opportunity.”

Hearts, Heads, and Hands: A Manual for Teaching Others to Teach Others by M. David Sills (B&H Publishing Group). This book is massive And with good reason, since it is intended to “equip those training pastors with the foundational information they must communicate to those God is calling to serve Him.” What I’m most excited about this one is that Sills addresses the relationship between our affections, our theology and our methodology, treating them as though they were interconnected (an all too rare thing in my reading experience).

Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes by Colin S. Smith (Moody Publishers). I enjoy Colin Smith’s preaching and writing. In this book, Smith offers hope to those who feel stuck in their faith by explaining “how the Beatitudes, when rightly understood, are key to making progress in the Christian life.”

Wittenberg vs Geneva: A Biblical Bout in Seven Rounds on the Doctrines that Divide by Brian W. Thomas (NRP Books). This one’s interesting because, popularly, Luther’s doctrine is often treated as being closely aligned with Calvin’s. That is certainly true on some points, but not all. This book deals with the question of “why Lutherans aren’t Calvinists” by focusing on “crucial scriptural texts that have led Lutheran and Reformed scholars down different paths to disparate conclusions”. I’ve not started on this yet, but it should be interesting (if you’re into such things at any rate).

And one I purchased:

The Green Ember by S.D. Smith (Story Warren Books). “Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.” My daughter saw it, grabbed it right away, and read the first couple of chapters before I even had a chance to crack open the cover.

What I read in August

September 2, 2016 by Aaron Armstrong

I read pretty aggressively, regularly making my way through over 100 books a year. With that many books in a year, it’s pretty easy to get into a rut when you read that much, always gravitating to the same stuff every time you go to grab a book. Maybe you’re like me; you’re reading regularly, but are in need of some ideas for what to try next.

Throughout 2016, I’ve been sharing what I’m reading each month. I do this because I can’t review everything I read in detail, and because I hope there’s something on the list that you might like to try. In August, I read quite a bit, though heavier in certain areas than I’d originally expected. In the end, I read 12 books, although, as in July, I wound up abandoning one (The Tales of Max Carrados, primarily because I didn’t enjoy Stephen Fry’s narration, though it could have used a little more oomph in the storytelling). Here’s what I read:

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 3: The Shu-torun War by Kieron Gillen
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton
Shazam! by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Star Wars, Vol. 3: Rebel Jail by Jason Aaron
How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don’t Know by Byron Sharp
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
The Tales of Max Carrados by Ernest Bramah

Star Wars, rumors of wars, and calling down lightning

The latest volumes in Marvel’s Star Wars ongoing comic series continue to make for compelling reading—which is impressive considering we already know the fate of the primary characters involved. Kingdom Come, one of the epic tales of the 1990s, holds up exceptionally well, though it’s fascinating to read it for the first time as a Christian. Lots of biblical imagery, albeit used in the way that it so often is in pop culture (used to strike fear, not so much bring hope). Then there’s Shazam! Captain Marvel is a character that’s been hard to take seriously. Geoff Johns gives a new spin on the character, makes him a little less cheesy, and drops the Captain Marvel name in favor of Shazam. Overall a promising start. I’d love to see what else they do with him.

A chosen one and the man in black

The Harry Potter books were pretty quick reads, which is impressive considering the page count of each. Much stronger storytelling in these than in the fourth volume. Rowling did a good job of world building throughout the series and letting her characters grow, which is not always easy. As a lover of The Princess Bride (both the book and the film), As You Wish was a delight. I loved getting a sense of the camaraderie the cast members felt, and the genuine affection everyone involved had for the source material and the film itself.

A Catholic and a Reformer arrive on my bookshelf

One of the first books I read as a Christian was Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. Chesterton’s wit is on full display in this volume, though his cheek never gets in the way of his point (sometimes a difficult thing). What I think Chesterton does exceptionally well in this volume is identifying the place of anthropology in our theology. That our understanding of humanity is going to lead us to make serious—and often faulty—conclusions about ourselves and those around us.

Bainton’s biography of Luther is held up as the gold standard, and with good reason. He gives honor to Luther, even as he reminds us that he was, in fact, a sinful man like the rest of us. Luther was not consistently correct in his arguments, but his identification of Scripture as our norming norm above tradition or the decisions of councils is more necessary than ever. If we are going to be faithful to Christ in our day, we need to anchor ourselves on Scripture. To set it above our opinions and preferences, and strive with all our might to understand it to the ability God gives us. Who knows? Perhaps God will do something incredible through that.

Have a suggestion for a book for me or someone else to read or want to share what you’ve read? Connect with me on Twitter or Facebook and let me know!

Here’s a look at what I read in:

What I read in July

August 5, 2016 by Aaron Armstrong

Anyway, I wound up reading 10 books in July, although I abandoned one because it was so awful. Here’s what I read:

Unparalleled by Jared C. Wilson
Batman and Robin: Eternal Vol 2 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, et al.
Mozart in the Jungle by Blair Tindall
Grayson Vol 2: We All Die at Dawn by Tom King, Tim Seeley, and Mikel Janin
DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke
Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin by Charles Soule and Marco Checchetto
Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Grayson Vol. 3: Nemesis by Tom King, Tim Seeley, and Mikel Janin
The Accidental Feminist by Courtney Reissig

The Golden Age, Grayson and another jaunt in a galaxy far, far away

I’ll admit: I wound up reading a lot of comic books this month. Like, a lot a lot. I try to stick with a couple max for this list, but because I was kind of fried after all the moving, I wound up craving super-simple books to read. That said, DC: The New Frontier is not a simple story. It is one of the best stories produced by the late Darwyn Cooke. The story is compelling and the art is lovely, recalling Bruce Timm’s designs from Batman: The Animated Series, but with Cooke’s unique flair.

My major complaint with the first volume of Grayson was its distracting (and thoroughly PG-13) sexual content. The second and third volumes more or less move away from that, and focus on telling a good story, which is a welcome change. There’s lots of intrigue in these two volumes, a few genuinely unexpected twists, and still more story to tell as the former Robin turned super-spy story moves toward its final act (and a fourth and fifth collection which are due out later this year). Meanwhile, Batman and Robin: Eternal vol 2 was a solid conclusion to its series, adding a new bit of color to the history of Batman’s sidekicks.

Finally, Obi-Wan and Anakin takes place between the first and second prequels, and continues to remind us all that the prequels could have been great—if someone who cared about storytelling had been writing and directing. (Should I have put a trigger warning there?)

Harry Potter and the salacious tales of an oboist

I couldn’t get more than about 50 pages into Mozart in the Jungle. It was a terrible, terrible book. I bought it on a whim, hoping I’d read something interesting on a plane ride, but I was wrong. I found virtually nothing of redeeming value—despite my hope that it would turn out otherwise, it is gossipy and salacious. I should have been smarter and picked up the Dee Ramone memoir instead.

And then there’s Harry Potter. I read another volume in this series and enjoyed it for the most part. However, this book is clearly the one in which Rowling’s publisher decided to allow her to embrace her inner “I do what I want”-ness. This book needed a serious edit. There’s too much going on, and much of it fails to move the story forward. I’d have loved to see a 400-ish page version, trimming out the house-elf liberation subplot.

Dandelion Fire is one that Hannah and I have been reading together for ages. In fact, we finally reached the conclusion shortly after we moved to Franklin. The content in this one does mature a bit, but not so much that the two of us couldn’t enjoy it together (although I did have to play down a few details here and there). She squealed with delight at one of the crucial moments of the story, when a long-lost character made his return so I can tell she’s enjoying it. Even so, reading it out loud is really hard…

Feminism and why Christianity is more compelling than you can imagine

After many months of occasionally reading it, I finally finished The Accidental Feminist. Those who are familiar with the subject matter will probably not find much new. Those who disagree with the basic premise of the book will not be convinced to change their minds. Overall, it’s a decent introduction to a much larger discussion.

My first thought as I read Unparalleled was that it was not a book written specifically with a person like me in mind. And that is very, very good. It’s the kind of book I would want to go through with someone willing to explore the Christian faith, which I think is probably the highest compliment I could offer.

Have a suggestion for a book for me or someone else to read or want to share what you’ve read? Connect with me on Twitter or Facebook and let me know!

Here’s a look at what I read in:

Yes, you really should mark up your books

July 18, 2016 by Aaron Armstrong

Some of you got chills as you read that headline, I know. You hate the idea of writing in books. You want to keep them pristine. You try never to crack the spine, I bet. (I say this as someone who used to try to avoid this, so I’m not making fun.) I get it. I really do. But you know what? You might not like it, it’s true:

You really should mark up your books.

Why? Because reading is not a passive activity. Your mind should be fully engaged, even when you’re reading silly fluff. (This is especially important for all us writer types.)

When I read a book, I almost always have a pen or pencil handy. When I read, whether for enjoyment, review, or study, I try to do this. I want to call attention to ideas that intrigue me. I want to mark paragraphs that provoke some sort of reaction. And if I want to really engage and think through the book’s arguments, I need to write notes in the margins.

The most important reason to mark up your books

Let me give you an example. A few years later, I was reading a terrible book. (Like schismatic and blasphemous terrible.) As I read this thing, I wrote furiously.¹ I engaged with what I was reading, underlining like a madman, connecting thoughts, adding a few “come ons”, and other such statements. (There were one or two I had to scribble out lest anyone read some, shall we say, more “colorful” commentary.)

But the best thing about it was asking questions of the author. Sure, I realize he couldn’t answer me, but it was still important. Asking questions of the author in the book, near the text allowed me to follow his logic. I needed to work through the conclusions he was trying to make, and the best place was right there on the page with his text. (The book, in case you were wondering, is this one.)

And that is really the most important reason to make a mess of your books—or rather, the most important reason I do it: it helps me think clearly about what I’m reading, rather than letting it wash over me. My retention improves, my appreciation grows and my engagement increases dramatically.

I realize not everyone is a fan of actually writing or underlining in their books. And if you’re one who fits that description, here’s what I would encourage. Read with a notebook handy. Write down the quotes that get your attention. Write down the arguments you find challenging or thought-provoking. Argue with the author in your notes.

But regardless of where you’re doing it, engage with what you’re reading. You’ll be a better reader for it.

photo credit: “bring us down” via photopin (license)

Five random thoughts on things I’m reading right now

July 8, 2016 by Aaron Armstrong

I almost always have multiple books on the go. In fact, if you look at my Goodreads page, you’ll see I’ve got something like seven books on the go at any given time. Some of what I read is not terribly profound. Much of it is fun and goofy. A few are pretty heavy—the sort where you read a few pages and then set it down for a while.

But whatever I’m reading almost always provokes some kind of reaction—be it a burning question surrounding the content, something legitimately profound (which happens every once in a while), or something that barely relates to whatever I’ve just read. This is a good thing, of course, because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be very good, now would they?

Today, I’m giving you a glimpse at my nightstand and sharing a few of these thoughts:

Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson. When I grow up, I want to tell stories as well as Wilson. He is crazy good at what he does. Seriously. So good.

Mozart in the Jungle by Blair Tindall. Two thoughts: First, I’m part way through this and kind of wish I’d picked up Dee Ramone’s book, Lobotomy, instead. (But I’d probably not be thrilled with that one, either.)

Second, I really hope this book doesn’t turn out to be nothing more than a salacious and gossipy read. Nobody’s got time for that. Next time I’m at the airport, I will be wise and think thrice about what I purchase for the flight home.

How to Be an Atheist: Why Many Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical Enough by Mitch Stokes. Why does this book have to be so dry? The concept is so intriguing, but I’m having a hard time reading it, guys…

DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. Cooke’s artwork is as beautiful as I remember it. But what’s got me thinking so far is something incredibly random: Progressivism may well be a myth. In the 1950s, civil liberties were routinely trampled upon with McCarthy’s show trials, and crimes motivated by the color of a person’s skin abounded. As we’ve seen in the media in recent days, fundamentally, things aren’t better much better.

Photo credit: Daniel Glo via Flickr (Creative Commons)

What I read in June

July 1, 2016 by Aaron Armstrong

Throughout 2016, I’ve been sharing what I’m reading each month. I do this because I can’t review everything I read in detail, and because I hope there’s something on the list that you might like to try. In June, my reading was actually a little lighter than normal due to conferences and some travel. And when all was said and done, I managed to read eight books. Here’s what I read:

Rediscovering Holiness by J.I. Packer
Grayson, Vol 1: Agents of Spyral by Tom King, Tim Seeley, and Mikel Janin
The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus by Zack Eswine
Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church by Thom S. Rainer
The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Star Wars: Kanan, Vol. 2: First Blood by Greg Weisman and Pepe Larraz
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Wizard-y stuff and whatnot

The Harry Potter series is one that I never really got into during the initial release. When I read the first one last year, it was only to preview it for if my daughter decided she wanted to read it eventually. Nevertheless, I was intrigued enough to keep reading them on my own. These two volumes are fast-paced enough, although there are several times where I had to remember to read it from a child’s perspective as I found my suspension of disbelief stretched to the breaking point a number of times. Positively, I can definitely see a growing maturity in the writing as the books progress. However, I can also see the author starting to believe her own press as a stronger editorial hand might have helped a touch. I hear that gets more pronounced in later volumes…

Superheroes and Star Wars

Grayson offers an intriguing new take on a character with a long history. It was great to see the creators trying to do something new with a character with so much history—Dick Grayson, aka Robin—in the name of good storytelling. However, the inclusion of a number of PG-13 sexual elements were a distraction from an otherwise compelling read. Even so, it’ll be interesting to see how the story progresses. Kanan, Vol. 2 wraps up the prequel series to the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon and does so with an enjoyable story telling how the cartoon’s lead secret Jedi character became a smart alecky smuggler. If you like the show, as my kids and I do, you’ll enjoy this.

Imperfect pastors, leading change, and the surest evidence of religious affection

The Christian life and ministry-focused books I read this month were heavy. Rediscovering Holiness is a punch in the gut that I am still processing (despite having read it before). Thom Rainer offers sound wisdom on leading change in his easy-to-read book. Zack Eswine wrote a book that shouldn’t have taken me as long as it did to read, but left me convicted and appropriately challenged (look for a review in the near-ish future). And Religious Affections, spends so much time describing the “maybe, but maybe not” evidences of genuine love for the Lord that you might miss Edwards’ admonitions regarding the surest evidence: love for others.

Have a suggestion for a book for me or someone else to read or want to share what you’ve read? Connect with me on Twitter or Facebook and let me know!

Here’s a look at what I read in: