{"id":8571,"date":"2019-12-04T11:49:49","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T17:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.twocities.org\/?p=8571"},"modified":"2020-12-06T15:15:10","modified_gmt":"2020-12-06T21:15:10","slug":"best-books-of-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twocities.org\/?p=8571","title":{"rendered":"BEST BOOKS OF 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most Shaping<\/em><\/strong> Books of 2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

By David George Moore<\/strong><\/p>\n

The descriptor was changed from favorite to \u201cmost shaping\u201d because I wanted to ponder the books that will most likely stay with me the rest of my days. (I offer this \u201clist\u201d at the age of sixty-one.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

BIBLE\/THEOLOGY<\/strong><\/p>\n

A sampling of formative reads in this category includes Known by God<\/em> by Brian Rosner, Delighting in the Trinity<\/em> by Michael Reeves, Why are There Differences in the Gospels?<\/em> By Michael Lincona, Caesar and the Sacrament<\/em> by R. Alan Streett, A Practical Primer on Theological Method<\/em> by Kreider and Svigel, and others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was hard to pick between the following two, so there is a tie between Everyday Glory<\/em> by Gerald McDermott and Pastor Paul<\/em> by Scot McKnight. My interview with McDermott is here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2019\/02\/02\/everyday-glory\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are six things (there are more!) I like about Pastor Paul:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.twocities.org\/?p=8521<\/a><\/p>\n

COMMUNICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

I did not read much in this category, but even if I had, it is hard to imagine two better books than Seasoned Speech: Rhetoric in the Life of the Church<\/em> by James Beitler and Preaching as Reminding<\/em> by Jeffrey Arthur.<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2019\/07\/27\/seasoned-speech\/<\/a><\/p>\n

A quick comment on Preaching as Reminding<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have read several books on preaching. None have been duds, but this one may now be my favorite. I don\u2019t know of any other book on preaching that accomplishes so much in so little space (under 150 pages).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bruce Waltke and others are gushing about it and I add my name to the gushers. Short, but full of powerful and wonderful insights. Beautifully written. Integrative approach. Careful biblical studies of memory along with insights from neuroscience, psychology, etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You will learn how remembering is very different than recall!<\/strong><\/p>\n

HISTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read a lot of history and this year was no different. I read two big surveys of American history: Wilfred McClay\u2019s Land of Hope<\/em> and Jill Lepore\u2019s massive, These Truths<\/em>. Both were terrific. I also read a little more than half of David Blight\u2019s magisterial biography of Frederick Douglass. Since I will probably finish that in early 2020, it will undoubtedly appear in next year\u2019s list. There were other wonderful reads like Redemption: Martin Luther King\u2019s Last 31 Hours<\/em> by Rosenbloom, the classic by Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of History<\/em>, A Little book for New Historians<\/em> by Tracy McKenzie, The People of Concord<\/em> by Paul Brooks, Waiting for the Weekend<\/em> by Witold Rybczynski, along with other fine books on history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most shaping is a tie between God Almost Chosen Peoples<\/em> by George Rable and The Color of Compromise<\/em> by Jemar Tisby. Here are my interviews with both those writers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2019\/10\/12\/the-civil-war-biblical-reconsidered\/<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2019\/06\/15\/the-color-of-compromise-an-interview\/<\/a><\/p>\n

LITERATURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

This category needs to be beefed up! Though I try to read many of the \u201cgreat books,\u201d this year was a poor performance in that regard. Two highlights were my reread of Bunyan\u2019s The Pilgrim\u2019s Progress<\/em> and my first read of An Experiment in Literary Criticism<\/em> by C.S. Lewis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two books by up and coming writers could easily fit in other categories like spiritual life or culture. Both are by skilled wordsmiths and have much to say, albeit their youngish age: In Search of the Common Good <\/em>by Jake Meador and Seculosity: <\/em>How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about <\/em>It by David Zahl.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It may seem scandalous to give the award here to a living author, but it was a pretty easy choice with Virtues of Renewal: Wendell Berry\u2019s Sustainable Forms<\/em> by Jeffrey Bilbro.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My interview with Bilbro can be found here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2019\/03\/02\/wendell-berrys-sustainable-forms\/<\/p>\n

SPIRITUAL LIFE<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m with Eugene Peterson in not really liking the term \u201cspiritual life,\u201d for what about life is not spiritual? I use this term because many people use it as a shorthand of sorts for books that especially help them in their relationship with God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read two terrific books on the importance of \u201ctrees\u201d in the Bible: Between Two Trees<\/em> by Shane Wood and Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach us about the Nature of God and His Love<\/em> for Us<\/em> by Matthew Sleeth. Highly recommended duo! Many other good reads, but I won\u2019t mention them here as this list is already plenty long.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lots of ties this year, and this category also has one, a unique, but necessary triple tie. All are beautifully written and endlessly insightful: Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian \u201cThird Way\u201d Changed the World<\/em> by Gerald Sittser, James K.A. Smith\u2019s On the Road with Saint Augustine<\/em> and Michael McCullough\u2019s Remember Death: The Surprising Path to a Living Hope<\/em>. Here are the links to my interview or reviews of each:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2019\/10\/19\/resilient-faith\/<\/p>\n

ON THE ROAD WITH SAINT AUGUSTINE<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n