Best Books Read in 2006

Ebenezer Scrooge’s taunt against Christmas might better be applied to a look back over a year of reading books: “A Time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer.” Actually, I may be poorer for reading books. If the money spent on books had been invested, if the time spent reading had been spent working at a paying job, I might have a lot more money—to spend on books.

2006 was a great year for reading. I enjoyed renewing old acquaintances, in particular, the two great Protestant Reformers, Luther and Calvin. Bondage of the Will and The Institutes of the Christian Religion continue to reform the lives of their readers. Shakespeare’s comedies, tragedies, and histories improved even more with the passing of another year. Love and relationships, as shown in Shakespeare’s comedies and illustrated in Christ’s relationship with the church, are always filled with chaos and confusion, but end in happy marriages. His tragedies remind us of the limitations of political and social order due to man’s sin and only redeemed by grace. Milton’s Paradise Lost ascended even higher in my estimation. More than ever, I saw the poem as a tract on the topic of right reason. Milton’s Satan, no hero at all, reasons wrongly at every point. The mind never operates apart from God: It either operates in subjection to God or in rebellion. Hence, Cornelius Van Til’s Defense of the Faith serves as a brilliant, though perhaps unintentional, commentary on Milton’s epic poem. Along with such classics of theology and literature, some more recently written books on history, theology, and literature all rushed in to fill the niches of interest that keep cropping up in my mind.

This past year my own research tasks led me to read portions of more books than ever before. During the summer especially, many books were gleaned for quotes and references and insights. Francis Bacon said that some books are to be tasted. I could not even begin to list all the works that were merely tasted. Other books, as Bacon continued, are to be completed digested. I am not sure you can really understand a good book apart from three to ten readings, but some stand out even after a mere first reading. This top ten list includes both kinds: Some of the books were read for a second time and others will be, Lord willing, read again, or at least referenced.

#10 The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism,
and Western Success by Rodney Stark. Along with this book, I now have Rodney Stark’s next installment in his Christian histories, Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome. For too long, Christian institutions, as reported in the secular versions of history, received severe (and sometimes well-deserved) lashings for moral failures perpetrated in the name of God. Christian histories have tended toward being pietistic or simply accounts of particular denominational. Stark shows how Christianity—most specifically Medieval Christianity—led to the free market and to free institutions.

#9 Holy Week Sonnets by Philip Rosenbaum. God is good to us! Not only are Christians recapturing the field of history, but we have men like Philip Rosenbaum who are retaking that other most Christian field of poetry. Last spring, I read this short, beautifully bound collection of poems and then read the book again with my Humanities class. We sat outside on the school week in April between Palm Sunday and Good Friday and read these sonnets along with the accompanying Scripture texts. This book will become part of my recurring Lenten readings.

#8 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I first read this book on my own in high school back around 1973. I knew it was a good story. Both the book and the movie have continued to win affection from those who newly discover them. Along with Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and William Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses, this is among the best books to read to understand Southern culture and racial tensions. This book is the best way to introduce young readers to the themes of twentieth century Southern literature. And it is a good story, well told. Atticus Finch is one of the great Christian heroes of fiction. I will not wait 33 years before reading this one again.

#7 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I have read far too little of Dickens’ works. If I could ever get through ten Dickens novels, I could lay claim to knowing a little something about him. Lacking this breadth reading experience, I think I can say this work reveals the depth of his work. The resolution of the plot and the very title of the book presuppose a Christian worldview. I don’t know if Dickens intended any allusion to Augustine’s City of God, but this novel shows how the basic faith and culture of the two cities—Christianity and godless humanistic Revolution—differ. The City of Man always results in the destruction of man. The City of God survives on the sacrifice of men for a greater cause.

#6 Trinity and Reality by Ralph Smith. If you need a proof text or two to answer those pesky door-to-door Arians, go pull down a systematic theology. If you need a book to answer the atheists and humanists, go pull down a book on developing a Christian worldview. To fill in the gaps both before and after confronting the errors of our age, read and study this book. This is a book about the Trinity and how Trinitarian belief affects living out a Christian worldview. This book is helpful for understanding the Bible, covenant theology, and God’s kingdom. It is applicable to all aspects of Kingdom living in the church, family, and society. I used this book for a nine month study in Sunday school. The careful reading and examination of it only increased my appreciation for this work.

#5 The Mitford Series: At Home in Mitford; A Light in the Window;These High, Green Hills; and Out to Canaan by Jan Karon. The first four volumes are now read and I still have at least four more to go. These novels chronicle the life and ministry of Father Tim Cavanaugh, an aging Episcopal priest in a small Southern community. The stories begin with Father Tim, at age 60, facing a series of new challenges—diabetes, an adopted son, a first marriage, and a big dog. Reading along, you are incrementally consumed with the odd and lovable people in the community and church, the challenges and issues facing a minister, the demands of family and church, and the ordinariness of serving God faithfully. Great books for slow reading and relaxing. Great for pastoral inspiration.

#4 The Dividing of Christendom and The Movement of World Revolution by Christopher Dawson. Both of these are older and out-of-print books. Both focus on the events that have divided Christendom and then the subsequent attacks upon divided Christendom by the spirit of the French Revolution and Modernity. Dawson is an indispensable historian. His perspective is Christian and Roman Catholic. His treatment of the Reformation is both biased and yet judiciously fair; meaning, he sides with his church but still recognizes accomplishments by the Protestant Reformers.

#3 The Creators by Paul Johnson. In terms of both breadth and depth of insight, in terms of literary and narrative skills, in terms of interpretive standards, Johnson is the best living historian of our time. Years ago his book Intellectuals shredded a host of moderns whose ideas promised felicity, but whose lives were miserable and whose views have spawned more misery. This is the more positive sequel. Johnson begins with a powerful Christian discussion of the nature of the creative impulse. He then gives sketches of creators of art, literature, architecture, fashion, and film. His essay that contrasts Walt Disney with Pablo Picasso is alone worth the price of the book.

#2 The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Of course, the price that Bonhoeffer paid for his discipleship compels attention. Certainly, the theological environment in which Bonhoeffer came of age warrants caution. Definitely, some of Bonhoeffer’s views are askew in terms of sound of sound orthodoxy. He was a man who lived in the midst of the theological liberalism and neo-orthodoxy of early twentieth century Germany. Then came Hitler and ultimately Bonhoeffer’s martyrdom. Just as Augustine’s Confessions, filled with his warped views of sexuality and Thomas a Kempis’ Imitation of Christ, flawed by its monastic other-worldliness, both rise above their cracks and flaws to achieve the status of spiritual classics, so does The Cost of Discipleship. Always the church needs to be reminded of the contrasts between cheap grace and costly grace.

#1 Above All Earthly Powers: Christ in a Postmodern World by David F. Wells. It is easy to see how Wells put this book together: He read everything on theology and culture, both good and bad; he thought profoundly and biblically on all he had read; and he whipped out three hundred pages of deep insights into the needs of both church and culture in our age. This is the fourth book in a series that “portrays the West in its complexity, brilliance, and emptiness.” This book—and series—is a welcome relief from religious and political fluff. This is serious worldview thinking, in the tradition of Abraham Kuyper, Richard Weaver, G. K. Chesterton, R.J. Rushdoony, and Francis Schaeffer. Post-modernism, like every other humanistic philosophy, is simply another way of re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The modern seeker-friendly church often counters such with life-rafts containing the same deck chairs. True Christianity calls for sailing on a completely different ship, going the opposite direction. Books like this one show which the direction to which the ship needs to be headed.

On to 2007 and more books.

The Top Unread Books of the Year

I have gained a reputation for knowing books. It is a reputation I must guard carefully. In reality, I only manage to read about twenty-five percent of the books I acquire. Of those I read, I only manage to understand about twenty-five percent of what I read. Of what I understand, I only manage to remember about twenty-five percent of what was read and understood. However, I can usually remember the title and author and that gains me lots of ground.

So when a question arises about the obscure Kligenian Empire of Medieval Lopuria, I simply say, “The best book dealing with the economic policies of Slei-Aazer II is Bobble B. Bottlebies’ Rise and Fall of the Kligenians.” For the life of me I cannot keep Kligenian rulers straight (was Slei-Aazer II the son or the nephew Slei-Aazer I?) and the whole section about economic policies—all 345 pages—baffled me, and besides, I never read past the introduction. Still, I come across as an expert or at least well read, and my reputation stands untarnished.

I know enough of my books to know what is important even when I have not been able—due to time or mental incapacity—to make it through the whole work. So along with and preceding my Best Books of 2006, I want to mention some of the top unread books of the year. In every case, I own the book, I have opened the book, and I have dipped into and read portions of it. But I never made it from title page to index, but each of these books have bookmarks in the first few pages or chapters. The worth of the books listed below—which often began with recommendations from others-- has already won my allegiance. These books patiently wait—in leaning stacks like the famed tower of Pisa—on my nightstand or sit on the shelves here where I study. From sampling and sipping the contents, I know these books merit attention—in time, my attention and hopefully that of others.

#10 The Myth of Religious Neutrality by Roy A. Clouser. For some reason, Christians are beginning to dominate the field of philosophy. In the philosophical shootouts of our age with post-modernity clipping modernity, those who remain standing are few. Either Christianity is true or nothing is true. Either God rules the world or it is a meaningless chance universe. Roy Clouser is a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion at the College of New Jersey. His title, which echoes the thought of Cornelius Van Til, is actually a reference to his dependence upon one of Van Til’s guides and mentors, Dutch philosopher, Herman Dooyeweerd. A brief version of the main ideas of this book can be found in Clouser’s article “Is there a Christian View of Everything?”

#9 Earthly Powers: The Clash of Religion and Politics in Europe, from the French Revolution to the Great War by Michael Burleigh. The very thesis of this book—seen in its subtitle—merits attention: The story of nineteenth century Europe is all about the conflicts between religion and politics. Histories that distance politics from the religious forces of an age miss the mark. Connecting the turmoil of the French Revolution with the carnage of the First World War makes sense. This was the century and time of such thinkers as Darwin and Marx. It is certainly a time I want to know more about.

#8 Modern Art and the Death of a Culture by Hans Rookmaaker. This book has been around quite a while—since 1970. Dr. Rookmaaker, a friend and colleague of Dr. Francis Schaeffer, decided early on that the field of art needed to be studied from a Christian perspective. Combining some of the best of Christian worldview thinking with the study of art, Rookmaker still stands as the premier Christian art critic and historian. Many of us recognize that much of what passes for art is ugly and perverse. But Christian cultural critics are needed; meaning, people who know the philosophies behind the art, who know the lives of the artists, and who can teach us about art while critiquing the modern versions. Rookmaker leads the way.

#7 The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker. It is amazing how often the stories of The Iliad or The Odyssey or Romeo and Juliet are retold in novels and drama and movies. The quest, the battle against a monster, the journey through time and maturity, and the love triangle are all examples of stories that keep recurring. Along with every other field of thought where Christian study is needed, we need to grasp the study of stories. Stories—fictional and non-fictional, in written form and in dramatic presentations—are tools of apologetics, evangelism, and cultural conquest.

#6 Revolutionary Characters: What Made Our Founders Different by Gordon S. Wood. Dr. Wood’s Pulitzer Prize winning The Radicalism of the American Revolution won my heart to anything he writes. This book is yet another collection of biographical sketches of such key Founders as Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin. Even the most flawed of the Founding Fathers seem to have characteristics that dwarf our modern leaders. I simply cannot read enough about the Founders.

#5 The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View by Richard Tarnas. On the down side, Tarnas holds to a few warped views on philosophy and does not take a Christian position. On the up side, several key Christians have quoted from him approvingly and have commended the readability of his book. From first hand experience, I can testify that teaching history and literature without an adequate foundation in philosophy is not good. Books like this one promise me some much needed help.

#4 Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology by K. Scott Oliphint. Since this book did not arrive until late December, I have good reason for not having read it. Two selling points: On the back cover, it proclaims, “The Christian position is ‘not simply a plausible alternative,’ but ‘the consistent, cogent, and altogether reasonable position that is able to offer solutions to the problems posed.’” And the author confesses that although Cornelius Van Til is referenced only here and there, nevertheless, his fingerprints are on every page. This looks like a good companion volume to Tarnas’s book listed above.

#3 The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by Niall Ferguson. Ferguson’s book Empire is one of the best books I have ever read. This study of twentieth century war promises to be great. Ferguson is not simply retelling the battle sequences of the world wars; instead, he is reinterpreting the causes and effects of those wars. He is an economic historian, which is enough to scare me off. But his insights are compelling.

#2 Manliness by Harvey C. Mansfield. Mansfield looks at both literature and history in this book that is not simply a study of manliness, but is a call for it. A further commendation of this book is that it apparently raised a ruckus when it came out. Sometimes the worth of a book can be best determined by seeing who does not like it.

#1 Fire in the Minds of Men: Origins of the Revolutionary Faith by James H. Billington. This book is so good and so important that I have three copies of it. I plodded my way through the first third of it last summer and am determined to someday finish it. Michael Burleigh, whose book is listed above, references this as a key study that influenced his work. It has been praised, referenced, footnoted, and read by many scholars and thinkers I admire. Through the years, a number of authors have favorably referenced Billington’s book. I really hope it makes my top ten list of best books read soon.