With the Christmas holidays coming up, there is a bit of spare time for the good things in life, such as reading. But as is perennially the case, there is so much to read, and so little time. So for those who do want to get into some good reading, but are wondering where to turn, let me suggest some volumes which I have found to be very important.
I divide this list into two sections: religious and non-religious titles. The first section features a number of valuable new volumes on theology, apologetics, biblical studies, commentaries, and Christian living. The second section mainly features new titles offering a conservative take on politics, economics and social issues.
Listed then in no particular order are 25 new books which you may want to grab for your holiday reading. Enjoy.
Christian titles
D.A. Carson, Collected Writings on Scripture. Crossway, 2010. Here some 30 years of writing on the vital area of Scripture are brought together in one volume. A number of key issues are addressed in this important volume.
Grant Osborne, Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Zondervan, 2010. This 1200-page commentary may be the pick of the lot from the new ZECNT series. Also available so far are Blomberg on James, Schreiner on Galatians, and Arnold on Ephesians.
Peter Leithart, Defending Constantine. IVP, 2010. It has become quite fashionable to bag Constantine and claim his activities led to the downfall of Christianity. Leithart dares to differ in this important historical and theological work.
Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything. Crossway, 2010. This is not just another theology of the trinity, but a far reaching exploration of how this vital doctrine impacts every aspect of the Christian life and worldview.
John Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God. P&R Publishing, 2010. This is the fourth important volume in Frame’s very worthwhile contribution to systematic theology. At 700 pages this is a substantial discussion of the topic.
Sam Storms and Justin Taylor, eds, For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper. Crossway, 2010. John Piper is a leading American pastor and thinker. His life is here celebrated in 27 essays by D.A. Carson, Albert Mohler, Thomas Schreiner, Wayne Grudem and others.
Mary Eberstadt, The Loser Letters. Ignatius, 2010. Writing in the spirit of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, the social commentator here takes on Dawkins, Hitchens, and the New Atheism.
Roy Ciampa and Brian Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Eerdmans, 2010. This latest volume in the Pillar series is very important indeed. The 1000-page commentary is a welcome addition to conservative/evangelical works on this epistle.
James Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology. Crossway, 2010. In this very important and substantial volume (over 600 pages) Hamilton offers a work of biblical theology in which God is glorified through both his judgment and his mercy.
Michael Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach. IVP, 2010. In over 700 pages the case for the resurrection of Jesus is carefully and thoroughly laid out by this historical scholar.
Robert Plummer, 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible. Kregel, 2010. This is part of a new series of books, “40 Questions About…”. Other titles are on biblical law, worship, election and atonement, the end times, and other topics.
C.E. Hill, Who Chose the Gospels? Oxford University Press, 2010. There are many claims and counterclaims about the gospels, canonisation, and various non-canonical gospels. Hill does a great job examining the evidence.
William Lane Craig, On Guard. David C Cook, 2010. In this helpful volume the veteran Christian apologist offers a training manual for those seeking to defend the faith and disarm critics.
D.A. Carson, The God Who is There. Baker, 2010. The biblical storyline and how it impacts on the life of the believer is here very nicely unpacked and expounded.
Trevin Wax, Holy Subversion. Crossway, 2010. A prophetic call to reject the idols of our age and put Christ first in every area of life. A clarion call to a countercultural lifestyle.
Non-Christian titles
Paul Kengor, Dupes. ISI Books, 2010. Kengor documents how Western leftists of all stripes have been duped and used by Communists for nearly a century.
Thomas Sowell, Basic Economics, 4th ed. Basic Books, 2010. First penned in 2001, this classic work gets better with every new edition. Sowell is a leading American free market economist and conservative thinker. A classic text in economics.
Benjamin Wiker, 10 Books Every Conservative Should Read. Regnery, 2010. Time-honoured conservative writings are here profiled, with authors ranging from Aristotle to Chesterton, and Shakespeare to Hayek.
Jay Richards, Money, Greed, and God. HarperOne, 2009. Contrary to the claims of the religious left, a solid biblical case can be made for the free market.
Adam Bellow, ed., New Threats to Freedom. Templeton Press, 2010. Some thirty authors look at various new threats to liberty around the world, and how they can be resisted.
Thomas Sowell, Dismantling America. Basic Books, 2010. The noted writer and thinker here offers a collection of some of his recent columns on social, legal, political and economic issues.
Andrew McCarthy, The Grand Jihad. Encounter Books, 2010. Careful documentation of how Islamists and Western leftists are working together to undermine America and the West.
S.E. Cupp, Losing Our Religion. Threshold Editions, 2010. Cupp is an atheist, but she sees clearly that Christian freedoms are being whittled away in America.
Gail Dines, Pornland. Beacon Press, 2010. The American sociology professor here tackles the pornification of culture, documenting its very real negative effects.
Oleg Atbashian, Shakedown Socialism. Greenleaf Press, 2010. The Soviet emigrant to the US writes with passion and wit about the staggering shortcomings of socialism, both past and present.
(For Australian shoppers, most of the Christian titles can be found at Koorong Books.)
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