Stephen Barkley
Another year, another 66 books on the shelf. Whether reading an academic chapter with my morning coffee, George MacDonald on my Kindle, or running through the world of Malazan, books are a big part of my life.
This year I continued to read a substantial amount of leadership material, focusing on some of the key models and theorists. Theology is always close at hand, whether for course development or just sheer pleasure. I was also pleased to see that my miscellaneous category had grown. Diversity!
Reviews of my own book, Pentecostal Prophets, are still coming in—and favourable ones at that! I’m currently polishing up an academic paper on prophecy and discernment that I plan to post on my website later this year after presenting it at the annual meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. If you’d like to keep in touch with my latest writing projects, please fill out the short form in the footer.
Bible & Theology
- The Versatility of Paul by Robert Banks
- On the Holy Spirit by St. Basil the Great
- Crucifixion of the Warrior God by Gregory A. Boyd
- Women Who Do by Holly J. Carey
- Charismatic Christianity by Helen Collins
- What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About by Jason S. DeRouchie, ed.
- How the Spirit became God by Kyle R. Hughes
- Re-Enchanting the Text by Cheryl Bridges Johns
- Reimagining Spirit by Grace Ji-Sun Kim
- The Hebrew Bible as Literature by Tod Linafelt
- The Hebrew Prophets by Lion Publishing
- Evangelicals Engaging in Practical Theology by Helen Morris & Helen Cameron, eds.
- The Holy Spirit by Anthony D. Palma
- Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson
- Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World by Thomas R. Schreiner
- Theology and Climate Change by Paul Tyson
- The Home of God by Miroslav Volf and Ryan McAnnally-Linz
- Paul and Gender by Cynthia Long Westfall
- Into the Heart of Romans by N. T. Wright
There are so many good books on this list, it’s difficult to choose a favourite. If forced to pick, I’d have to go with Re-Enchanting the Text. Cheryl Bridges Johns’s call to rediscover the sacramental nature of the Bible is an inspiring bulwark against modernism, inviting readers to engage their pneumatic imaginations. Amen!
Runners-up in this category would be Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson, Into the Heart of Romans by N. T. Wright, and Paul and Gender by Cynthia Long Westfall. All three books invite a close reading of the text whether the Old Testament from a literary perspective or Pauline literature from a historical-critical perspective. Both books will inspire sustained engagement with scripture.
Fiction
- Book of Evidence by John Banville
- Counterweight by Djuna
- 🎧Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson
- 🎧House of Chains by Steven Erikson
- 🎧Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson
- 🎧The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson
- 🎧Reaper’s Gale by Steven Erikson
- 🎧Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson
- 🎧Night of Knives by Ian C. Esslemont
- 🎧The Return of the Crimson Guard by Ian C. Esslemont
- The Shoe on the Roof by Will Ferguson
- Babel by R. F. Kuang
- David Elginbrod by George MacDonald
- Phantastes by George MacDonald
- An Acceptable Time by Madeline L’Engle
- Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
- Carried Away by Alice Munro
- Wayward by Chuck Wendig
As I’m sure you can tell, the Malazan empire has kept me occupied on my runs this year. That said, George MacDonald’s David Elginbrod stands high as the best work of fiction. I was hesitant to begin this one due to it’s thick Scottish dialect, but with a little patience, the dialogue comes to life. There’s a wholesomeness—a holiness—in this 19th Century storyteller that you can’t find anywhere else.
The runner up in this category would be Erikson’s Toll the Hounds. I can’t remember ever having read such an epic and shocking climax. Of course, you have to read at least seven earlier books to get here, but nothing good comes cheap, right?
Leadership
- The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner
- Practicing Servant Leadership by Larry C. Spears & Michele Lawrence, eds.
- Rooted Leadership by John E. Johnson
- When Narcissism Comes to Church by Chuck DeGroat
- Resilience by Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy
- Connective Leadership by Jean Lipman-Blumen
- Churches, Cultures & Leadership by Mark Lau Branson & Juan F. Martinez
- Uncharted Leadership by Angie Ward
Finally! A leadership book that’s theologically sound and up-to-date with contemporary leadership theory: Rooted Leadership by John E. Johnson. This was going to be my choice of text book for the next iteration of my Pastoral Leadership Workshop until my course load shifted. I would still recommend this book highly to ministry leaders who want to upgrade their leadership tools.
The runner-up in this category is Branson & Martinez’s Churches, Cultures & Leadership. It’s a book that functions on two levels: on the one hand, it explores the challenges of creating authentic multi-cultural churches. On the other hand, it’s a case study in how to do effective practical theological investigation. I wrote an academic review of this one for Practical Theology journal.
Spiritual Formation
- Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
- You’re Only Human by Kelly M. Kapic
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Lawrence of the Resurrection
All three of the books I read on spiritual formation this year were outstanding. That said, it’s impossible to beat the practical inspiration of Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God for the win.
Biography
- Surrender by Bono
- The Eyes of the Heart by Frederick Buechner
- Telling Secrets by Frederick Buechner
- Travelling Mercies by Anne Lammott
- Knife by Salman Rushdie
Bono would have won this category for me . . . until the final third of the book (check out my review for more details). The winner is Knife by Salman Rushdie. In October 2022, Rushdie took the stage at a conference aimed at protecting artists from harm. That was the moment a would-be assassin rushed the stage with a knife. Ever the novelist, Rushdie’s phenomenological perspective shines through in this gripping account.
All the RestÂ
- The Way of Response by Martin Buber
- The Genesis of Gender by Abigail Favale
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Schopenhauer by Christopher Janaway
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
- Within and Without by George MacDonald
- God Gave Rock and Roll to You by Leah Payne
- The Holy Spirit and the Eagle Feather by Aaron A.M. Ross
- Bon Echo by Mary Savigny
- A History of Canada in Ten Maps by Adam Shoalts
- World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy
- The Crusades by Christopher Tyerman
There’s a lot to love in this miscellaneous category, but the best book for me was God Gave Rock and Roll to You by Leah Payne. Having attended Bible College in the midst of 1990s CCM culture, hearing the story (and the politics) behind this music movement was eye-opening and gripping from start to finish.
I have to choose multiple runners-up here. The Genesis of Gender by Abigail Favale is a theologically and scientifically informed perspective on today’s gender discussions, told by a former postmodern gender theorist turned Roman Catholic. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is an inspiring book for authors. Ten Arguments by Jaron Lanier convinced me to delete social media from my phone (and I’ve never been happier). Last (but certainly not least), Aaron Ross’s Holy Spirit and the Eagle Feather is a must-read for PAOC credential holders. He tells the history of the PAOC’s Indigenous ministry—complete with lessons we need to continue to heed today.
So there you have it. Another year, another few feet worth of occupied book-shelf space. If you’re curious, here are my Reading Retrospectives from former years:
