End of disclaimer.
Now on to my list:
1. Finally Alive - John PiperYes, yes. Matthew picked a John Piper book for #1. Suprise. But this is simply the best articulation of what the "new birth" is that I've ever heard, Piper's treatment of this subject is biblical and beautiful. This book lays out not only the deep theological truths behind regeneration, it also gets very practical on how this affects your life afterward as well as evangelism. John Piper continues to be my favorite author and this book ranks very near the top in terms of his best overall. Fantastic.
2. Your Jesus Is Too Safe - Jared Wilson This book is equally damaging to the Jesus of both the “religious” and the “lukewarm.” You can control the “religious” Jesus by being good, and the “lukewarm” Jesus doesn’t demand anything from you. The true gospel doesn’t allow for either response, and you will get a clear picture of that gospel here. The self-righteous and those with a feel-good, buddy-Jesus are both confronted with the truth of that gospel. Wilson doesn’t allow you to get through this book without understanding the real Jesus and the real biblical gospel as Jesus himself taught.
3. Why We Love The Church - Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck It’s trendy these days for Christians to claim to love Jesus and want community with other believers, and at the same time ridicule, insult, and abandon Christ’s bride, the church. This book, however, presents biblical, historical, and practical evidence that the church is where the Christian life happens, for better or for worse. Christ loves his bride, and you will love her more after reading this book as well.
4. A Praying Life: Connecting With God In A Distracting World - Paul Miller In a world that has no shortage of books on prayer, this is easily the best I've read. Practical, poignant, and theologically sound, Miller paints a picture of what it looks like to be a man or woman of prayer. The stories and illustrations from his life will move you emotionally and challenge you to live a life of prayer. This fantastic book is definitely one I will be re-reading next year, and probably after that.
5. Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology - Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, R.C. Sproul, etc.In a world where everyone, even many Christians, want to question everything, even the things God has made abundantly clear and beautiful, these are some of the men who are consistently, clearly, and astutely articulating the truth. The truths in this book can serve as an anchor for us against the siege of deconstructionism. Questions are good, but they need to have answers. We don’t have them all, but many of those answers, especially pertaining to the gospel and the cross of Christ, can be found in this book. I’m very thankful for it.
6. Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller Keller continually pulls our idol-fashioned foundations from underneath us, but he quickly replaces it with the true foundation, the Rock, Jesus Christ. This book should be required reading for all western Christians. Other cultures have their idols, but we in the West have truly made it an art form. The roots of this idolatry cannot be removed overnight, but this book is a powerful tool for attacking those roots and unashamedly and repeatedly reminding us what needs to exist in its place.
7. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years - Donald Miller This book is full of stories that will inspire you to truly live life, not simply exist in it. The book isn’t a self-help book, but it will help you immensely and give you a picture for what life can be, if we are only willing to step into the stories God has for us. It involves risks, yes, but that’s what makes the stories worth caring about. It’s what makes us sit on the edge of our seats, wondering if the protagonist will accomplish what he set out to do. It’s what makes us give ourselves permission to feel.
8. Love Is An Orientation - Andrew Marin This is an important book for furthering (and elevating, as Marin puts it) the discussion. There are still many questions that beg for answers, and I believe those answers are there, but the discussion needs to be re-framed. I believe that happens when Christians really put themselves in the shoes of GLBT people, really love them regardless of whether or not they ever change their lifestyle. We don’t have to water-down the truth, but love for the people that truth is affecting needs a more prominent place. That’s the main thrust of the book, and it’s an important message.
9. The Reason For Sports - Ted Kluck How should believers approach and engage sports? Ted Kluck attempts to help us think through this question, as well as provide numerous funny, poignant, and telling stories from his experience as a sports writer. More a collection of short essays than a unified whole, the book addresses issues such as: jock apologies, steroids, honesty, fantasy football, sports films, humility, and race relations, among others. The book is far from a complete treatise on the issues presented, but Kluck clearly understands two things well: the culture of sports and athletics, and the gospel.
10. Vintage Church - Mark Driscoll and Gerry BreshearsIn what essentially amounts to a church planter's manual, Driscoll and Breshears have crafted a beautiful ecclesiastical theology. Tackling the wide assortment of issues related to church organization, structure, and theology, this presents a great framework for those attempting to plant a church and build their structures, but it also serves as a good reminder and challenge to established churches to examine how and why they do certain things.
Honorable Mentions:
Imagine That - Manuel Luz
Understanding English Bible Translation - Leland Ryken
Just Do Something - Kevin DeYoung
Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions - Mark Driscoll
This Momentary Marriage - John Piper
Deep Church - Tim Belcher (haven't finished yet - might be in the Top 10 once I'm done)
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