Pastor John's 2021 Reading Challenge - April & May Update

I loved this fascinating dual biography of Leo Fender and Les Paul, which was really more of a history of Rock 'n' Roll and the innovation, entrepreneurship, and marketing of the sound that has shaped generations of American music. Super fun!

Recently finished going through this book with a couple for their pre-marital counseling. While I wouldn't want it to be the only resource used for pre-marital, it definitely provided a good starting point for conversations between themselves and in our counseling sessions, which opened the door for deeper discussion. Each chapter is presented with the goal of keeping Jesus at the center of every aspect of the marriage. There's nothing groundbreaking or new here, but it is a clear and succinct presentation of biblical content from a complementarian viewpoint.

It's not hyperbole to suggest that Ravi Shankar may have been the most influential musician of the 20th century. Though many (particularly younger) folks in the West may not be familiar with him directly, it would be hard to avoid having heard music from those who studied with him, including George Harrison, John Coltrane, Philip Glass, and his own daughter Norah Jones. He had a knack for showing up at portentous and monumental occasions, ranging from the Weimar Republic to Prohibition-era NYC to Soviet Russia to Woodstock. As an instructor, influencer, cultural ambassador, political activist, humanitarian, composer, and virtuosic sitarist, Shankar's 92 years were filled with significance... enough to fill nearly 700 pages of a biography! A fascinating read, if a little long-winded at times.

This is maybe the best book I've read on worship service planning (and I've read a ton of them). Smith argues convincingly that the patterns and practices of corporate worship are deeply formative in the lives of those Christians who attend them. While most congregants may never make an explicit connection between the various liturgical actions in which they participate on the Lord's Day and their own personal spiritual habits and affections throughout their daily lives, the reality is that planning and executing the liturgy (whether or not a church chooses to use the "L-word") is one of the most critical ways in which the church exercises its disciple-making role. So often, "musical style" is the start and end of the conversation when it comes to what a church values in the planning of its services, which is a shame, as well as a tremendous missed opportunity. Whether it's done well or done poorly, service planning contributes immensely to the spiritual lives of our people. We need books like this which help us to think well about this great responsibility borne by people in my position. 

I look forward to giving this book a second, more thorough read this summer as I go through it with some members of our team. As good as it was, I feel I wasn't able to give it the full attention and thought it deserves due to several other ministry obligations happening as I was working through this one the first time.

I loved the premise of this book, and parts of it lived up to expectations. No one on the evangelical landscape today is better than Tim Keller at getting people with different viewpoints together for a civil, respectful conversation around difficult topics. This collection of essays provides a good example of the kind of discourse we need in an increasingly fractured society, but the disparity in writing quality combined with the lack of a single unifying theme made this book a bit of a disappointment.

Absolutely loved this "local" story about a group of Washington boys who came together to challenge the greatest rowers in the world, overcoming all odds (including blatant cheating designed to display the dominance and superiority of the Third Reich) to win gold at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Some nice material in there about living in Spokane and northern Idaho in the early 20th century, too!

The last few years have produced a number of prominent "deconversions" and "exvangelical" stories from some of my favorite artists and authors, all of which have been difficult. Lecrae's apparent wandering from Christianity seemed destined to wind up in the same place. That's why this read, while difficult in many ways, was also refreshing. After a childhood spent in poverty and abuse, Lecrae went on to experience a very different set of challenges that come with celebrity status. This is the story of how he hit rock bottom, made some bad life choices, and "lost his religion." Thankfully, it's also the story of how God used the ministry of biblical counseling to help him reconstruct a faith that is strong, even if he differs in some important areas from the Reformed evangelical circles in which he spent much of the last decade. His is an important story, particularly for those of us who hold different theological and political convictions.

I've read and enjoyed several biographies of Winston Churchill, but this one was quite a bit different. Not so much about Churchill himself as it is about the Battle of Britain, The Splendid and the Vile is set in the volatile first year of Churchill's premiership. Entering office only two weeks before the evacuation of British forces at Dunkirk, the Blitzkreig was already in full effect. The ensuing 12 months brought a relentless bombing campaign from the Luftwaffe which left more than 45,000 Britons dead. This book tells the story of Churchill's remarkable efforts to rally the morale of the British people, maintain the development and production of British aircraft and defenses, and convince Franklin D. Roosevelt to commit American supplies and troops to the war. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book which focused on technological innovation and espionage. Perhaps less enjoyable but no less fascinating was how much the Churchill family dynamics played into the diplomacy of the era. Larson is a masterful storyteller, and this account of England's darkest hour is well worth your time.

This book was assigned for a seminary class, and was about as dull as anything I've ever read on the topic of worship (and I love reading books about worship!). Ellis' research may be of interest to academicians specifically studying the history of Free Church worship, but is so dense that it's going to have very limited appeal to the rest of us.

This short biography of our first President--one of very few written by a woman--was a mixed bag. I typically enjoy more comprehensive and academic biographies, so the tone of this book wasn't to my liking... but I also understand that Coe was intentionally writing to a very different audience. I did find her insights about how previous biographers have tended to focus on Washington's virtues while glossing over his flaws to be somewhat refreshing; we Americans do have a tendency to romanticize the past, and seem particularly attached to a legacy in our first President which may not always comport with the facts. We (rightly) make a big deal out of how George Washington gracefully stepped down from leadership, setting a precedent for the peaceful transition of power unmatched in history. Yet, as Coe points out, history books have tended to ignore his (often brutal) treatment of his slaves, his many failures as a leader, and his unwillingness to apply his vast influence to make America a place of freedom and justice for all.

I'll admit to worrying initially that this book would turn out to be merely a "hit piece" focusing on Washington's worst qualities. Thankfully, Coe's approach is well-balanced, and a welcome corrective to the many paeans already on every library's bookshelf. For me, however, the lighter tone of the book took away from its merits as a scholarly work, which is a shame, as Coe certainly possesses the academic chops. Of course, my wanting to read a different book than the one she wrote is no fault of the author! I'll be interested to see more of her work in the future.

This study of how evangelicals are formed by the worship music they listen to and sing together was quite interesting. Dr. Ingalls' status as an outside observer--she is an Episcopalian herself--gives her a unique vantage point for her research. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the book is how she compellingly redefines what it means to be a "congregation." Typically we have thought of this as the gathered body of believers in a local church; Ingalls argues that this is but one of five significant "modes of congregating" in which contemporary worship music forms evangelicals, and not necessarily the most formative. In addition to singing in their local churches on the Lord's Day, evangelicals also congregate to sing at conferences, worship concerts, praise marches (i.e., singing outside in public spaces), and in front of screens. Prior to COVID I might have argued that this final mode should qualify as "congregating," but even before the pandemic, the engagement with contemporary worship music on screens certainly had a significant formative effect on evangelicals. This book may not have much appeal outside of the academic study of worship music, but for those of us engaged in such things, this is a worthwhile resource.

Having first read the first four installments of the Stormlight Archives last year, I wanted to check out Sanderson's earlier work. It's definitely a great story and a fun read, but early in the series I think I prefer the grander narrative arc and epic world-building of SA. Still, that's a crazy high bar for comparison! Looking forward to the rest of the Mistborn series.

As with most books made up of collections of essays (these from the 2006 Wheaton Theology Conference), this one is of variable quality. As with most things he writes, Jeremy Begbie's chapters ("Created Beauty: The Witness of J.S. Bach" and "Beauty, Sentimentality, and the Arts") are worth the price of the book by themselves. I also really appreciated the essays by Roger Lundin ("The Beauty of Belief") and Edward Oakes ("The Apologetics of Beauty"). The rest of the chapters were good, but not riveting. Will make for a good shelf reference, however!