bookshelf challenge – W.ONDERFUL W.ORLD OF W.ADHOLMS

Bookshelf Challenge: Week 4-5

I failed to post the update last week, but I read two books for weeks 4-5 of the Bookshelf Challenge. One is on the shelf, the other is only a digital copy so it could not be added to the shelf for the picture. 🙂

Sam Storms, Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist (Kansas City, MO: Enjoying God Ministries, 2005). paperback (see my post about receiving it HERE)
Tremper Longman, III, Old Testament Commentary Survey (5th Ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013). Logos digital edition. (see my review of this volume HERE)

Storms offers a fine testimony of his journey as a Calvinist theologian to understanding, appreciating and participating the continuation of the charismata of the Spirit. In the second half (after his story is told), he offers a number of theological issues worth consideration by both those self-describing as Calvinists and those self-describing as Charismatics (with the understanding that most often each group may in fact look with disdain upon the other). Overall this is a decent volume worth reading to begin the conversation toward a greater appreciation of the catholicity of the Church. Thanks again to my sister, Holly, for sending this volume to me for my birthday last year. I have been slowly reading it in a somewhat devotional manner (as opposed to many of the books I read).
Longman’s latest update to his review of Old Testament commentaries is always welcome. He offers his own rankings of various commentary series, specific volumes and authors. It is an incredibly helpful tool for pastors, Bible college, and seminary students as they work to build up a reference library of commentaries on various books of the OT. It was with great appreciation that Logos sent me a complimentary copy to review.

Bookshelf Callenge: Week 3

Sadly, I only added a single volume this last week.
Andy Stanley and Lane Jones, Communicating for a Change (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2006).
Stanley and Jones have done a wonderful job of communicating the need to be on point about preaching. This is an easy read and very practical for working toward owning your sermon as your own and being able to share it in a way that is both memorable and applicable.

The Bookshelf Challenge – Week 2

This week I finished a few volumes:

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988).
J. Richard Middleton, The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2005).
Michael Welker, God the Spirit (trans. John F. Hoffmeyer; Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994).

Foster’s work is a must-read on the Spiritual disciplines. It works well as a devotional to read, reflect, act and pray along with.
Middleton’s volume is an invaluable contribution to the study of Genesis One and specifically to the Imago Dei within an ancient Near Eastern context and the Biblical one. His interaction and analysis of the primary ANE literature with regard to this is the finest I’ve read anywhere. I believe he offers a strong argument for reading Gen. 1 with greater care and precision.
Welker was a surprise to me. I was reading it for my PhD and, to be honest, did not expect a lot that was different from the many other books I have read on the topic of the Spirit (especially given his being German…the schools of thought out of Germany have not offered a lot that is helpful with regard to this topic…with a few exceptions like Moltmann). The surprise was in his fresh approach to the texts of Scripture. He argues that the Spirit endowment in the Former Prophets (Joshua-Kings) should be read as connected to the strengthening of community by means of empowerment and disempowerment.

The Bookshelf Challenge

So here it is. I’m doing a “bookshelf challenge” for 2014. This means I will be doing a weekly photo update blog post where I intend to BRIEFLY comment on the books I’ve finished reading that week and including the updated photo of the bookshelf. I’ve only got three empty shelves to begin with (hopefully that suffices, but the one above can be used in a pinch 😉 ).

To my wife’s delight it will not be filled by simply buying more books, but by reading some that I already own that I haven’t read yet (not to say it won’t include newly purchased volumes…which it will 🙂 ). Happy reading all!