Whether you re-charge in the mountains, by a lake, at a coffee shop, or in your backyard, I hope you are taking some time this summer to slow down and enjoy a good read. In case you’re looking for some ideas, here are a few books on my summer reading list:
Orthodoxy (G.K. Chesterton)
A timeless argument for the simple plausibility of the Christian faith by one of the great thinkers and writers of the first part of the 20th century. Credited by C.S. Lewis as pivotal in his own coming to faith.
Spiritual Leadership (J. Oswald Sanders)
Consistently the most referenced and recommended book by the greatest Christian leaders of the last 50 years. Character, passion and godliness (not technique). A great read (or re-read) for such a time as this.
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (Sam Harris)
A proposed science of morality from one of the most influential so-called “new atheists” writing today. An attempt to create a grounding for morality in something other than revealed religion. This book delves some into philosophy and neuroscience, but I’m hoping it may help me better understand the larger thought-world some of my unbelieving friends live in.
The Dream King: How the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Is Being Fulfilled to Heal Racism in America (Will Ford & Matt Lockett)
The true story of two men whose lives are woven together by history and the hidden hand of God. Recommended by my good friend Pastor Roger Breedlove from In Christ New Hope Ministries here in Rochester.
Whether you re-charge in the mountains, by a lake, at a coffee shop, or in your backyard, I hope you are taking some time this summer to slow down and enjoy a good read
The Decadent Society: How We Became Victims of Our Own Success (Ross Douthat)
A sobering portrait of present culture. How the combination of wealth, technological proficiency, economic stagnation and political stalemate have created a sustainable decadence that could endure for some time to come.
Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders (Dennis Rasmussen)
The surprising story of how George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson came to despair for the future of the nation they had created. As much as Americans today may worry about the country’s future, the founders faced even greater problems and harbored even deeper misgivings.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (Atul Gawande)
A book about the limitations of medicine and end-of-life care from one of America’s finest physician writers. I read this book a few months ago but cannot recommend it enough for anyone who is now or will be a part of caring for someone facing their death (which is all of us).
Through Gates of Splendor (Elisabeth Elliot)
I mentioned this book on Sunday and can tell you it was a powerful read for me. It’s the true story of five young missionaries savagely killed while trying reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador in January 1956. Elisabeth Elliot, one of the surviving spouses, went on to be one of the most influential Christian writers of the second half of the twentieth century. If you don’t know this story — including high school students and young adults — I highly recommend it.
Happy reading, and see you soon at Browncroft!
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
