Reading is an abiding joy in my life. I read to learn, feel, understand, enjoy, and stretch my mind. So, I consume various books, mixing theology with classics, Christian living with current affairs, and more.
I enjoy seeing what others are reading and how others are reacting to their books; I get ideas for my reading plans through what others pick up. So, I’m here to join the conversation. Here’s a portion of what I read and enjoyed in 2024—in no particular order:
In the early middle of one’s life, it is humbling to read an entire life unfolding in a few sittings—especially one of such vigorous theological activity as Oden’s. Most moving for me was his ultimate personal adherence to Christ's historical resurrection and his commitment not to make any new contribution to theology. I saw through his writing and development the demise of modernity: “Four typically modern figures that identify the four movements going downhill since 1968 are naturalistic reductionism (Darwin), narcissistic hedonism (Freud), autonomous individualism (Nietzsche) and property redistribution by elites who factor their own interests first (Marx).” And I appreciated his finding: “Catholics accused Protestants of ignoring good works, while Protestants accused Catholics of making good works the basis of salvation. The consensual patristic writers corrected both of those tendencies.”
If your Bible reading feels dull or flat, this is the spiritual pep talk you might need. I have been in a season of richness in Bible reading and connection with Jesus (praise God!). Still, I eagerly reached for my Bible after finishing this book. I found it well-written and sound. Here are three quotes I especially enjoyed from this work:
“I thought that by opening my Bible I was seeking something good and right to do, rather than primarily seeking someone to love.”
“Oh, that we would not miss Jesus! For if we miss him, we miss life itself.”
“God’s words are purposeful, nourishing, and invaluable. They are worth trusting, for God’s words come from God’s heart.”
I was impressed by the detail and description in a book that was a primer on the end times. The teaching I received in my undergraduate degree was refreshed and augmented with new facts and realities. I am grateful. For me, the arguments about the hermeneutical processes of the amillennial are worth exploring in more depth. I am a premillennialist who sees more separation between Israel and the Church than the amillennialist might see. However, overall, the book had a fair and even-handed approach to describing end times views. I would recommend this book readily!
This book took the posture of a friend and guided me through the purposeful work of waiting. Though Vroegop wrote and included many poignant quotes—lending understanding to my soul such that my eyes grew wet—the overall takeaway I had was that waiting is the process of trusting actively in the presence of God. Delay is part of life. Yet, so is God’s presence. So, all is genuinely okay.
I read Hillbilly Elegy because of the rise to prominence J. D. Vance has experienced in the Republican Party. I know that Vance wanted to advance more than the ideals of a functioning family. I know that he wanted to advance more than the impressive character of a country that can allow for achievement and change of circumstances. I know Vance wanted to portray more than the need for a stable living situation as a child. I know. But these I walked away with. For these reasons and more, this book is worth reading.
This book captures a process I am drawn to when reading the biblical text. Research and study serve the objective of meeting Christ through the Scriptures. The Scriptures transform us, leading us to sorrow over personal sin. They lift us to the light of grace—of eternal relief. And then, they lead us to the contemplation of God himself. Using the four rungs of a ladder, Boersma lifts the tradition of lectio divina from Church history, the four rungs being lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer), and contemplatio (contemplation). The author frequently uses the sense of being pierced by Love—pierced by Christ—whether by sorrow over sin and suffering or by joy.
But most notably, he pulls from tradition that the cross and passion of Jesus are central to this practice. Jesus will come to us through his Word, which he communicates to our souls as we silence ourselves before his divine communication. The book has enriched and grown my understanding of how to approach the Scriptures. I focus on the text's literal meaning and see what God is teaching me there through the greater narrative of Scripture. This practice of lectio divina is worth adopting and often speaks to my natural disposition before the Word.
I will let a few quotes speak to this blessed book:
“Athanasius said, ‘Most of Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speak for us.’”
“It is a wonder that we have a shepherd; it is a great wonder that the shepherd we have is ‘the Lord.’”
“When all is said and done, the point of everything is not warfare and the clash of good and evil but fellowship and feasting.”
“The greatest of hosts himself prepared the most lavish of feasts for the lowliest of creatures. How amazing it is that the Lord of heaven should be seen here spreading his fame in all the earth by wanting to be known as a certain kind of host.”
This book highlights the righteousness of God in his saving acts. He must save righteously. There was a brief overview of the new perspective on Paul. There were also some helpful words about what the Reformation taught as faith, found in his discussion about Paul and James. Faith is the cord that transmits the electricity of salvation. And justification, then, allows us to rest. Here is a quote that I highlighted:
“True faith as the Reformers emphasized includes notitia, assensus, and fiducia. Notitia has to do with what we must know to believe, specifically that Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead for the sake of sinners. But knowing such facts isn’t enough to bring salvation. One must also assent (assensus) to these truths and actually believe them. One may know that there is a vaccine for polio but refuse to believe it. Still even assensus isn’t enough for salvation; fiducia is also required. Perhaps the best word to describe fiducia is trust, where one gives oneself to Jesus Christ, where one relies on him for deliverance. For Paul faith involves all three of these realities, and he particularly emphasizes fiducia, entrusting oneself to Jesus Christ.”
For me, the value of this book was not any one point in particular. Nothing stands out that I haven’t thought of or been taught previously. However, the value and conclusion of this book are based on the theme of weakness throughout Scripture. On a deeper emotional level, I am convinced that God wants me weak before him. And I am more convinced than ever that any strength is due him. When I experience personal weakness, I am living out the theme of the Scriptures that weakness is where God is glorified in me. Therefore, I honestly can echo the Apostle Paul’s words that I boast in my weakness. I view this book as an extended Scriptural meditation or sermon on this theme that has created a prayerfully lasting impression in my spirit. I’m glad I read it.
This novella was instructive. The viewpoint of impending death considers the course of one’s life. Relationships, work, and religion all play their part in consideration. Why was this work instructive? It was a reminder of what one thinks about when one is about to die. Those thoughts are always fruitful for me.
Jesus is tender with us when our sins bruise us. He is tender not only once we are righted but also while we are being righted. He shows us the truth and gently picks us up when we see how wounded we are by our sins. If you have trouble believing this, read Sibbes. I will return to this book’s principles often and resist the urge to be strict and condemning toward myself, where Jesus lifts and restores. He is a beautiful Savior.
The beatific vision is not a doctrine to which I had previously given much thought. I don’t remember it being mentioned, or mentioned as such, in my formal education. Though, indeed, its underlying tenets were there. But this book opened up the history, development, and depth of this topic for me. I did not, for example, know that it amounted to more than the glorious expectation of seeing God face-to-face. More is involved. I would highly recommend this work and do so as a layperson coming to grips afresh with the distinctions raised about this doctrine. The journey was both intellectually stretching and spiritually edifying.
