Thread: Best Book You Read This Year

What's the best book you read this year?

1. Can be either new or old

2. By "best" I mean: made you think, made an impact on your life somehow, blessed you in a certain way, helped you understand Scripture or theology better, etc.

Protestantism and the American Founding by Michael P. Zuckert (ed.). I read essays from this book in my American Political Thought class at the Citadel and it most certainly changed my thinking on the American Revolution and those who's ideas lay behind it.

Zuckert, though not without contention from other essayists, (I think) convincingly shows that the Pilgrims who drafted the Mayflower Compact in 1620 worshipped God--whereas the same cannot be said for the drafter of the Dec. of Ind. (Jefferson). Zuckert argues that the fundamental source for political power for the Pilgrims was God--who then bestows upon a ruler that power. That is why they say as much in the Mayflower COmpact and acknowledge the fact that God had placed King James over them as ruler. For Jefferson, and other Enlightenment thinkers, the fundamental base of political power is the individual--who then consents to give that power to a group of legislators, etc.

Anyway, the main argument for Zuckert was to show that one cannot draw a straight line from the Mayflower Compact to the Declaration and say that they share the same view of God, political philosophy, or political authority.

Good read. Good thread too.

Best might be...


I also really liked...

My two:

Not sure how I could pick just one or two, but here, following Larry's lead, are two of the more edifying and significant ones in my past year:



and

And I€ just finished reading it yesterday...

This thread's going to give me good ideas to add to my "books to get" list.

A Treatise on Earthly Mindedness, by Burroughs; Human Nature in Its Fourfould State, by Boston. The Institutes of Biblical Law, by Rushdoony.

Glorious Freedom by Richard Sibbes
Life's Ultimate Questions by Ronald Nash

"Before Jerusalem Fell" By Ken Gentry.

The Bible.



Sorry, couldn't resist.

Ok, Ok, after the Bible ...

I've really been blessed by biography this year, primarily George Marsden's Jonathan Edwards: A Life and John Piper's series that includes three or so biographies in each book. I was incredibly busy (fire season) while reading Mr. Marsden's book, and kept coming back to it to read 20 pages here and 20 pages there, so it took me several months. I really missed it when I was through with it.

Also In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Atonement a reprint of forwards to John Owen's Death of Death.

I read this book once a year and every year it has a different impact on my life. This year it reminded me that I don't thank God enough. Every situation in my life is in His plan. I forget this all the time.

I don't know about best book, since I don't have a lot of time to think through it now, but this book is excellent:

Amazon.com: Peacemaking Pastor, The: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Church Conflict: Alfred, Poirier: Books

The Law and the Gospel by John Colquhoun

I don't know if this is the best book I've read this year, but it is an excellent book and should be read by every pastor and church leader.

I just ordered this book as I love reading Burroughs and this one sounds great:
A Treatise on Earthly Mindedness, by Burroughs(as posted by 'nicnap')

I am presently reading again, The Bruised Reed, Stibbes, and
The Genius of Puritanism, Peter Lewis

Toss up between "the almost christian discovered" by Matthew Meade and "the christian in complete armour" by William Gurnall.

Man, this is a hard one...

Letters of James Bourne earlier this year, Gill's Divinity throughout and Revelation: Four Views: A Parallel Commentary first come to mind.

j

Godly Sorrow Author: Wisse, G.

Reformation Heritage Books

For me, either Justification, or Recovering the Reformed Confessions.

Hmm...Rutherford's letters?

and

"Counted Righteous in Christ" by John Piper, and though I'm not finished with it yet, "The Glory of Christ" by John Owen

Notes on Ecclesiastes - Martin Luther

Luther's Works Volume 15: Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and the Last Words of David - Edited By: Jaroslav Pelikan - Christianbook.com

Very comforting when it seems like the world is out to get you, or when you have to deal with the evils of society and of people in your everyday life. Very practical and calming to the mind with regard to how we are to respond in such circumstances, among other things.

"Are Miraculous Gifts For Today: Four Views"


It answered a lot of my questions about the different views. I especially enjoyed Robert Saucy's contribution and would like to read more of his. Has he written anything else of note?

Well...

I just became Reformed this year (I remember distinctly when I became a 5-point Calvinist in my Spanish V class in May ), so it'd be tough for me to say.

Although Desiring God by John Piper is what sparked me into accepting Reformed theology (I was previously on the verge of an extremely liberal theology), my two favorite books this year have to be Christianity and Liberalism by John Gresham Machen and Van Til's Apologetic by Greg Bahnsen.

Christless Christianity by Michael Horton.

Not an encouraging read, but definitely a necessary one.

Originally Posted by KMK

"Are Miraculous Gifts For Today: Four Views"


It answered a lot of my questions about the different views. I especially enjoyed Robert Saucy's contribution and would like to read more of his. Has he written anything else of note?

He's written 2 or 3 other books. He was my systematics professor in seminary. He's not Reformed; rather, he's a progressive dispensationalist (as opposed to the classic view). His best-known book is The Church in God's Kingdom (1972), which actually might be still in print.

Robert L. Saucy (pronounced "SO-see"), now 78, has taught at Talbot School of Theology (formerly Talbot Theological Seminary) on the campus of Biola University, since 1961. He is still teaching about 2/3 time. The last time I spoke to him, he told me he's working on a book about heaven.

-----Added 12/19/2008 at 02:44:44 EST-----

One of the best books I read this year is: Milton's Creation: A Guide to Paradise Lost (1971) by Harry Blamires. Blamires, a student of C. S. Lewis's in the 1930s, is now 92.