#27 – The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman (My 100 Favorite Books)

History writing doesn't get much better than this. If I had to make a list of the places throughout human history I would least want to find myself, a few come to mind.  Standing in the surrounded Roman legions at the Battle of Cannae, waiting for Hannibal's soldiers to inevitably chop me to pieces would …

Advertisements

The Lord is our Strength – Psalm 27 (Weekly Word)

What is pressing in upon you right now?  What is stressing you out? Read Psalm 27 This psalm begins: The Lord is my light and my salvation—     whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—     of whom shall I be afraid? This passage is why I want to pray the psalms …

#28 – Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (My 100 Favorite Books)

Today we look back on the acceptance of slavery in the 1800s and before and ask what those people were thinking. How could they accept such a horrific crime to continue in their midst? Or we look to our more recent past and cringe at the crimes done by those in favor of segregation. Again, …

#29 – Crucifixion of the Warrior God by Greg Boyd (My 100 Favorite Books)

One of the biggest questions Christians face is how to square the message and life of Jesus with the portrayal of God in the Old Testament. Jesus taught nonviolence.  Jesus chose to lay down his life and die on a cross rather than fight back.  Christians believe Jesus was not just a great teacher, but …

#30 – Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw (My 100 Favorite Books)

If you want to start a fight, talk about religion.  Or politics.  OR BOTH! For much of my adult life, I've wrestled with what it looks like to apply my faith to public life.  This especially becomes a question during election season, when some Christians speak as if the entire fate of the world rests …

#31 – The Experience of God by David Bentley Hart (My 100 Favorite Books)

How do you picture God?  Who, or what, is God? Whatever people may say they believe, the way people talk about God points to a sort of God who is just a bigger or more powerful version of a human.  This is common between both Christians and atheist.  In common parlance, when God is spoken …

Praying the Psalm And Questioning it At the Same Time (Psalm 26 – Weekly Word)

After last week's detour to Psalm 55, we are back on track with where we left off - Psalm 26!  As I read this Psalm two thoughts ran through my mind: This is beautiful!  I want to have this sort of confidence and pray like this. This is so different once we bring Jesus, the …

#32 – Jesus and the Victory of God by NT Wright (My 100 Favorite Books)

This is the second day in a row an NT Wright book makes the list.  Yesterday I listed one of his more recent works, his magnum opus on Paul.  Today is probably the work that truly impacted my reading of the Gospels more than any other.  I read this book right after finishing seminary in …

#33 – Paul and the Faithfulness of God by NT Wright (My Top 100 Books)

NT Wright is one of my favorite writers and his work has influenced me more than nearly any other theologian/bible scholar.  He has written extensively on both Jesus and Paul.  This is perhaps his magnum opus on Paul - two volumes clocking in at about 1500 pages.  The good thing is that Wright is not …

#34 – The Civil War as a Theological Crisis by Mark Noll (My 100 Favorite Books)

Following yesterday's history of the Civil War, I include this shorter book focusing on the religious situation surrounding the war.  There is still debate and discussion about why the Civil War occurred.  Everyone living at the time knew why (slavery!) but afterwards there was a vested interest in the south to change the narrative.  Unfortunately, …