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• 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.

Right belief is the necessary condition for right action, not the other way round.

—Robert Barron, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith, 22.

• 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.

What’s lost is nothing to what’s found, and all the death that ever was, set next to life, would scarcely fill a cup.

—Frederick Buechner, Godric, 96.

• 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!

Christian faith occurs in the encounter of the believer with him in whom he believes. It consists in communion, not in identification, with him.

—Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An Introduction, 99.

• 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.

Do not trust yourself to your own opinions, but take them to Christ and see whether they are in conformity with the faith (Rom. 12:7) and the Word of the holy Gospel. I, too, occasionally have beautiful and splendid thoughts, and I believe that the Holy Spirit inspired them. But when I judge them in the light of faith, I realize that they are sheer filth, sinful and impure.

—Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 22: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 1—4, 272.

• 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.