Best Reads of 2009

As the year winds down , let me quickly list the top books I've read this year in no particular order. Maybe I'll do something along the lines of movies next...

The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
The divide between Israel and Palestine continues to draw the world's focus toward a small piece of land in the Middle East. The book is based on a story that Tolan did for National Public Radio. The book is incredibly helpful in describing the history behind the conflict in the format of a narrative. While it does not reach back into history as far as I would want it to, it provides enough context so that the average person can at least get a basic grip on how complex the problem is. What's even more powerful is that it speaks of the power of hope, that we can work to understand while not completely agreeing.

Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
How in the world does a 60-something year old pastor in Brooklyn, New York become so popular among young adults? Read the book and you'll see Keller's style and understand why. What he unpacks is something that we all know... we are just as idolatrous as those who have come before us. Our version is not with wooden statues but just as pernicious as we take things, people, and ideas and make them ultimate in our lives. He does a fine job representing the pastor/shepherd/theologian/philosopher that used to be the norm in churches.

John Coltrane: His Life and Music by Lewis Porter
When it comes to bebop there was no one else like 'Trane on the sax. When you listen to him, his phrasing is an expression of his soul (I think jazz as an art form points entirely to the complexity of the soul, and not the brain, and ultimately to God). While his music was genre changing, his life was ultimately sad. One of the better biographies of a man who shaped American music. Next I'm up for reading a biography of Miles...

Soren Kierkegaard's Christian Psychology: Insight for Counseling & Pastoral Care by C. Stephen Evans
Ok, this is a bit harder of a read because one needs to be somewhat familiar with Kierkegaard's life and the framework of his concepts. However, what he represents is the philosopher who was also spiritual theologian and contributed greatly to what authentic faith looks like. I know this sounds cliche but this is a must read for all pastors who are in the trenches with people trying to grow. His understanding of sin as building your identity on anything else other than God is helpful in pastoral care.

The Quest for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield
One of my favorite books of 2009. Yep, sat me down with a Guinness and started reading about the history of the company. All I have to say is, "Oh my, what a great book!" I had all my categories blown away when I understood the spiritual legacy that Arthur Guinness left as a part of the Guinness Brewing Compnay. More than that, the book is riveting when it recounts the great impact the company had on its employees, eliminating poverty and unemployment, and spiritual awakening. If more companies today involved in the capitalistic enterprise understood the importance of ungirding the profit motive with virtue, I think it would change corporate America for the better. Now I wish someone would now write a book about all the great spiritual discussions that occurred in a pub...

The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need by Juliet Schor
Schor is a professor of sociology at Boston College. The book is a bit dated but the effect is powerful nonetheless. We buy what what we don't need and it's left many people with a habit that will not help them do well in life. Companies work hard at creating "needs" that are either artificial or superficial. What's worse is that it's acceptable today to consume. I'm certainly not advocating ceasing buying things but the book will make you think twice before just jumping in to buy something. It's shocking that the vices of greed and gluttony are presently acceptable.

Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden
Just finished it. This biography of Jonathan Edwards cements him as one of the influential (if not the most influential) pastor/theologians in American history. What strikes me about Edwards is his deep understanding of theology and philosophy is well-thought through whether you agree with him or not), as well as an interest in how the Holy Spirit works in justification and sanctification. If you like reading biographies and are interested in discovering one of the great influences on modern day evangelicalism, this is a good read.

Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity by Lauren Winner
The Paradigm Shift college ministry spent quite a bit of time this summer working through a biblical theology on sex and the body. Probably one of the best times of reading and study I've had. And no, it's not because the topic was sex! My interest in talking about this subject is due to the fact that the church doesn't. Oh, we do maybe once a year and it's largely the message of "don't do it" said by people brought in. Winner's book is not only compelling (she has a background it seems in spiritual formation) but she has a good grasp of historically how the church has dealt with the subject. And she has a great understanding of chastity not as something to mock but something that is a real virrtue (connected to the cardinal virtue of temperance). Confused? Read the book and it should become clear.

Life on the Vine by Phillip Kennison
Great book on the virtues lived out in a robust sense of community. Kennison looks at the Fruit of the Spirit and offers relevant and practical insight into how this is lived out in the context of our lives together. For those who enjoy good reads on spiritual formation, this is a very helpful book.