Best Books of 2016 - The Cornwall List
I read a lot of books,
thanks in large part to publishers who provide me with reading material, I read
a lot of newly published books. Some I loved, others not so much. For the past
several years I have offered a list of books I consider to be the best books
published during the year prior. Every “best books” list is different, in part
because the creators of lists read different books. I look at some lists and
see very few books that I’ve read, so I can’t judge if they are better than the
ones I’ve read. Sometimes I look at lists and find books that I didn’t care
for. Other times, I find confirmation of my own sympathies. So, below you will
find a list of books, based on my own reading (and I read nearly 100 books),
that I consider best. You will find links to reviews on my blog. Most of the
books are religious in nature, reflecting both my interests and what publishers
send me. I invite you to take a look and decide if one or more are worthy of
your attention in 2017.
Sometimes I’ve selected a book of
the year, and sometimes I’ve just offered a list (sometimes the list is broken
up in categories). This year I’ve selected twenty books, and I’ve divided them
up into three categories for ease of use (the categories aren’t hard and fast
either). I decided to choose one to highlight this year as book of the year,
because I believe that Richard Beck’s Reviving
Old Scratch is essential reading as we head into 2017. While I might have
selected Miroslav Volf’s Flourishing as
Book of the Year, I believe Beck’s book offers a word to the church that will
be needed as we head into 2017. Nonetheless, I believe that each book on this
list is worthy of your attention.
Book of the Year
Richard Beck, Reviving Old Scratch: Demons and the Devil for Doubters and the Disenchanted (Theology for the People). Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 2016.
Best Books of 2016
Bible and Theology
Dale C. Allison,
Jr., Night Comes: Death, Imagination, and Last Things. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2016.
Jaime
Clark-Soles, Reading John for Dear Life:A Spiritual Walk with the Fourth Gospel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2016.
David P. Gushee
and Glen H. Stassen, Kingdom Ethics:Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Com. 2016.
Larry W. Hurtado,
Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World. Waco: Baylor University
Press, 2016.
Thomas G. Long, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2016.
James F. McGrath, Theology and Science Fiction (Cascade Companions). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2016.
James F. McGrath, Theology and Science Fiction (Cascade Companions). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2016.
Culture and Society
William J. Barber
II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement. Boston: Beacon Press, 2016.
Miguel A. De La
Torre, U.S. Immigration Crisis: Toward an Ethics of Place. (Cascade Companions). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2016.
Katherine Willis
Pershey, Very Married: Field Notes on Love & Fidelity. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2016.
Joerg Rieger and
Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger, United We Are a Force: Growing Deep Solidarity Between Faith and Labor. St. Louis: Chalice
Press, 2016.
Miroslav Volf and
Ryan McAnnally-Linz. Public Faith in Action: How to ThinkCarefully, Engage Wisely, and Vote with Integrity. Grand Rapids: Brazos
Press, 2016.
Jim Wallis, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016.
Spirituality and Religion
Juan M. Floyd
Thomas, Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas, and Mark G. Toulouse, The Altars Where We Worship: The Religious Significance of Popular Culture. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016.
Scott Black
Johnston, Ted A. Smith, and Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, Editors. Questions Preachers Ask: Essays in Honor of Thomas G. Long. Edited
by Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016.
C. Christopher Smith, Reading for the Common Good: HowBooks Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish. Downers Grove: IVP
Books, 2016.
James K. A.
Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016.
Deanna A. Thompson,
The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2016.
Miroslav Volf, Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016.
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