As you know by now, I like to keep an eye on new Christian books as they are released. And once a month or so I like to make you aware of some of the ones I consider particularly notable for whatever reason. So to that end, here are eight new and notable books for October 2019.
Giving Is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy by Randy Alcorn. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could do what pleases God, helps others, and is best for us―at the same time? Can we live the good life without being selfish? In Giving Is the Good Life, bestselling author Randy Alcorn teaches life-changing biblical principles of generosity and tells stories of people who have put those radical principles into practice. Each story is a practical application that can help stimulate your imagination and expand your dreams of serving Jesus in fresh ways. These real-life models give you not just words to remember but footprints to follow. Giving Is the Good Life reveals a grander view of God and generosity―one that stretches far beyond our imagination and teaches us what the good life is really all about.” (Buy it at Amazon)
God Breathed: Connecting through Scripture to God, Others, the Natural World, and Yourself by Rut Etheridge III. This is a book targeted at young adults, despite its size (which weighs in at over 400 pages). “Self-made truth is the air we breathe in our day, which past philosophers hailed as the Age of the Lonely Self. You feel it when the silence falls around you and the whispers start within you: that growing, gnawing isolation, that deepening detachment from the world, from others, from yourself. God Breathed will help you understand and courageously doubt the popular dogma that God cannot speak, that the Bible is not only inaccurate but impossible. It will help you break out of the soul-suffocating confines of self-made truth. Within the pages of God’s book is the true you, just waiting for you to arrive. God Breathed will help you get there.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Not Forsaken: A Story of Life After Abuse: How Faith Brought One Woman From Victim to Survivor by Jennifer Michelle Greenberg. “Jenn Greenberg was abused by her church-going father. Yet she is still a Christian. In this courageous, compelling book, she reflects on how God brought life and hope in the darkest of situations. Jenn shows how the gospel enables survivors to navigate issues of guilt, forgiveness, love, and value. And she challenges church leaders to protect the vulnerable among their congregations. Her reflections offer Biblical truths and gospel hope that can help survivors of abuse as well as those who walk alongside them.” Not Forsaken, which is published by The Good Book Company, comes with endorsements by J.D. Greear, Sarah Walton, Jason Meyer, David Murray, and others. (Buy it at Amazon)
Reforming Journalism by Marvin Olasky. “Is there such thing as ‘Christian’ journalism? What would that look like? In this three-part work, editor in chief of World magazine Marvin Olasky (1) lays out foundational principles of journalism, explaining why and how journalism ought to be done, (2) addresses practical, nuts-and-bolts issues such as interviewing subjects, structuring news stories, and responding to complaints, and (3) closes with a historical overview of journalism in the United States. Throughout the book, he points to the example of Christian journalists in China, who courageously continue a nearly three-thousand year history of news reporting in the face of government pressures. You will learn how to be a more discerning reader of news as well as a competent citizen-reporter in your own community.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew T. Le Peau. “Writing is not easy. But it can get better. In this primer on nonfiction writing, Andrew Le Peau offers insights he has learned as a published author and an editor for over forty years, training, guiding, and cheering on hundreds of writers. Here are skills that writers can master―from finding strong openings and closings, to focusing on an audience, to creating a clear structure, to crafting a persuasive message. With wide-ranging examples from fiction and nonfiction, Le Peau also demystifies aspects of art in writing such as creativity, tone, and metaphor. He considers strategies that can move writers toward fresher, more vital, and perhaps more beautiful expressions of the human condition. One aspect of writing that rarely receives attention is who we are as writers and how writing itself changes us. Self-doubt, fear of criticism, downsides of success, questions of authority, and finding our voice are all a part of the exploration of our spirituality as writers found in these pages. Discover how the act of writing can affect our life in God. Whether you’re a veteran writer, an occasional practitioner, a publishing professional, or a student just starting to explore such skills, Le Peau’s wit and wisdom can speed you on your way.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Emblems of the Infinite King: Enter the Knowledge of the Living God by J. Ryan Lister. We’ve got books for general readers, young adults, and scholars—now here is one for children. “In an imaginative journey through the grand story of the universe, this book introduces kids ages 10+ to God’s radiant beauty using the main categories of systematic theology: God, humanity, sin, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and last things. Full of captivating illustrated ‘emblems’ meant to symbolize key facets of Christian doctrine, this unique book seeks to bring theological truths from words to life. The creative design combined with rich theology will challenge young readers to search God’s Word for important answers to big questions about themselves, God, and the gospel.” (Buy it at Amazon)
A Small Book for the Anxious Heart by Edward T. Welch. “Fear and anxiety are chronic struggles for many people that are only intensifying and increasing. Best-selling author Edward T. Welch shares the comfort and peace of Jesus in fifty brief readings for those who wrestle with fear. A Small Book for the Anxious Heart is a small but powerful devotional to remind men and women of the encouraging, beautiful words in Scripture to anxious people. While many books on fear and anxiety exist—promising to help men and women manage their struggles with methods and formulas—this devotional reaches deeper into Scripture, making the Word of God more accessible. Don’t put a Band-Aid on your fear and anxiety; rather, learn to bring your fear to Jesus, relying on his Word. Jesus cares for us, and in these readings, Welch invites readers to trust him for today, knowing he goes before us always.” (Buy it at Amazon)
Matthew, Disciple and Scribe by Patrick Schreiner. For those interested in something more scholarly, you may be interested in this new one. “This fresh look at the Gospel of Matthew highlights the unique contribution that Matthew’s rich and multilayered portrait of Jesus makes to understanding the connection between the Old and New Testaments. Patrick Schreiner argues that Matthew obeyed the Great Commission by acting as scribe to his teacher Jesus in order to share Jesus’s life and work with the world, thereby making disciples of future generations. The First Gospel presents Jesus’s life as the fulfillment of the Old Testament story of Israel and shows how Jesus brings new life in the New Testament.” (Buy it at Amazon)
