I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve received boxes of them and, in sorting through the pile, some have risen to the top. This time they are all either the beginning of new series or the continuation of existing series. Enjoy!
Conduct Gospel-Centered Funerals: Applying the Gospel to the Unique Challenges of Death, Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness, and Prepare Them to Shepherd: Test, Train, Affirm, and Send the Next Generation of Pastors by Brian Croft. Brian Croft is founder of Practical Shepherding, a ministry committed to equipping pastors in the practical matters of pastoral ministry. He has partnered with Zondervan to create a series of Practical Shepherding books that will eventually number seven volumes. These first three volumes were formerly published by Day One Publications but have been revised, updated, and given a great new cover treatment. I suppose the titles are self-explanatory, so I will not provide a detailed description of each. (Conduct Gospel-Centered Funerals: Amazon; Visit the Sick: Amazon; Prepare Them to Shepherd: Amazon).
Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles, Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Ray Ortlund, and Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus by Jeramie Rinne. 9Marks has partnered with Crossway to create a series titled 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches and edited by Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman. These four volumes join three existing one to bring the running total up to seven. It was fourteen years ago that we saw the first edition of Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (it is now in its third edition) and in many ways all the books he has written since then, and all the books 9Marks have created since then, have been an extension of his earlier work. These new volumes push into familiar territory but with some new voices. (Church Elders: Amazon, Westminster Books; The Gospel: Amazon, Westminster Books; Expositional Preaching: Amazon, Westminster Books; Evangelism: Amazon, Westminster Books).
Robert Moffat: Africa’s Brave Heart by Irene Howat, John Newton: A Slave Set Free by Irene Howat, and Augustine: The Truth Seeker by K.C. Murdarasi. Trailblazers is a series of short biographies written for older children and teens. Published by Christian Focus and coming from the pens of many authors, the series now spans thirty-seven volumes. The three newest additions to the series look to the lives of Augustine, John Newton, and Robert Moffat–an early Christian thinker and theologian, a great pastor and hymn-writer, and a missionary who spread the gospel in Africa. If the prior volumes in the series are any indication, these will be excellent reading for kids and adults alike. (Augustine: Amazon; John Newton: Amazon; Robert Moffat: Amazon)
John Knox by Simonetta Carr. Christian Biographies for Young Reader is a partnership between author Simonetta Carr, illustrator Matt Abraxas, and publisher Reformation Heritage Books. To this point the partnership has brought us excellent biographies on some of the towering figures of church history: John Calvin, Augustine, John Owen, Athanasius, Lady Jane Grey, and Anselm (with forthcoming volumes turning to Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, and others). The most recent volume focuses on the great Scottish Reformer John Knox. It tells of his amazing life which saw him elevated from a bodyguard to a preacher, and from a galley slave to one of the world’s foremost and most fiery preachers. (Amazon, Westminster Books)
And how about you? Am I missing any that look particularly interesting to you? Is there something I ought to be adding to my reading list?
