Christian Standard Book Recommendations from Contributing Editors
Christian Standard asked contributing editors to tell readers about a book that made a difference in their lives this year. Their recommendations include books on discipleship, leadership, apologetics, church change, environmental stewardship, and cultural engagement.
- Editors highlight books that shaped their thinking, ministry, leadership, and personal faith.
- The recommendations range from Christian classics and apologetics to leadership, history, and cultural analysis.
- Each entry includes a brief personal reflection from the recommending editor.
We asked CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s Contributing Editors to “tell our readers about a book that’s made a difference in your life this year.” Here are their recommendations:
William Glasser, Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry
William Glasser, Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry (Harper, 1975).
I was not prepared for the impact reading William Glasser’s Reality Therapy would have on me. It was an easy, fascinating read, but more than that, I found myself having so many “aha” moments I had to go back and take notes.
I read it because of our work with single mothers recovering from substance abuse. It was recommended to me as a tool in helping these women find true recovery and hope for their futures.
What I discovered was a helpful tool for anyone wanting to move beyond any number of dysfunctional issues personally, in families, in the workplace—anywhere relationships can cause conflict. I recommend it without hesitation, and its follow-up book, also by William Glasser, Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom.
—Becky Ahlberg, Anaheim, California
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense (HarperCollins, 2006).
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright is a very important book. Yes, it’s fascinating and fun, helpful and inspiring. You will enjoy the powerful images and learn some things, too. But Wright’s explanation of who Christians are and what we believe is most important—because we need it so badly. I understand why so many believe this will become a classic, a Mere Christianity for our time.
Here we have one of our generation’s finest biblical scholars laying out in plain but fresh language what Christianity is all about and how it is practiced. Here is a compelling invitation to find meaning and life’s completeness in Jesus Christ. The result is a usable tool to describe what Christianity is in a way that commends it to outsiders—while providing essential clarity for “insider” believers who, according to current surveys, are embarrassingly unable to articulate the core of the faith.
In an age with so many stumbling blocks associated with Christianity, this book has the power to lead people directly to the feet of Jesus. Skeptics and those embittered with the church should be introduced to Simply Christian. Those serious about helping people make sense of life—who we are, who God is, and what he wants from us—will love this book.
—Ben Cachiaras, Joppa, Maryland
Gordon MacDonald, Who Stole My Church?
Gordon MacDonald, Who Stole My Church? (Thomas Nelson, 2007).
I seldom so highly recommend a book I almost loved, but that is the case with Gordon MacDonald’s Who Stole My Church? For many, the church they grew up in is under assault. And while the current leaders of the congregation articulate noble purposes (greater evangelism, discipleship, etc.), the end result is often a church that is frighteningly foreign! In this easy read, MacDonald helps readers identify and articulate the emotions felt by those grieving the personal loss of a changing church. But even more importantly, he assists the reader with processing and evaluating these changes through both a biblical and historical lens. As a result we see two churches better: the church we knew and the church where we now live. Many readers will come to appreciate the latter.
The book is written as a novel, and the format makes for a very good read. My only disappointment was 30 pages into it I thought it might be a classic. It is not. It goes a little thin, yet it remains as one of my most loaned and helpful books of the year.
—Randy Gariss, Joplin, Missouri
Ruth A. Tucker, God Talk: Cautions for Those Who Hear God’s Voice
Ruth A. Tucker, God Talk: Cautions for Those Who Hear God’s Voice (InterVarsity, 2005).
Ruth Tucker is a refreshing voice amid the clamor of those insisting we all should have frequent experiences of dialogue with God. She points toward a “middle way that affirms neither a garrulous God nor a distant deity” (p. 14). She presents a broad historical survey of religious traditions and denominations, highlighting ways that believers “heard from God.” I resonated with her upbringing: an emphasis on being right—that is, having rational, logical, accurate answers that leave little room for God to break through. I appreciated her bottom line: “Without knowledge of Scripture, people have no recognition of God’s voice” (p. 31).
I came away with a bigger-picture view of “hearing from God.” Tucker mixed stories, Scriptures, and quotes from new and ancient writers. As she shared her own pilgrimage, I caught a glimpse of strategies I could use for drawing near and being still before God. With her observation that “most people regard God’s silence as though it were silent treatment” (p. 13), she shows us how to find a sense of security in God’s silence. I’m going to find another of her books and read it.
—Nancy Karpenske, Longmont, Colorado
Keith Ayers, Engagement Is Not Enough
Keith Ayers, Engagement Is Not Enough: You Need Passionate Employees to Achieve Your Dream (Elevate, 2008).
Last year I was visiting my alma mater, Florida Christian College, and chatting with one of my former professors about some of the ministry challenges I was facing. As we talked he became excited and asked me to come to his office because there was a book he wanted to give me. It was this volume by Keith Ayers. I devoured the book in just a couple of days.
This book made an immediate and dynamic impact on my leadership style. Ayers’s thesis is that the success an organization achieves depends on the degree to which its employees and customers trust them. He systematically details the keys to lighting a fire within your employees—not under them. I’d recommend this book to any leader with both a team and a dream.
—Arron Chambers, Greeley, Colorado
Ravi Zacharias, The End of Reason
Ravi Zacharias, The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists (Zondervan, 2008).
Dr. Zacharias’s musings are aimed chiefly at the writings of author Sam Harris in his atheistic diatribe, Letters to a Christian Nation.
I found the book to be very readable and useful. Most readers will be able to grasp the beauty and simplicity of the author’s arguments without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the subject. Those who have been disturbed or unsettled by the claims of contemporary secularists will find this book to be a valuable resource.
—Jeff Faull, Mooresville, Indiana
Stephen E. Ambrose, Crazy Horse and Custer
Stephen E. Ambrose, Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors (Anchor Books, 1996).
I read Stephen Ambrose’s Crazy Horse and Custer for five reasons: (1) The book was a gift, so I felt compelled. (2) Stephen Ambrose is one of my favorite historians, so whatever he writes I want to read. (3) I knew next to nothing about either Crazy Horse or George Armstrong Custer except that Custer, a decorated Civil War general, was killed in his last stand against Indians—Crazy Horse, to be specific—so I wanted to become better acquainted with them. (4) I regret the white man’s treatment of American Indians, so I am seeking to understand. (5) I’m a student and teacher of leadership, so I hoped to learn something from the styles of such disparate leaders in such wildly different cultures that I could pass on. I wasn’t disappointed.
—LeRoy Lawson, Payson, Arizona
Tri Robinson with Jason Chatraw, Saving God’s Green Earth
Tri Robinson with Jason Chatraw, Saving God’s Green Earth (Ampelon, 2006).
Ever read a book whose subtitle says it all? How about this one: Rediscovering the Church’s Responsibility to Environmental Stewardship? When is the last time you heard a sermon or preached a sermon on the environment?
Written by a pastor, presented in a sermon series, accepted with acclaim and applause, this book is a reminder that biblical stewardship applies to both personal possessions and to those gifts from God given for the common good—the earth in its fullness. Here we are treated to an easily read biblical rationale to care for creation together with practical suggestions and next steps.
Since “green” is the buzzword of the decade, let’s make sure the church is on the forefront of this revolution. We have our marching orders: “The church must be diligent to tend the garden God has given us” (p. 13).
—Doug Priest, Indianapolis, Indiana
N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus
N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus (InterVarsity, 1999).
This book challenges several of my long-held assumptions, feeds several instinctive inclinations (interpret as “hunches”), and urges a future I’m not sure how to implement. What more could a person ask for in a book?
Wright seeks to deal with how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and propels the church to be God’s instrument on earth today. He points out that Jesus is the “new temple,” “the return from exile,” and “the initiation of the Kingdom.” He challenges the idea that Jesus is “only” a model to be imitated. Instead, “Our task is to implement his unique achievement” (p. 182).
Wright presents some challenging implications, from intriguing interpretive approaches to key texts and themes (e.g., resurrection, messiah). In addition, there are stimulating associations drawn between the Old and New Testaments. His connection of the Gospel of John to Genesis and his treatment of the Emmaus road story (Luke 24) alone make reading the book worth the time.
—Chuck Sackett, Quincy, Illinois
Farhad Manjoo, True Enough
Farhad Manjoo, True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society (Wiley, 2008).
Comedian Stephen Colbert coined the term “truthiness” in 2005; journalist Farhad Manjoo explores the sociological and psychological reasons behind this cultural phenomenon in his new book.
Manjoo interviews scientists and statisticians to create a well-documented, convincing argument that our access to an unprecedented number of cable TV channels, blogs, Web sites, and other media outlets actually encourages narrow-mindedness by allowing us to listen only to the voices with whom we already agree.
Manjoo also describes other symptoms of media fragmentation, such as selective perception (interpreting “proof” according to our existing beliefs) or peripheral processing (using emotional cues or “expert” guidance to navigate tough decisions).
“What’s new about today’s world is that we’ve got a choice about which reality to believe,” Manjoo writes. This reality makes True Enough “must” reading for anyone trying to communicate with contemporary Americans—and that’s the truth.
—Jennifer Taylor, Nashville, Tennessee
Anthony Flew and Roy Abraham Varghese, There Is a God
Anthony Flew and Roy Abraham Varghese, There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind (Harper One, 2007).
Although a person without some philosophical background could have trouble with this book, the effort would be well worthwhile. Given my interest in apologetics and philosophy, I have been reading the works of Anthony Flew since my days as a doctoral student. He really was, as the title of this book suggests, “the world’s most notorious atheist”—at least notorious to those who were following the discussions between Flew and Christian writers like C. S. Lewis, John Polkinghorne, Alvin Plantinga, and others.
Strangely, some sophisticated versions of the argument from design and the cosmological argument are what Flew found convincing. At this point he is a deist, not a Christian, but he does describe how he is influenced by the apologetic of New Testament scholar N.T. Wright, someone else well worth reading. Now in his 80s, we can hope that Anthony Flew makes the next and decisive move to Christian faith.
—Robert C. Wetzel, Johnson City, Tennessee
Author: Christian Standard
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