Best Books of 2011 (Part 2)
Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid into College by Andrew Ferguson (Simon & Schuster). Ferguson writes about his experience walking through the college admission’s process with his son. “For Americans who had gone to college in the fifties, sixties, or early seventies, a process that had seemed rather straightforward—find a school, preferably nearby, figure out how to pay for it, leave home, study, flirt, party—now appeared unexpectedly elaborate and crucially important, complicated by a bewildering array of plausible options and eager come-ons. Parents seemed slightly stunned, and then uneasy, and then confused.” As a journalist and parent, Ferguson was compelled to write a book to help eliminate the confusion. He explains, “For every piece of advice or information a parent or child receives while applying to college, there is an equal and opposite piece of advice or information that will contradict it.” What’s most appealing about this book is that Ferguson isn’t afraid to challenge the assumption that everyone should go to college. Or even, that one has to go to college to be successful.
King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Timothy Keller (Dutton). Keller writes, “The whole story of the world—and of how we fit into it—is most clearly understood through a careful, direct look at the story of Jesus.” In this book, Keller uses the Gospel of Mark to give readers a direct look at the story of Jesus. And it is direct. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest and most straight forward of the four Gospels. The first part of the book focuses on Jesus as “King” and the second part focuses on the meaning of the cross. It is Keller doing what he does best: explaining complex theological concepts in a way that connects to everyday life. I’ve always finished a book by Keller and thought, “Oh, so that’s why the Gospel is so important… and true.”
Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction by Richard Mouw (Eerdmans). Since I first heard them, I have been deeply motivated by Kuyper’s famous words: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry ‘Mine!’” Mouw has been too, and in this engaging book he accomplishes two things. First, he provides a short biography and history of Kuyper’s legacy. Second, he explains the contemporary implications of Kuyper’s theology covering a wide array of topics including education, politics, the church, and the arts. Mouw’s book is a helpful guide for anyone considering the integration of faith and culture.
The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene Peterson (HarperOne). Peterson is probably best known for his Bible translation The Message, or his countless books on the spiritual life or his many years as a seminary professor. What probably isn’t as well known, is that Peterson was a pastor for 29 years before publishing his contemporary version of scripture, or writing many of his books or teaching at a seminary! The Pastor offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at Peterson’s life as a pastor of a Presbyterian church-plant outside of Baltimore, Maryland. The book explains how he reluctantly and haphazardly became a pastor, growing into his call overtime. Writing honestly about his own struggles as a pastor, he is especially concerned with the state of the pastoral vocation today: “I didn’t want to be a religious professional whose identity was institutionalized. I didn’t want to be a pastor whose sense of worth derived from whether people affirmed or ignored me. In short, I didn’t want to be a pastor in the ways that were most in evidence and more rewarded in the American consumerist and celebrity culture.”
Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Kara Powell & Chap Clark (Zondervan). This book is the first of many resources to be developed out of Fuller Youth Institute’s College Transition Project. The main goal of the “Sticky Faith” research was to “understand the dynamics of youth group graduates’ transition to college and to identify the relationships and best practices in youth ministries, churches, and families that can help set students on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service.” Powell and Clark offer valuable insights into how parents can help nurture in their kids a faith that lasts. There is also a Youth Worker’s Edition and video curriculum (for parents and students) available.
HONORABLE MENTIONS. Here are a few additional books published in 2011 that I know I would have really enjoyed had I had time to read them!
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians by Kenneth Bailey (InterVarsity Press).
Pattern of Wounds: A Roland March Mystery by J. Mark Bertrand (Bethany House).
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Jesus: Reading the Gospels on the Ground by Bruce Fisk (Baker Academic).
Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art by Abraham Kuyper (Christian’s Library Press).
Getting Wasted: Why College Students Drink Too Much and Party So Hard by Thomas Vander Ven (NYU).
Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters by N.T. Wright (HarperOne).
Yet both national leaders with broad spheres of influence as well as local, grassroots practitioners are waking up to the reality that almost half of their graduating seniors struggle deeply with their faith in college. Offering a few special “Senior Seminars” or giving seniors a “graduation Bible” and hoping for the best are both too little and too late.