Trying to choose books of the year when you work at a place like Christianbook.com is like asking Tom Brady to throw touchdowns to only one receiver. Still, I see it as my solemn duty, so here is my list (in no particular order).
1.
Dean’s book is arguably the most ominous book of the year which makes it all the more important. She shows that Christian teenagers do not simply pick up what they are taught in church, but rather emulate the practices of their elders in their own lives and in what they believe. This book is clear that we must teach and live good theology or we risk the church itself. Should be read by just about everyone.
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2.
In May of 2010, I had the distinct honor of interviewing Stanley Hauerwas about his very intimate memoir. While Hauerwas’ life story involves many, and frankly extraordinary, stories the book itself is without question a literary achievement both in its composition and its insightful interpretation of the events it describes. A great between-semester read.
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3.
I have been very surprised by the omission of Hunter’s important volume in many “books of the year” lists. To Change the World was touted as a total game changer for Christian interaction with culture and pulled no punches in critiquing the Christian right or the emerging evangelical left. But perhaps that is why it was omitted.
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4.
This is another book that has been curiously missing from many 2010 lists. I believe deserves a great deal of merit. I read After You Believe while on a plane from Boston to Seattle in May, just days before I interviewed Wright (part 1/part 2), and found it to be an exceptional account of what Christian theological discipleship should look like. Too often discipleship is characterized as a moral endeavor, but here Wright brings correct theological belief squarely back into a central place in the discipleship paradigm. While many will no doubt disagree with Wright’s positions, the book is outstanding.
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5.
Spring of 2010 was an exceptional season for publishers, and no book illustrated this more than the release of Bonhoeffer which coincided with the anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s execution by the Nazi’s in April 1945. Long kept at a distance by American evangelicals, this book brought Bonhoeffer’s life squarely into the mainstream. Though arousing some theological controversy, Metaxas’ book has done more to promote Bonhoeffer’s life and theology than any other single volume. I also had the opportunity to interview author Eric Metaxas, and post suggestions for further reading.
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6.
The ESV Bible Atlas is the most comprehensive, informative, and accessible atlas I have ever encountered. While others may excel in any one of these categories, none combines them as skillfully as the ESV Atlas. Accompanied by thoughtful and in-depth historical, theological, and topographical commentary, it is a rich resource that should be considered for every serious Bible student’s library. Its accompanying CD-ROM, containing reproducible maps in full color, make it the best resource of its kind available today.
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7.
Though a late in coming, I selected Runge’s Discourse Grammar based on its importance to the field and the exceptional work it contains. For any serious scholar of the NT this book is required reading. For students who wish to push beyond first year Greek, it is never too early to become very acquainted with the concepts this book presents. See my initial preview of the book here.
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Commetary.
There were so many good commentaries produced in 2010 that it would be a violation of good conscience to name a particular volume as rising above the rest. Instead, I have chosen to name a “break out series”. As indicated, that series is the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series. The ZECNT is, in the truest sense of the phrase, an exegetical tool that empowers exegetes to build a solid language based understanding of the text while incorporating relevant scholarly and historical information. With only 4 volumes to date, the ZECNT is already becoming a regular fixture on the shelves of students and pastors.
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