Category: Books
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Read Less. Reflect More.
“Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” Yes, but that dictum can be misleading. One does not become a leader simply by reading. And one does not become a better leader simply by reading more. But what about those successful people who post their reading lists on social media near the end of the year?…
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What I’m Reading: Sweet Reason
Sweet Reason: A Field Guide to Modern Logic Sweet Reason is not the sort of book that will keep you wide-eyed, turning pages late at night. It’s actually a pretty dense textbook—the kind with charts, gray boxes, exercises, and odd-numbered answers at the back of the book. So why am I reading this? When working…
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What I’m Reading: Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan
I recently finished reading Sam Chan’s Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News About Jesus More Believable. If you’ve read Tim Keller’s Center Church or Kevin J. Vanhoozer’s Every Day Theology you’ll be familiar with Chan’s concepts and efforts to make the gospel intelligible to unbelievers. Chan calls out the unfortunate…
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What I’m Reading: Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow Titan is great biographical writing, and it’s hard to imagine a more intriguing person in the history of American business than John D. Rockefeller. Before reading Titan I knew virtually nothing about this Goliath of industry, besides his incredible wealth. So I was surprised to learn…
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What I’m Reading: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson This is one of the most interesting, stirring, and helpful books I’ve ever read. It’s easy to see why Peterson has been called “the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now”—he demonstrates a grasp of philosophy, psychology, religion, and speaks…
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What Is the Future of Libraries?
I used two libraries in the same day. One was a seminary library. When I arrived, the door was locked and the lights were off. I meandered down a hallway and found someone in an office who sheepishly let me in and turned on the lights. The lights illumined the rows and rows of books.…
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The Pastor as Public Theologian
My first encounter with Kevin Vanhoozer came when I read his article “Theology and Apologetics” in the New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics. I found myself deeply stirred by his statement that “we need a biblically informed shape of community life fully to see, and to taste, the wisdom of God in a consistent and compelling manner.” He closes his…
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Does God Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner?
D. A. Carson’s article on “love” in the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology contains this helpful discussion about the statement “God hates sin but loves sinners.” There is a small element of truth in this thesis. God always hates sin; he is invariably and implacably opposed to it. And it is true that God loves sinners: God ‘demonstrates his…
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How to Write a Lot: Advice from Paul J. Silvia
For an introductory seminar on academic research, my professor assigned us to read How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing by Paul Silvia. In this hard-hitting little book, Silvia sounds like a fierce training coach: if you want results, you’re just going to have to put the time and effort in. Make a writing schedule,…
Jonathan M. Threlfall 