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Books I Read in 2014
Orville Boyd Jenkins
Last edited 23 November 2021
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What I read in 2013My over-ambitious reading goal of 135 books for 2014 was revised downwards along the way, as increased workload and genealogy research extended to take a greater proportion of time. My goal was revised downward twice, to 60. The final tally was 66. I hope the comments and links on some will be helpful.
Finished (66)
Abbaté, Michael. Gardening Eden: How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life, and Our World. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook Press, 2009. 255p. Bought 14 April 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 22-26 April 2014. Theology (Ethics)
Alexander, T D. Discovering Jesus: Why Four Gospels to Portray One Person?. 141p. (Provides some good charts and schemas to show how sections of the Gospel of Mark were used creatively by the authors of Matthew and Luke's Gospels, and where they differ and how each developed its testimonial story of Jesus and the Good News for those who had accepted it.) Bought 1 August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 12-15 August 2014. Bible (Theology)
Anderson, Mac. Things That Grab Your Heart and Won't Let Go: Stories That Will Give You Goose Bumps. Napierville, Illinois: Simple Truths, 2014. 143p. Read 20-21 December 2014. Devotion (Inspiration)
Barrow, John D. The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas about the Origins of the Universe. NY: Pantheon, 2000. 236p. Bought 16 April 2002 in Richmond, Virginia. Read 19-22 October 2014. Science
Borg, Marcus J. Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written. NY: HarperOne, 2012. 593p. (It was a refreshing and enlightening experience reading this edition of the whole New Testament, with a historical introduction to each book, in the order scholars think they were written. Professor Borg provides a short helpful summary introduction giving some cultural and historical background to the location and topic, and reviewing briefly the various views of when each book was written. This was a very good way to renew perspective on the individual documents and the 1st-century Roman Empire audiences and situations each writer addressed in the letters and the Gospels. It was a thrilling 11-day adventure! Read my review of this book on GoodReads.) Received as a gift 24 July 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 25 July - 4 August 2014. Bible
Bruner, Kurt and Jim Ware. Finding God in the Lord of the Rings. Carol Stream, Illinois: SaltRiver (Tyndale House), 2001. 120p. Bought 4 September 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 4-5 September 2014. Faith & Life (Literature, Movies)
Buckley, Christian and Ryan Dobson. Humanitarian Jesus: Social Justice and the Cross. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2010. 218p. Bought 4 October 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 3-4 November 2014. Faith and Life
Burkle, Horst and Wolfgang M W Roth, eds. Indian Voices in Today's Theological Debate. Lucknow, India: Lucknow Publishing House Books, 1972. 224p. (A compilation I bought years ago and read some of. This is a thoughtful and valuable discussion of Christian church thought and doctrine in the Indian sub-continent. There are western writers with extensive experience in India as well as Indian writers in this collection. The writers look at various focuses and challenges for Christians in India to interpret the meaning of Christian faith and the Gospel in terms meaningful to Indian culture and philosophy and faithful to the original meaning of the Gospel in its own multi-cultural milieu of the first century. Very insightful and rewarding.) Bought October 1980, Arlington, Texas. Read 1-16 December 2014. Theology (Indian Thought)
Catherwood, Christopher. The Evangelicals: What They Believe, Where They Are, and Their Politics. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2010. 166p. (This is an excellent presentation of those Christian called evangelicals, around the whole world. Written by an avowed evangelical active in his faith, born a Brit, married to an American, and an American citizen by choice, teaching at a college of Cambridge University in England. The author points out that only in the United States in the last few years has there been an attempt tie the "evangelical" system of beliefs to a political block. He demonstrates how similar this is to the traditional God-and-Country Civil Religion that developed during and after WWII, in which the myth was promulgated that America was somehow God's country, despite all evidence to the contrary, and that God was somehow more favorable to the US than any other country.) Bought 25 July 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 26-28 July - 2014. Church and Culture
Centineo, Joe. Encounters with God: The Story of A Man's Personal Encounters with God. Bedford, Texas: Burkhardt Books, 2014. 268p. Bought May 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 7-13 July - 2014. Devotion
Claiborne, Shane and Chris Haw. Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. 253p. (These authors have some good perspectives for those who try these days to equate the "Kingdom of God" with the United States.) Bought 14 April 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 28 May - 1 June 2014. Church and Culture
Clark, Mary Higgins. On the Street Where You Live. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2001. 317p. Received as a Christmas gift 2013. Read 28 January - 18 February 2014. Fiction (Mystery)
Cloud, Henry. The One-Life Solution: Reclaim Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional Success. Collins Business: Collins Business, 2008. 239p. Bought 2 May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 24 June - 21 July 2014. Business and Finance
Coburn, Tom A. The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 2012. 349p. Bought 4 September 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 23-27 September 2014. American Politics and Culture
Collins, Ace. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. 195p. (Collins surveys the many traditions and practices and myths we celebrate around the Christmas season, telling the story of how each new people who accepted the Gospel celebrated it in light of their previous traditions, and cultural practices and lifestyle in their environment. Especially helpful was to understand that "Christmas" was never broadly celebrated by churches or by European society at large as a religious celebration. But until the 1800s, in England and America it was a cultural festival with lots of quite unchristian activities at the core. He explains how in the early 20th century commercial enterprises were finally the effective popularizer that made Christmas a universal focus on Christ's birth and the meaning of the Gospel, as Macy's and other major businesses run by Christians promoted the focus on Christmas and its Christian Gospel values centered in the birth of Christ.) Read 16-17 December 2014. Read my review of this book on Amazon. Read my review of this book on GoodReads.) Bought 2 August 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 1-3 November 2014. Church and Culture
Cooper, Rep. Jim. Financial Report of the United States: The Official Annual White House Report. Nashville: Thomas 2010. 263p. (This Oklahoma Representative in 2006 presents the 2006 financial report on the finances of the Unites States government, with a helpful foreword to explain how accounts are handled and how budgeting is done. There are some helpful insights here that inform us that the deficit is greater than commonly reported due to two different accounting approaches for different purposes.) Bought 1 July 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 16-17 December 2014. Read my review of this book on Amazon. Read my review of this book on GoodReads.) American Politics and Culture
Duncan, Todd. The Top Ten Mistakes Salespeople Make and How to Avoid Them. Nashville: Nelson, 2007. 202p. Bought 1 July 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 2-4 September 2014. Business and Finance
Ellis, Linda and Mac Anderson. The Dash. Napierville, Illinois: Simple Truths, 2005. 143p. Borrowed and read 25 November 2014. Devotion (Inspiration)
Evans, Debra. Without Moral Limits: Women, Reproduction, and Medical Technology. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2000. 253p. Bought 1 July 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 22-27 August 2014. Faith & Life (Ethics, Politics)
Fumoleau, René, OMI. As Long as This Land Shall Last. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, no date. 415p. (This is an excellent detailed study of the treaties with the Native Peoples of Canada.) Bought 4 June 1985 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Read 3-16 June 2014. Peoples & Cultures (History)
Garlow, James L and Keith Wall. Heaven and the Afterlife. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2009. 270p. (This book is written by a pastor, James Garlow, from a pastoral perspective, and is addressed to concerns he feels parishioners have. The topic might be considered Theology, but it would be Popular Theology, not Theology as the term is traditionally used. The questions posed and the frame of reference in which he proposes answers are those of popular western culture. This well-intentioned pastor follows simplistic popular ideas about the afterlife, rather than doing an exegesis of the original passages in their own context and cultural background. He does a great disservice to his parishioners and readers by encouraging their inherited popular cultural concepts melded with an abstract materialist concept of Truth as individual facts. I did find some useful and interesting reflections.) Bought 8 November 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 23-24 November 2014. Faith and Life
Gasque, Laurel. Art and the Christian Mind: The Life and Work of H R Rookmaaker. Wheaton: Crossway, 2003. 192p. Bought 25 July 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 18-21 August 2014. Philosophy (Moral Philosophy, History)
Geisler, Norman. Creation and the Courts: Eighty Years of Conflict in the Classroom and the Courtroom. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2007. 400p. Bought 1 August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 6-13 October 2014. American Politics and Culture
George, Timothy. Amazing Grace: God's Pursuit, Our Response. (George provides helpful perspectives on the discussion of predestination and freewill. He reviews the various viewpoints found in the Baptist stream of faith, and tries to refocus the topic around the experience of Grace, rather than the abstract philosophical problems.) Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 152p. Bought 1 August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 25 August 2014. Theology
Gire, Ken. Relentless Pursuit: God's Love of Outsiders, Including the Outsider in All of Us. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2012. 217p. Bought 11 December 2013 in Arlington, Texas. Read 13-20 January 2014. Theology (Autobiography)
Hahn, Scott W. Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI. Ventura, California: Regal, 2013. 172p. (Hahn provides an excellent summary of the key themes of Benedict's theology from various written documents over the years. He provides analysis to show how consistently these themes reflect biblical foundations and how deeply these themes run through the various areas of influence over the life of Benedict's ministry in positions of the Roman Catholic Church, capped by his tenure as the Bishop of Rome.) Bought 8 November 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 18-21 November 2014. Theology
Hansen, Mark Victor and Robert G Allen. The One Minute Millionaire: The Enlightened Way to Wealth. NY: Harmony Books, 2002. 388p. Won as a door prize at a financial conference 5 April 2014. Read 4-14 November 2014. Business/Finance
Hapka, Catherine. Midnight Ride. NY: Disney Press, 2008. 257p. (National Treasure Series. This book series lays the historical foundation of the hit movie series National Treasure with Nicolas Cage. The historical political intrigue series is built on historical persons and events related to the American Revolution.) Bought 17 March 2011 in Arlington, Texas. Previously read. Read again 24-26 December 2014. History (Fictionalized)
Hart, Archibald and Sylvia Hart Frejd. The Digital Invasion: How Technology is Shaping You and Your Relationships. Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 2013. 236p. Bought 4 October 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 15-18 August 2014. Science
Howard, Evan Drake. The Galilean Secret. NY: Guideposts, 2010. 444p. Bought in Arlington, Texas. Read 5-8 November 2014. Fiction (Intrigue)
Huffines, Alan C. A Pilgrim Shadow. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press, 2010. 150p. (This is a novelized history of the Marlow Family, who founded the city of Marlow, Oklahoma, on a cattle trail head between Texas and Abilene, Kansas cattle markets. This story covers trumped up charges against them and a series of encounters with crooked cattle men and the crooked lawmen in their employee in North Texas before the move of the Marlows to Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory.) Borrowed 29 June 20014 in Lindsay, Oklahoma. Read 29-30 June 2014. History
Higgins, Jack. Bad Company. Penguin Putnam/Recorded Books, 2003. Audiobook. Borrowed 29 March 2014. Heard 5-10 April 2014. Action Adventure
Hollinger, Dennis P. Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World. Grand Rapids: BakerAcademic, 2002. 299p. (The author probes and outlines the social and cultural streams of thought underlying American contemporary society to good effect, informing the current generation of the historical forces involved in the current morass of American civil and social dynamics. He focuses on the challenges for Christian believers. An especially helpful contribution here is his clarification of various Christian streams in western cultural society and religion that represent different attempts to deal with changes in society and the conflicts between these different Christian movements or "schools.") Bought 11 August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 31 March - 4 April 2014. Philosophy (Moral Philosophy, Ethics)
Ireland, David D. The Skin You Live In: Building Friendships Across Cultural Lines. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2012. 173p. Bought 11 December 2013 in Arlington, Texas. Read 21-28 January 2014. Church & Culture
Jeremiah, David. Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World: What on Earth Should We Do Now. Thomas Nelson: 2009. 253p. Bought May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 5-26 May 2014. Faith and Life
Johnson, Gary L W and Guy P Waters. By Faith Alone: Answering the Challenges to the Doctrine of Justification. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006. 219p. Bought 1 February 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 29 August - 1 September 2014. Theology (Medieval Philosophy)
Jones, Peyton. Church Zero: Raising 1st Century Churches out of the Ashes of the 21st Century Church. Colorado Springs: DavidCCook, 2013. 239p. Bought 4 October 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 23-26 October 2014. Church and Culture
Kent, Keri Wyatt. Deeper into the Word. Reflections on 100 Words from the Old Testament. Minneapolis. Bethany House, 2011. 250p. Bought 11 December 2013 in Arlington, Texas. Read 18 Febuary 2014. Bible
Kroll, Woodrow. Taking Back the Good Book: How America Forgot the Bible and Why it Matters to You. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007. 222p. Bought 11 December 2013 in Arlington, Texas. Read 12-14 March 2014. Church & Culture
Lenski, Lois. Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison. NY: HarperTrophy, 1995. 298p. Received as a gift 26 July 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 11-15 September 2014. History
Mattison, William C III. Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues. Grand Rapids: BrazosPress, 2008. 429p. Bought 1 August 2012 in Arlington, Texas. Read 11-21 April 2014. Theology (Ethics)
McLuhan, T C. Touch the Earth: A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1971. 185p. Borrowed July 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read Nov-Dec, finished 26 Dec 2014. Peoples & Cultures
McManus, Erwin. Wide Awake: The Future is Waiting Within You. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 254p. (From his mixed cultural heritage of Irish, El Salvadoran and American, McManus produces another refreshing faith perspective on the meaning of life and practical aspects of its fulfilment in faith.) Bought 2 May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 26-28 June 2014. Faith and Life
Metzger, Bruce M. The New Testament: Its Background, Growth and Content, 2nd Edition. Nashville: Abingdon, 1983. 309p. (Borrowed from my son. This was his Introduction to New Testament textbook in college a few years ago.) Borrowed 24 December 2013 in Irving, Texas. Read 24 December 2013 - 13 January 2014. Bible
Moore, Barrington, Jr. Moral Purity in Personal Persecution in History. Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press. 2000. 158p. Bought 25 July 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 23-27 September 2014. Philosophy (Faith & Life, History)
New Creation Book for Muslims. Pasadena, California: Mandate Press, 1989. 175p. Read 18-31 December 2014. Religions
Piper, John. Bloodlines: Race, Cross and the Christian. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011. 287p. Bought 1 August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 10-11 September 2014. Faith & Life
Piper, John and David Mathis, eds. With Calvin in the Theater of God: The Glory of Christ and Everyday Life. 172p. (This collection of essays is not so much a tribute as a review and analysis. You will learn things here about John Calvin you've never heard. His trials, his mistakes, his accomplishments, his contributions.) Bought 1 August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 16-19 August 2014. Biography (Philosophy)
Reardon, Patrick Henry. The Jesus We Missed: The Surprising Truth About the Humanity of Christ. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012. 225p. (A Reflection and analysis of the doctrine of the Humanity of Christ, focused on the Gospels and the vision they present of Jesus the Messiah.) Bought 14 March 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 14-18 March 2014. Bible
Reynolds, John Mark and Roger Overton. New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books. 2008. 254p. Bought 2 May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 28-30 September 2014. Church and Culture
Ryken, Leland. The ESV and the English Bible Legacy. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 183p. Bought August 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 5-7 September 2014. Bible
Schweizer, Rochelle. She's the Boss: The Disturbing Truth about Nancy Pelosi. NY: Sentinel (Penguin), 2010. 260p. Bought 1 March 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 7-12 March 2014. American Politics and Culture
Seybert, Jim. Leadership Re:Vision. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House, 2009. 189p. Bought 4 September 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 8-9 September 2014. Business and Finance
Smith, Gary V. Los Profetas Como Predicadores: Introduccion a Los Prophetas Hebreos. Nashville: B&H, 2012. 332p. Bought 2 May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 1-4 October 2014. Bible (The Prophets)
Spiegel, James S. The Benefits of Providence: A New Look at Divine Sovereignty. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2005. 255p. (A philosophical theology honed in on defense of the classic ideology of hard Calvinism, absolute determinism. He affirms the emotions of God. But his commitment to classical hard determinism in the end undermines the affirmations he wants to make. Any true relationship is a mutual giving and receiving, interpersonal. Aristotle's divine impassibility is a poor vehicle for conveying the passion and pursuit of covenant with his creation that is so vividly portrayed in the Old Testament and flowered fully in Christ in the New Testament. For God to be rational and relational at all, interaction must occur. If all is predetermined, even if by God's own decree, even God's decreeing must logically be predetermined also. If it were not, then the original decree might be up for change. Even if the initial decision and decree was a free act, once it was decreed and nothing could ever be changed, God likewise was bound by his decree. Hard Determinism winds up undermining its own good intention with the weight of its own cold, cruel reductionism. This results in the loss of the dynamic foundation of interpersonal relationship at the core of the biblical portrayal of the sovereign Creator-Savior. See my review of this book on Amazon Read my review of this book on GoodReads.) Bought 25 July 2014, Arlington, Texas. Read 26 July - 11 August 2014. Theology (Philosophy)
Thoburn, J M. The Church of Pentecost. NY: Eaton and Mains, 1901. 392p. Received as a gift from the estate library of C W Zinn, March 2011, Lindsay, Oklahoma. Read 20-30 March 2014. Bible
Townsend, John. Where is God?: Finding His Presence, Purpose and Power in Difficult Times. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009. 212p. Bought 14 March 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 22-25 March 2014. Bible
Ulmer, Kenneth C. Passionate God. Ventura, California: Regal, 2013. 172p. (From scripture, Ulmer discusses the passions of God, the oft-ignored or denied aspects of God's personality that figure so strongly in the biblical narrative. Chapters cover topics like God's grief, love, laughter or enjoyment, music and other practical topics of personality portrayed in scripture and tradition, with practical implications for today's believer. Ulmer deals with these characteristics of God portrayed in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures in practical life application as well as exploring the implications for biblical faith in Jesus Christ in our personal lives. Read my full review on GoodReads.) Bought 2 May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 17-23 June 2014. Faith and Life
Von Rad, Gerhard, trans D M G Stalker. Old Testament Theology, Volume 1: The Theology of Israel's Historical Traditions. Peabody, Mass: Prince Press (Hendrickson), 2005; reprint of HarperCollins 1962. 483p. Bought 13 February 2009 in Arlington, Texas. Read 16 August - 19 October 2014. Theology (History, Bible)
Von Rad, Gerhard, trans D M G Stalker. Old Testament Theology, Volume 2: The Theology of Israel's Prophetic Traditions. Peabody, Mass: Prince Press (Hendrickson), 2005; reprint of HarperCollins 1962. 470p. Bought 13 February 2009 in Arlington, Texas. Read 20 October - 10 December 2014. Theology (History, Bible)
Wahl, Erik. Unchain the Elephant: Reframe Your Thinking to Unleash Your Potential. Napierville, Illinois: Simple Truths, 2014. 94p. Read 14 November 2014. Devotion (Inspiration)
Weidman, Jerome. Other People's Money. NY: Random House,1967. 471p. Received as a gift Christmas 2013 in Bedford, Texas. Read 26 April - 5 May 2014. Fiction
Whyte, H A Maxwell. Casting Out Demons. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1973. 93p. Bought 14 April 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 17-18 April 2014. Faith & Life
Woiwode, Larry. Words Made Fresh: Essays on Literature and Culture. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. 191p. Bought 4 September 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 18-24 December 2014. Faith and Life
Woodward, Bob. Obama's Wars. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2010. 441p. Bought 22 May 2014 in Arlington, Texas. Read 27 October - 1 November 2014. American Politics and Culture
Wright, Eric. Buried in Stone. Toronto. Worldwide, 1998. 253p. Received as a gift 18 February 2014. Read 18-25 February 2014. Fiction (Mystery)
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