The End of Our Exploring by Matthew ​Lee Anderson Our questions drag us about like chariots, which is precisely why letting them go can be so hard...  ​This book is about how Christians should embrace questioning  as a good and proper part of the believer's life. When should we boldly ask God questions? When should we be content to leave our questions unanswered?  What do our questions tell us about our view of God?  How can we begin to question well BEFORE things get hard?  The book also explores the relationship between questioning, faith, and doubt.  I loved the section of the book that explored how a deepening faith in God's promises, actually frees us up to ask harder, and more unsettling questions of God. ​

Dying Well by John Wyatt ​A book that essentially aims to assist Christians, well... die well.  It also has plenty of really helpful things to to say to those of us who are caring for loved ones as they approach death. Wyatt provides us with a modern take on what used to be a common genre of christian writing called ARS MORIENDI (the art of dying well). The book considers the death of a believer from bodily, medical, spiritual, and relational angles.   Reading the book convinced me that there is much more to LIVING through the experience of dying than simply avoiding pain.  Oliver O'Donovan says that "dying" is the last sphere of ethical action that the Christian will face - I'm confident that this book really will help many of us do that much better, and with a greater sense of peace. ​

A Salve for a Sick Man by William Perkins ​Perkins uses Ecclesiastes 7:3 as his main text, “The day of death is better than the day that one is born.”  ​​I found the use of this text a little jarring, and some exegesis of it unconvincing.  However, this puritan classic really is a great example of a genre of Christian writing (ARS MORIENDI) that I only just discovered this year. Perkins aims to assist believers focus our attention upon those  obligations we have to God, ourselves, and one another in the face of death. ​

True Feelings edited - Michael Jensen Emotions, as much as logic and rationality, are good and wonderful aspects of creaturely existence. This book of essays considers the place of emotions in christian life and ministry. I especially enjoyed the way Michael Jensen unpacked the significance that emotions have for properly understanding our own actions, our experience of our bodies, and our exercise of rationality. Rhys Bezzant's chapter was a very helpful reflection upon the modern obstacles we face in attempting to re-order our emotions in the face of busyness, self-medication, phones, and electronic devices. Other chapters considered the way the scriptures use the language of emotion in communicating who God is, as well as exploring the significance of emotion in Jesus' own ministry. ​

Zone One by Colson Whitehead This take on the Zombie genre was probably my favourite of the handful I've read this year.   It follows the attempt to re-settle Manhattan following a devastating outbreak of a zombie-inducing pandemic. Without ever labouring the point, Whitehead alludes to a dozen different ways in which the scenario of an undead apocalypse might offer sober insights into the nature of contemporary western life; which is exactly what a good zombie book should deliver on! ​

Empire of Democracy by Simon Reid-Henry I actually feel rather inadequate to offer an assessment of this book, such is the immensity of its scope!  It was a amazing (if exhausting) read about the development of western democracy following the World Wars, all the way through to the election of Trump. The book also locates developments in Australia, NZ, and Canada within the wider global context of western democracy.   Reid-Henry describes how globalisation's impact upon western economies and international relations, have transformed the nature of democracy in some rather unsettling ways.   Reid-Henry attempts to track how both conservatism (through neoliberalism) and progressivism (through the embracing of identity issues) have BOTH ended up  reshaping contemporary democracy in ways that have left society highly individualised and fragmented.

In Search of the Common Good by Jake Meador I read this book before I read "Empire of Democracy".  But having read "Empire" I now appreciate better what Meador was aiming to achieve with this enjoyable short read. Meador does not so much make a case for a particular political vision that will "fix" the world;  rather he makes a case for why the conception of "Common Good" may be exactly what is needed in our highly individualised and fragmented world.  Using reflections from his own upbringing, his Christian faith,  illustrations from literature, and socio-economic research, Meador reflects upon why our culture is so polarised, anxious, and lonely. He then goes on to suggest why a commitment to pursuing a "common good" might help us better navigate the fractured mess that is our time.

The Dangers of Christian Practice by Lauren F. Winner There has recently been renewed focus (among quite a number of Christian writers) upon the spiritual benefits of distinctly Christian practices such as Prayer, the Lord's Supper,  and Baptism.  Winner has a genuine appreciation for this renewed focus. However, this book explores the various ways in which very good Christian practices can become significantly distorted, and therefore damaging to Christian witness. Winner describes the way the Lord's Supper had been used in Europe as a weapon of anti-semitism. Using actual prayer journals written by slave owners in America's south, Winner shows how even something as pious as personal prayer could  end up nourishing racism. It is a VERY sobering read.  It is also a wonderful help in reminding us of the need to be attentive to those motivations that fuel our Christian practices.  Winter exposes the folly of ever assuming that Christian practices in themselves are a formula,  or a sure guide, to deepening one's faith. ​

A Pastoral Rule for Today by Burgess, Andrews, and Small This book does not strictly belong in my "favourite" 20 books of 2019.  Rather,  I've included it here because it really did provoke my thinking about the assumptions, rhythms, and habits that shape my own pastoral ministry.  The subtitle of this book, "Reviving an Ancient Practice" rubbed me up the wrong way, a little bit.  The book is not really about "reviving" some long lost mystical key to pastoral ministry.  Rather, it is a selection of essays that recount the  various ways in which people have sought to shape and nourish their own pastoral ministry throughout Church history.   My own approach to pastoral ministry has not really been changed in the reading of this book. However it has been a much needed reminder that everyone operates with assumptions that will shape how they carry out pastoral ministry. The book stimulated me to reconsider and refocus upon what practices and attitudes I want my pastoral ministry to be most shaped by.   If you were to read only one book in this area I'd choose instead "The Care of Souls" which I've reviewed at the end of this list. ​

The Book of Common Prayer: a biography by Alan Jacobs The Anglican Book of Common Prayer continues to shape the Christian devotion of countless protestant believers. It has  also been one of the greatest influences upon the development of English language, politics, society, and culture. Alan Jacobs tracks the ways in which Cranmer's original work has been used and misused. He also explores how and why the one prayerbook eventually became many.  I was especially fascinated by how the liturgical practices of the Episcopal church in the US were shaped by the Scottish additions to Cranmer's  prayer book. This really is a wonderfully readable book! And short. And insightful. ​

A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin Amazing. This book is a exhaustive exploration of the Apollo space program; from its inception through to its completion. The technical obstacles the program had to overcome, and the challenges endured by the astronauts themselves are breathtaking.  One astronaut prepared for his Apollo mission by dramatically altering his dietary intake in the weeks leading up to take-off, just so that he could avoid the truly traumatic procedures he'd have to follow in order to relieve himself in space;  He "held on" for the entire trip! I was captivated by some of the later Apollo missions to the moon and their explorations of luna landscapes that I'd never heard about before. It is a long book. Leave it by the bedside and dip into it over 2020. ​

by Lionel J Windsor This study really was a wonderful help as I prepared to teach on the book of Ephesians. The book caused me to linger longer in some very familiar sections in Paul's letter,  focussing my attention upon the importance of Ancient Israel in God's mission of salvation.  I won't teach Ephesians again without first consulting this study. Lionel Windsor has also produced a podcast and blog to offer some of his work in a more easy-to-read form. It is really worth it for anyone intending to read through Ephesians/Colossians. http://www.lionelwindsor.net/publications/lift-your-eyes/ Note: the term "supersessionism" is also sometimes called "replacement theology" - the view that the church just replaces wholesale the Jewish people in God's plans. Windsor is aiming to critique and correct this mistaken view of Israel's place in God's plans.

Enduring Divine Absence: the challenge of modern atheism by Joseph Minich I took a little time to really get into this book. However, I'm so glad I persevered: the second half of the book had some wonderfully helpful insights into why so many of us find believing in God so difficult.  Minich writes out of his own prolonged wrestling with belief. The value of this book is not so much in any single intellectual "answer" it offers to atheism's critique of faith. Rather, the book aims to unmask, or demystify, the contemporary allure of atheism. Minich seeks to explain WHY atheism now seems more reasonable than it used to:  why God's absence might seem so obvious to our particular generation in a way that was not true of previous generations.   Atheism is not the inevitable fruit of living in a more scientifically "enlightened" age. Rather, atheism draws its apparent credibility from some questionable assumptions we've made about the nature of human knowledge and existence.   Minich unpacks how the "popularity" of atheism actually has very little to do with the reasonableness of the Christian faith itself, and far more to do with the unique pathologies of our own particular time in human history. I've already shared one reflection on this book here: http://www.graceinvader.com/blog/enduring-divine-absence-the-discipline-of-a-loving-parent ​

Four Books on Sexuality, Sex, and the Body

Entering Into Rest by Oliver O'Donovan It took me a while to work through the previous two books in this trilogy from Oliver O'Donovan, but I read this book in record time (at least for an O'Donovan book)! Entering into Rest is about how we can experience God's rest.  O'Donovan reflects not only upon God's ultimate promise of rest; he also considers what degree of rest is possible in the midst of all our ongoing daily activity. In O'Donovan's own words the book is about -  "...how our sanctification is a work of God in which we may rest in thanksgiving... in work, in friendship, and in communicating meaning. And... about how we rest in death."  I found O'Donovans reflections upon the Christian's understanding of dying particularly moving. At the end of life our own work is something to pray over in hope, not something to  rest confidently in.  Christ alone could pray "it is finished" over his life work.  And in his work alone can our own work ever hope to find any lasting rest. This book (indeed the whole trilogy) pointed me to Christ, and awakened in this wearied, harried, middle-aged man a wonderful taste of rest . ​

City of God by Augustine This year my aim was to make it all the way through Augustine's  City of God  (unabridged audio book).  I think I'm going to make it!  ​I'm more than 90% of the way through at present. The opening books of CofG involved a fascinating critique of Pagan objections against the Christian faith. It got me wondering what a contemporary equivalent might look like for our own age. Books 12-14 of CoG included some stimulating insights into the creation and fall of Adam and Eve that I'm looking forward to revisiting. Having gained a (very) rough overall feel this year, I'm intending to go back in 2020 and carefully re-read specific sections of book 19 (using the New City Press translation). ​ Book 19 particularly considers the question of what we should understand as the supreme good,  and what shape happiness truly takes for believers, both now and in the next life.

Station Eleven by Emily StJohn Mandel What relevance might Shakespeare and graphic novels continue to hold for human life in the apocalypse?  How might the collapse of civilisation give us a new perspective upon the mid-life struggle to secure a legacy for ourselves?  These themes are nicely woven together in this easy to read dystopian novel,  Station Eleven.  The book threads together the story lines of several survivors, as they navigate the collapse of western civilisation. It was my "breeziest" read of 2019, despite the "end of the world" theme.

​The Care of Souls: cultivating a pastor's heart by Harold L. Senkbiel I've only got through 50% this book so far, but thought I'd sneak it in here none the less! This book is a great way to finish off 2019 and begin 2020. It is essentially a collection of essays on the nature of pastoral ministry, centred around the preaching & ministering of God's Word (publicly and privately) and the sacraments (Lord's Supper and Baptism).   Senkbiel is a pastor with 50 years pastoral experience.  He does a wonderful job of pushing deep into the complexities of ministering God's Word to folk struggling through all kinds of grief, shame, guilt, and various life stages. Chapters 3-4 offer some wonderful advice about the great care a pastor must take in diagnosing the various spiritual ailments that   congregation members may bring to him.    Senkbiel also goes on to reflect upon how pastoring a congregation with God's word will dovetail with mission, the pursuit of holiness, and intimacy with God. He then concludes with a chapter on maintaining Joy in the exercise of pastoral office. Pastors would do really well to read this book before the panic of 2020 sets in!

I recently read this book by Chip & Dan heath, on how to make the ideas we speak about “Sticky” – memorable. The book contained some well thought out ideas for communication that I intend to revisit in the “packaging” aspects of my sermon writing. As with any attempt at being persuasive, one always needs to guard against being manipulative. If we fail to LOVE OTHERS, or LOVE the TRUTH with our ideas, the whole point to our speaking is undermined: we’ll end up being nothing more than a noisy gong (that is an example of point 3 below).

In reading these kind of books I often forget the details. So I’ve whipped up a graphic to remind me. Below the graphic is an explanation of each key point.

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Here are some quotes from the book to fill out the bare bones of the graphic above:

1. Sticky ideas are SIMPLE IDEAS. Simple does not mean simplistic. We need to find the essential core of our ideas. To strip an idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion. We must relentlessly prioritize. Saying something short is not the mission – sound bites are not the ideal. Proverbs are the ideal. We must create ideas that are both simple and profound. The Golden Rule is the ultimate model of simplicity: a statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.

2. Sticky ideas reveal GAPS in our knowledge that provoke/stimulate engagement. “Surprise” can grab people’s attention, but not hold it for very long. We can engage people’s curiosity over a longer period of time by systematically “opening gaps” in their knowledge – and then filling in those gaps.

3. Sticky ideas are CONCRETE ideas. We must present our ideas in terms of “physical” or “sensory experience” :  concrete concepts, images or metaphors. For example, in proverbs, abstract truths are often encoded in concrete language: “A bird in the Hand is worth two in the bush.” This proverb is much more memorable than saying “Having one of something in your immediate possession is of equal value to possessing two of something which you can’t access.”

4. Sticky ideas are CREDIBLE ideas.  Ideas will stick in people’s heads far more easily if people are able to mentally assess their usefulness or reasonableness.  At the least that we need to be willing to engage with the incredulity people might have towards our ideas.

5. Sticky ideas are AFFECTIVE: they give us a targeted reason to CARE about them (not the same as simply being emotive). People are more likely to make a charitable gift to a single needy individual than to an entire impoverished region. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions. We need to consider what moves people. For instance, it is difficult to get teenagers to quit smoking by instilling in them fear of the consequences, but it’s easier to get them to quit by tapping into their resentment of the duplicity of Big Tobacco.

6. Sticky ideas can be MENTALLY REHEARSED. Mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation at a later date. Relating your idea in the context of a story or posing hypothetical situations act as a kind of mental flight simulator: they help us habituate the new idea in our thinking processes.