As I write this, it's not yet noon on Thursday and it's 66 degrees and mostly sunny here in Amarillo. Later tonight and tomorrow, we're expecting blizzard conditions and snow accumulations as high as 14 inches. Hard to believe. Maybe I'll take some pictures tomorrow.
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I like talking about books. Here are some of the ones I've enjoyed the most over the last year or so:
1. This edition of Augustine's Enchiridion (handbook) on Faith, Hope, and Love. Sometimes dense and baffling, almost-always profound and entertaining, the writings of Augustine, dedicated to God, haven't gotten old over the last 1500 years.
2. St. Paul by A.D. Nock. A Harvard professor who never finished a doctorate, Nock was a walking encyclopedia. He had a reputation for reading everything and forgetting nothing. This short book was originally a series of lectures delivered at a seminary. It sometimes anticipates contemporary studies of Paul. Oh, and Nock was also a teacher-mentor to likes of Abraham Malherbe and Everett Ferguson, who have provided intellectual leadership for the Churches of Christ for about a half century now.
3. N. T. Wright's two small books covering the Gospel of John. Wright's series of books on the New Testament--called "For Everyone"--is comparable to the old Daily Bible Study series by William Barclay. Not just newer, though, Wright's books are better.
4. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas' engaging memoir My Grandfather's Son. I wrote earlier about this book here.
5. John Grisham novels, The Street Lawyer and A Painted House. Does anyone tell a better story than Grisham?
So, what have you been reading lately? What books would you recommend?
One or two months ago the free download from Christian Audio Books was "Pilgrims Progress". I put it on my iPod and have been listening the past few days in the car on my drive to work. The reader is a female British accent and it has been great fun. I don't think I have read any of this book since literature in college, and I certainly did not appreciate Paul Bunyan then.
ReplyDeleteTruck: A love Story, by Michael Perry
ReplyDeleteTeacherman, by Frank McCort
Rereading Renovation of the Heart for about the 50th time : )
Leadership from the Inside Out, Kevin Cashman (been out a long time, but some good insights)
The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, A New Collection
So, did the blizzard hit? I remember having lunch with you right after one of those.
ReplyDeleteI've been studying John Shelby Spong's "Liberating the Gospels" in which I'm learning more than I ever knew (and I thought I knew a lot) about how the New Testament uses the Old. I'm also learning a lot about how liberals think and why some say the Gospels are anti-Semitic.
I just started "Paul the Convert" by Alan Segal. It's the theology of a Pharisee who became a part of the Christ Movement from a Jewish perspective.
Leland, I like audio books too. There have been times when I've actually listened to a book while I had the text in front of me (usually the Bible). Doing it that way keeps me moving through the text. I'm inclined to stop too soon to reflect. Of course, that's not a bad thing, but sometimes I need and want to walk through a whole book at one sitting, and audio can help me do that.
ReplyDeleteBen, I haven't read any books from your list here. They sound interesting to me.
Wade, I haven't read much of Spong because, well, I just don't the attitude that's come across in the few things I have read by him. There's something to be said, though, for reading the people you're most likely to disagree with. Sounds like you're doing well at that.
Oh, and Yes, we got some snow. I'm posting about that soon.