Monthly Archives: December 2021

ENJOYING THE BIBLE

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Matthew Mullins has written a terrific book. Mullins teaches English and the history of ideas at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

The subtitle offers a better feel for what Mullins is seeking to do: Literary Approaches to Loving the Scriptures. Mullins deftly shows how the ability to read and appreciate poetry makes one a better reader of Scripture. After all, the Bible is not all prose. There is much poetry. 

Enjoying the Bible is an extremely well-written and motivating account of how to better read the Bible. 

Those who have little understanding of how genre functions may be stretched a bit but carefully working through Enjoying the Bible will be well worth the effort.

HOW TO DETERMINE A CHURCH’S SPIRITUAL VITALITY

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My good friend, Tim, asked me how I determine the spiritual vitality of a church. There are many important questions to ask, but the two below have always cut through the fog for me. They have never failed in giving me a good idea of a church’s true health.

*What does your church’s ministry of prayer look like? How does the weekly schedule show its priority? How many attend? What is prayed about? Is there a godly desperation manifest in the prayers?

*Is there an emphasis on comprehensive discipleship/Christian formation? Does it address a full-orbed list of areas like aging and apologetics, theology of work and missions, etc.?

WHAT IS MISSING IN MANY CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES?

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Below are the categories one Christian bookstore lists for the books they carry. Having been in many Christian bookstores, the example below is not unique. There are some important categories that are missing.

I imagine that they have put history, theology, and apologetics under “academics,” but see what they are saying by doing so? These areas of study are viewed as a hobby of sorts for the more cerebral Christian. They are no longer viewed as areas that all Christians must study.

  • Christian Living
  • Children’s Books
  • Family & Relationships
  • Men’s Books
  • Church
  • Devotionals
  • Women’s Books
  • Charismatic
  • Spirituality
  • Personal Growth
  • Biographies & Autobiography
  • Arts & Photography
  • Poetry
  • Teen & Young Adult
  • Gift Books
  • Academics
  • Business & Investing
  • Cooking

BEST BOOKS OF 2021

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Many other books could be on this list, and I did not include the dead authors who pushed and prodded in various ways (Tolkien, Chesterton, Augustine, even Marx).

In past years I have recommended a long list of my best reads for the year. This year, I decided to recommend only four books. There are many others I could recommend, but I thought it best to reduce my favorite reads to four so as not overwhelm you with possibilities for Christmas gifts!

Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom

We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy

My interview is here:

We the Fallen People: An Interview with Robert McKenzie

Why We are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment

My interview with the authors can be found here:

Why We Are Restless

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers

Wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated, and balanced in the best sense of that word. And no, the author does not present a soft and squishy God!

 

TOP TEN CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR ATHEISTS

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The criteria: Songs cannot have any mention of God, Jesus,

angels, saints, or miracles. Not even in Latin.

10. White Christmas

9. Jingle Bells

8. Sleigh Ride

7. Silver Bells

6. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

5. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

4. Santa Baby

3, Carol of the Bells

2. Winter Wonderland

1. Deck the Halls. It’s totally gorgeous. It’s unrepentantly

cheerful — jolly, one might even say — with just a hint of

that haunting spookiness that makes for the best Christmas

songs. It celebrates all the very best parts of Christmas: singing,

 playing music, decorating, dressing up, telling stories, hanging

around fires, and generally being festive with the people we love…

And it doesn’t mention God, or Jesus, or angels, or virgin births,

or magical talking animals, or redemption of guilt through blood sacrifice,

or any supernatural anything. Not even once. Heck, it doesn’t even

mention Christmas.

https://www.alternet.org/2010 + Add New Category /12/10_best_christmas_songs_for_atheists/

MICHEL FOUCAULT

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This is a terrific introduction to the thought of Michel Foucault. When I say “introduction” that certainly does not mean this is an easy read. Watkin does make his extensive learning more accessible, but Foucault is not the easiest person in the world to comprehend.

I knew a bit about Foucault from other books but had not read him directly. Watkin does a good job of laying out several of the critical ideas to Foucault’s thought.

In the second half of the book the author does a stellar job of showing how the Christian faith best responds to Foucault.