Scott Freeman

Top 10 Tuesday: Best Christian Reads of 2006

I realized earlier that I had not posted my top Christian reads of the year just past. I read a lot of Biblical commentaries and other “work-related” writings that I don’t write much about. I know that most probably don’t care about the more exegetical stuff so I leave that off of here.
I also don’t read a whole lot of mainstream evangelical writings. However, these 10 were pivotal readings for me this past year:

10. Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding by Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks–I found this a quick and enjoyable read. This is a great primer on a little talked about faction of early 20th Century CoC’s. Lipscomb and Harding had greater insight into the Kingdom life than we fully realize. Valentine and Hicks have written a very accessible read. Although quick reading it is, in no way, light.

9. Jesus and Non-Violence: A Third Way by Walter Wink–Wink is one of the foremost voices on living the nonviolent life as exemplified by Jesus. In this short book he lays out a passionate argument for the importance and efficacy of being people of peace.

8. Dissident Discipleship by David Augsburger–I consider those saints who hail from the Anabaptist tradition to be heroes of the faith. Their unswerving commitment to following Christ is a tremendous example for us all. In this instant classic, which I view as a companion piece to Lee Camp’s seminal Mere Discipleship, Augsburger recounts 7 characteristics of their spirituality for us to consider: Radical Attachment, Stubborn Loyalty, Tenacious Serenity, Habitual Humility, Resolute Nonviolence, Concrete Service and Authentic Witness.

7. The Jews in the Time of Jesus: An Introduction by Stephen Wylen–You cannot understand the life of Christ and/or the gospels without somewhat of a grasp on Second Temple Judaism. That is the world in which Christ lived and taught. Wylen does a masterful job of giving the Jewish perspective of that most important time.

6. The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright: I tried to limit this top 10 list to one book per author. That was difficult where Wright is concerned, who writes a new book about as often as I change shirts. This work, however, is seminal. It does not get as much chatter as McLaren’s “The Secret Message of Jesus” but it is vastly superior. It places the life of Christ in the proper context and enables us to see truly who He was.

5. A Critical Introduction To The New Testament: Interpreting The Message And Meaning Of Jesus Christ by Carl Holladay–This book has been absolutely essential for me this year as I am preaching and teaching through the NT. A definitive work. This is a serious and scholarly work that would make a great addition to any minister’s library.

4. Trolls and Truth by Jimmy Dorrell–Dorrell is the pastor of the Church Under the Bridge here in Waco. He is also the director of Mission Waco. He is living the life of Christ among the least of these. This book shows what the church is called to be.

3. The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder–Yoder and his writings have been tremendously informative for me this past year. Jesus was not apolitical. He just came to establish a Kingdom not of this world. No one lays that out better than Yoder.

2. The Evangelical Universalist by Gregory MacDonald–The mark of a great book, to me, is one that stretches me and makes me rethink long entrenched beliefs. This is one of those books. Another mark of a great book is one that I have to prepare myself for. Yet, I’m still not sure if I am fully prepared for the implications that MacDonald lays out for us. He is a described hopeful dogmatic universalist. No matter where you fall in your understanding of the love of God this book is a must read. Gregory MacDonald is a pseudonym of a prominent evangelical writer. The subject matter is too volatile for him to use his real name. I’ll be talking more about this later.

1. Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis by William Webb–Webb has done a masterful job of laying out a viable and plausible hermeneutic that must be considered. It is, ultimately, a hermeneutic of redemption. Get it and read it. It’s a dense and weighty work but the payoff is worth it. In the end, I may derive some different conclusion than Mr. Webb but his analysis is outstanding.

What Christian books struck you this past year?