Back once more whether you asked for it or not, here is my annual summer reading list…although if you’re only in the mood for easy, breezy, by-the-pool page turners, you might want to look elsewhere.

However, if you’re wanting to grow in your faith, Bible knowledge, and love God with your mind, these can help. Well…at least 9 out of 10 of them can, anyway! The overt spiritual depth of one choice on this list is debatable…I’ll let you read through and decide which one I might be talking about.

As always, your enjoyment mileage may vary, and I definitely do not endorse every single thing written in every book…but here goes my latest, greatest, Top 10 Reading List, with notes:

10. The Practice of Prophetic Imagination, by Walter Brueggemann

Brueggeman was a force to be reckoned with when it came to the Old Testament, and deeply influenced a whole generation of preachers when it came to hermeneutics (Bible interpretation). Sadly, he just passed away this past month, leaving countless books behind. This one is highly accessible and gets you into the mind of the Hebrew prophets while leaving you in awe of the force of their artistry.

9. Becoming a Missionary Church, by Michael Goheen and Tim Sheridan

Ever wondered where the word “missional” came from? Interested in recent church history? Ever wanted to read two guys brave/foolish enough to offer up a critique of Tim Keller while he was still alive (not that I’m saying they ought to have done it)? Goheen and Sheridan break it all down and mix it all together, in an effort to move the church from being “merely missional,” to “missionary” once more (spoiler: they really do like Keller, in the end).

8. Ready or Not: Kingdom Innovation for a Brave New World, by Doug Paul

If Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book about church and Christian leadership, it would sound (and read) like this. Doug Paul is an “innovation strategist” (he gets churches unstuck), and this book I would especially recommend for Christian business leaders and entrepreneurs. If you are wanting your business to get “unstuck” and open the door for God to do something great with your idea, this is the book for you. LOTS of storytelling and narrative effort here…a fun(ish) read.

7. The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, by Alan Kreider

Kreider is a Mennonite, Harvard-educated historian, and I give this book five stars, for sure. One of the best books on the early church I have read, it makes a compelling case for Christ-centered character being the chief cause of the rise of the church in the first two centuries. In particular, Kreider takes great pains to show how the virtue of patience was the single most important fruit of the Spirit that early church leaders wrote about and exhorted their congregations toward. This book really impacted me, personally.

6. The Long Halloween, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

All right, time for a little palate cleanser.

True confession: I have always loved comic books, and have a particular affinity for the world’s best-selling DC character, Batman. If you’ve ever watched the Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight, you should know that it takes major cues and characters from this comic run, which has come to be considered one of the best comic book stories of all time. Taking place over the course of a year, as Batman tracks a villain who strikes on holidays, it asks the question, is doing the right thing, no matter what, worth it?

Back to more serious stuff, now! 🙂

5. Colossians: A Short Exegetical and Pastoral Commentary, by Anthony Thiselton

A second true confession: I love commentaries, and I spend a good deal of money and time on and with them. This one is blessedly short (about 100 pages) and quickly gets to the heart of the issues in Colossians. There are others I like better on Colossians, but this one, once more, is short enough to be of help to those wanting to track through our current series.

Pro tip: If you really want to dig into the Bible, look for the word “Exegetical” in any commentary you purchase. That means it interacts more deeply at a root level with the original text and Hebrew or Greek language.

4. The Lost World of the Prophets, by John Walton

Walton has become famous (I use that term loosely) for his “Lost World” series. These books attempt to reach back in a scholarly way to the contexts of different portions of Scripture, and help Christians avoid beating one another up with passages written for Israel that were never meant to be aimed at America (or that church down the road).

The Lost World of the Prophets ought to be required reading for anyone attempting to preach the prophets. Big idea: You will want to tread very, very lightly when handling Hosea, Joel, Amos, and their contemporaries.

3. The Bomber Mafia, by Malcom Gladwell

Any reader of these lists will not be surprised by something with Gladwell’s name on it (he somehow appears twice in this list!). Like his previous books, he masterfully weaves together seemingly disparate threads to create a cohesive narrative. This time around, he looks at how a group of World War II Army Air Corp Officers worked to create a more “moral” way to bomb the enemy, with precision high-altitude technology. Whether or not you think they succeeded will be your call, but what’s not in question is how much of a riveting read this is. This one is for history buffs and fans of great storytelling. It’s also short-ish.

2. With God in the Crucible, by Peter Storey

This book is a collection of short sermons preached by a South African, anti-apartheid leader. Peter Storey was a major voice for justice against the racist Afrikaner regime of the 1980s, and did much to help weaken the foundations of that oppressive regime through his preaching and pastoring. You’ll be devastated and inspired as you read through these homilies, many of which were a searing response to the suffering of his black friends.

1. The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church, by JR Woodward
Recently published in 2023, Dr. Woodward looks at patterns of the fall of a number of now-infamous Christian leaders, and asks, why? Why are their patterns of failure so similar? How do we understand these patterns, and where do our Scriptures intersect what we find?

A sprawling and comprehensive look at spiritual forces and fallen leaders, Woodward puts an immense amount of scholarship and historical research into helping modern Christians understand how and why “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” A book about spiritual warfare, but not the kind you might imagine or have ever read. This was my favorite book from my last class in my doctoral program. Definitely not for the faint of heart nor for the pressed for time.

That’s it! Get to reading! If not any of these, then something else…and, as always, I don’t mean social media or news stories. As Salt-N-Pepa told me back in the day, “Free your mind…and the rest will follow.”

Blessings,

Morgan Stephens
Lead Pastor