Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today N. T.

Kim Shippey reviews Christine Pohl’s book Living into Community.

Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness Eric Metaxas Thomas Nelson, 2013  Here’s a book that teases as much as it inspires. It drives you to ask: Whom would I include in my Top Seven (and why)? It’s a bit like those end-of-year reviews in newspapers and magazines in which staff editors list the most prominent movies, books, and headline makers of the year.

In the books discussed in these columns, there is probably no theologian and pastor who has been more often mentioned or quoted than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Yet, until an ongoing project under the title Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works in English was launched in 1996, the range of his life and work was relatively unknown.

Brian McLaren, who once taught college English, served 20 years as a pastor, and has written over a dozen books, cannot resist the age-old question about why the chicken crossed the road. In his latest book Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Jericho Books, 2012) he makes some suggestions:  •  Einstein: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken? •  Hamlet: That is not the question.

Kim Shippey reviews Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts.

In the Footsteps of Jesus A Chronicle of His Life and the Origins of Christianity Jean-Pierre Isbouts National Geographic Books, Washington, DC, 2012 368 pages  In the Footsteps of Jesus invites readers to “step into the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth and see his world unfold in all of its historical and spiritual dimensions through forensic research, archaeology, geography, cultural history, and the reconstruction of everyday life. ” And with the resources of National Geographic behind this ambitious venture, how could it fail to impress even those who don’t view the central figure of Christianity as their savior? The location photography, artwork, ancient artifacts, and scores of specially commissioned maps would help anyone comprehend Jesus as a dynamic teacher, leader, and man.

A review of Who is this Man? by John Ortberg.

Christianity After Religion Diana Butler Bass HarperOne, 2012 294 pages I have met and talked with Diana Butler Bass, heard her preach, enjoyed one of her public lectures, and read her books. Her latest (and eighth) is titled Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening.

A selection of books for young children who love God.