• The Theology of Paul the Apostle © 1998
• Eerdmans
• xxxvi+808 pages

James Dunn has spent over four decades with Paul on his mind. He’s produced commentaries on his letters and been one of the pioneers of the New Perspective on Paul. When you read The Theology of Paul the Apostle, his experience and knowledge of the topic comes through on every lucid page.

Theologies of Paul are difficult precisely because all of Paul’s letters were occasional. Even so, Romans was written at a time in his life where he was finishing up a major section of his missionary work and preparing to embark on another journey. This letter is the most systematic of his letters, so Dunn used it as a template to explore his thought. Galatians and Corinthians also make frequent appearances as his major concepts are fleshed out.

If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know that I have spent a lot of time digesting this book. I’ve benefited immensely by summarizing each of the 25 chapters. Here are some of the key areas I’ve benefited from while interacting with this book:

New Perspective. I always had a bit of a fuzzy understanding of what the whole New Perspective on Paul actually meant. Now that I’ve read one of the leaders in the New Perspective discuss Paul’s relationship with Judaism in detail, it’s starting to become clearer.

Salvation. I love how Dunn divides the topic of salvation up into two: the beginning and the process of salvation. Naming it “the process of salvation” instead of sanctification clarifies Paul’s understanding of “being saved.” It also makes more sense of the eschatological tension (more on that later). The other element that struck me was the sheer number of metaphors Paul used to describe salvation. Having been trained up with forensics on the brain, this chapter really expanded my thinking.

Anthropology. Hearing Paul’s use of sōma, sarx, nous, kardia, psyche, and pneuma described so precisely does a lot to combat the Trichotomist sandwich that has been a staple of the Western church.

Paul and Jesus. I had never really considered why Paul quoted Jesus’ life and teaching so rarely until I read Dun’s explanation. Dunn not only presented the problem clearly, he provided logical explanations. Dunn’s exploration of all the areas where Paul’s teaching echoes Jesus was also helpful.

Eschatological Tension. Aside from the New Perspective, the emphasis on the eschatological tension is the biggest important concept in this Theology. The fact that we’re living in the already/not yet has implications in every area of theology—implications that Dunn spells out in detail. This eschatological tension if a very useful framework for understanding many of Paul’s more confusing concepts.

I could go on. These were the five most important areas for my theological growth, but I’m sure it will speak to you in different ways. I couldn’t recommend a serious theology book more enthusiastically to any student, pastor, or thoughtful Christian.

• All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir © 2011
• David C. Cook
• 240 pages

At the end of Kubric’s film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Commander David Bowman left the ship to explore a massive black monolith stationed between Jupiter and Io. This monolith represented mystery and higher intelligence in the universe. As he stared full into the mystery, he gave his final transmission:

My God, it’s full of stars!

In All Is Grace, a timeworn Brennan Manning, who has spent his entire life staring full in the face of the ultimate mystery of the universe, gave his final transmission:

My God, He’s full of grace!

Memoirs of Christians are important because they chronicle how God reaches people. We have scripture to read how God reached Israel and the early church. We have memoir to help discern his actions today.

Manning was very flawed man. He was a priest who got married. He was a drunk for most of his life. (Indeed, he resembles biblical heroes more than he does modern ‘saints’.) A couple things make Manning more unique than your average run-of-the-mill sinner:

1. He recognized his sin and confessed it freely (even founding a “Notorious Sinners” club).
2. He developed an eye to see the superabundant grace of God throughout his life.

God’s grace is more powerful than Manning’s sin or our own. That’s his message and it’s well worth reading.

• The End of Eternity © 1955
• Fawcett Crest (1971)
• 192 pages

Reading 50 year old science fiction is an entertaining experience. Not only do you have to envision the future with the author, you have to view it through a dated lens.

Asimov’s The End of Eternity is a great example of classic science fiction. You get an archetypal mystery/love story mix set in a world of time-travel.

Asimov’s science-fiction creativity is superb. How, for example, did he think up a time-travel system energized by the power of our sun in the distant future as it goes nova? The paradoxes that are always explored in time-travel books are well worked into the mystery.

Unfortunately, the character development is as bad as the science-fiction is good. These people feel like little more than artificial devices invented to carry the plot forward—which, of course, they are.

If you’re feeling nostalgic, this book provides a few interesting hours of escape.

• Old Testament Theology © 1996
• Augsburg Fortress
• 318 pages

This book is a godsend for those of us who don’t live close to a theological library. Patrick Miller has collected 15 different articles Brueggemann has written for various theological journals between 1978 and 1990 and organized them loosely into two categories.

The first articles discuss theological method. Brueggemann interacts with the major figures in Old Testament studies from Von Rad to Terrien to Childs while pushing their insights to new heights. He spends a lot of time working out the implications of Childs’ canonical criticism. It’s next to impossible to summarize a collection of essays, but Bruggemann’s main thought is this: there’s no one thing at the core of the Old Testament: there a dialectic. You can call it “Structure Legitimization” meets “Embrace of Pain” or “Hurt” meets “Hope”. This is what gives Old Testament faith its vibrancy and drive.

The second category of articles are examples of his method worked out exegetically. He tackles Genesis, Samuel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah all in his distinctive voice.

Whether you agree with everything he has to say or not (and what thinking person ever agrees with everything someone else has to say?), Bruggemann has been a steadfast voice of Christ-centred Old Testament scholarship for decades. This set of essays was invigorating to read.

• The Canterbury Tales © 2011
• Bloomsbury
• 143 pages

After thoroughly enjoying Chwast’s take on Dante, I was excited to snag a review copy of his Cantebury Tales. Unfortunately, expectations exceeded reality.

Chwast’s simple graphic style seemed too simplistic here. That leaves you with the story to carry the book. While The Divine Comedy seemed suited to such drastic reduction, Chaucer’s legendary poetry didn’t fare as well. The 24 tales, each reduced to only a few pages, were not compelling enough to stand on their own.

On the positive side, this is an easy introduction to the structure and substance of Chaucer. When I finally get around to tackling the original, I’ll use Chwast’s book as a map.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided at no cost through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s program.

• The Christian Writer’s Market Guide – 2012 © 2011
• Tyndale House Publishers
• xix+552 pages

This book is pure motivation. Every time I flip through the pages, I think of something new to write about.

Here’s how this 500+ page book breaks down:

• A list of Book Publishers. This section is organized by category, so you can figure out at a glance which publishers may be interested in your book.
• A list of Magazine Publishers. This is my favourite section. You have no idea how many Christian magazines exist until you start browsing through this list. You will find a place for everything from your essay on apologetics to a two line joke.
• Specialty Markets. This is a quirky section. If you’re interested in writing for greeting cards, video games, or DVD markets, this will help you along.
• Helps for Writers. Here you’ll find listings for Christian Agents, contact information for writers conferences and clubs, and even lists of various writing contests.

This book carries much of the same information as Writer’s Market, expanded and focused toward the Christian market. Whether you’re just starting to consider selling your writing, or are an established author looking to expand your influence, this book is an essential resource.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided for free by Tyndale Publishing House.

• The Pastor: A Memoir © 2011
• HarperOne
• 317 pages

In my personal hierarchy of “Most Important Books I’ve Ever Read”, two always rise to the top: Mere Christianity (C. S. Lewis), and A Celebration of Discipline (Richard Foster). Everything else suffers by comparison . . . until now. Meet the most important book I’ve read in over a decade: The Pastor.

Here’s why it ranks so highly:

• Like Peterson, I’m a pastor—this book resonates with my own experiences.
• Peterson bucks the trends of modern Christendom in favour of authentic biblical fidelity.
• Peterson is painfully honest, describing both failures and successes.
• Peterson describes how the various themes that form his major books developed.
• Peterson spends time describing how he wrestled with what he was called to do.
• In the end, there’s nothing better than hearing the wisdom of a seasoned pastor with an academic background.

You know, that list doesn’t seem so spectacular in retrospect. There’s something about this book that I can’t quite put my finger on yet. Sure, his writing is as poetic and lucid as ever—but there’s something extra.

All I can suggest is that you read it for yourself. If you’re a North American pastor, order it right away!

• Performing the Faith: Bonhoeffer and the Practice of Nonviolence © 2004
• Brazos Press: Baker
• 252 pages

Hauerwas is always challenging and thought-provoking. This work on Bonhoeffer is no different.

In Performing the Faith, Hauerwas uses Bonhoeffer’s life to show how Christians can be creative in their practice of non-violence (of course, that’s an extremely reductive summary). Here are some examples of the sort of brilliance you’ll find:

No account of the Christian life is adequate that ignores the beauty of God’s creation as well as the beauty created in response to that creation we sometimes call art. (22)

Good performers of the Christian faith, like good musicians, are those who have refined the art of allowing themselves to be played by the work even as they perform it. (102)

The failure to live with humility, a failure common to Christian and non-Christian alike, results in a distorted understanding of the way things are. (127)

Insights, even about the human condition, are a dime a dozen. People seldom, and rightly so, are willing to risk their lives or even make a small sacrifice on the basis of an “insight.” (139)

I am a pacifist because I think nonviolence is the necessary condition for a politics not based on death. (201)

The most profound chapter in the book was his pacifist response to 9/11. For Hauerwas, the whole response to the terror attacks were derailed when President Bush first brought up the term “war”. That galvanized and misled the entire response to date.

I do have one major frustration with this book, though. It’s not about Bonhoeffer, and it’s not one logical unit. It’s a collection of essays of various levels of academic writing around the theme of non-violence. Bonhoeffer, whose picture and name grace the cover of the book, is only given a two-part essay comprising 39 pages.

Once you understand that, you can give your mind and heart a work-out with these incisive essays.

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us © 2009
• Riverhead (2011)
• 272 pages

I’m torn about how to write this review. I think I’ll have to proceed with two perspectives:

1. The Idea. Despite the mild hyperbole in the subtitle (“The Surprising Truth”), the thesis of Pink’s book is inspirational and well-grounded. Motivating people with sticks and carrots doesn’t work like we assume. People these days are more driven by a desire for autonomy, a desire for mastery, and a desire to add value to life.

This is the sort of idea that can take root and change the way you look at your own life, not to mention the obvious application for management. I put the book down a few weeks ago, and I’m still mulling over the application. Five out of five for popularizing this idea.

2. The Format. This shouldn’t be a book. It’s more suited for weekend conference lecture fodder. I could almost see the PowerPoint presentation in the back of my mind as I read. The book is a string of illustrations and examples that support his idea.

My problem with the book crystallized during the appendix where he offers a Twitter summary, a cocktail party summary, and a chapter-by-chapter summary of his work. The Twitter summary nails it, the cocktail party summary fleshes it out, and the chapter-by-chapter summary seems like overkill. If you can reduce your book to 140 characters, do you really need to write the rest of the pages?

Perhaps this is just my frustration with the format of modern business / self-help books. If so, disregard and enjoy.

• For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge Of Time – A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics © 2011
• Free Press: Simon & Schuster
• xvi+302 pages

Like a lot of people, I was introduced to Walter Lewin through his compelling physics lectures from MIT, which are freely available online. During my last trip to Chapters, I noticed he had written a book as well. His lectures were so fascinating, I picked the book up immediately.

The book is a combination of memoir and physics (without the mathematical tedium). To be more specific, the introduction to physics is sandwiched between autobiographical information at the start and end of the book. Both parts of the book are interesting, but they don’t seem to gel that well together as one work.

Lewin’s trademark humor and passion for teaching shines through clearly here. He often describes his classroom antics—along with the student’s reaction—in a way that makes you feel like you’re in the front row. Add to this a dash of Vonnegutesque interjections and you have one memorable physics primer.

This book would have been even better had I not already listened to the lectures. I felt an odd sense of déjà vu a number of times when the book and lectures overlapped. Still, with my porous memory, I’m sure the repetition helped things to stick.

For the Love of Physics is what you get when a talented teacher has loads of enthusiasm for the subject.