The Best Book Reviews
In 2009, in the U.S. alone, nearly 300,000 books were published. In March of 2010, the total information transfer on the Internet was “estimated at 21 exabytes per month.” That’s 21,000,000,000 gigabytes of information! Every month.
In other words, the vast amount of information and ideas can be overwhelming.
The point of the book reviews at Reasons for God is to point you to some of the very best books in apologetics, Christian living, social issues, and other related topics. Occasionally I will review a more mediocre book or resources, but life is short: so let’s focus on the best. My goal is to explain why these books are the best – and for what purpose. That way you can have a clear sense about whether or not each reviewed book is right for you. Enjoy!
Find a Great Book:
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden – A Book Review
Escape from Camp 14, by Blaine Harden and Shin In Geun, is a powerful expose of the ongoing horror story that is North Korea. As you read, consider the question: is evil real? Is the North Korean prison system evil - or is that just a word we use to describe our personal feelings about it?By retelling the story of Shin, a North Korean…
I Told Me So by Gregg Ten Elshof – A Book Review
In a culture that often prizes authenticity above all else, there is no greater sin than self-deception. Ironically, this facilitates self-deception, because the intensified pressure to be authentic significantly raises the cost of admitting to our ongoing self-deception. So says Dr. Gregg Ten Elshof in his witty, enjoyable, and yet…
Is God a Moral Monster? by Dr. Paul Copan – A Book Review
About a year ago while I was at Harvard, talking with one of the students I regularly mentored, it happened that two of his friends walked by and stopped to say hello. We began to talk about their perspective on life and it quickly became clear that they were staunch atheists with a strong aversion to Christianity. Out of curiosity I…
Mastering Monday by John Beckett – A Book Review
Mastering Monday, by John Beckett, provides excellent guidance for integrating the Christian faith with the responsibilities of work. By all accounts, Beckett practices what he preaches, and this book is, as far as I can tell, written by a person of integrity, love, and genuine faith in God. The book is organized into three sections:…
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt – A Book Review
Ghandi is reported to have said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." And what could be more different than the example of a homeless, penniless, persecuted, despised, and finally crucified person - and his followers waking up in multimillion dollar homes, watching the morning news on…
SEAL of God by Chad Williams – A Book Review
Looking for a fast-paced, exciting story about how a trouble-making washout became a highly-trained Navy SEAL who loved to party, but then gave his life to Christ and became a full-time evangelist? Then SEAL of God is the book for you. I don't know of any other book quite like it. It is a quick and easy read - I finished it in a few…
Tactics by Greg Koukl – A Book Review
Want more friends? Better conversations? Frequent, life-changing spiritual encounters? But wait, there’s more! What if you could also avoid dead-end discussions, pointless arguments, and go-nowhere debates? Then you should be interested in Tactics, a book by Greg Koukl, the president of Stand to Reason Ministries. The fact is that…
The Devil’s Delusion by David Berlinski – A Book Review
Bias. In order to undercut an unpleasant argument, just claim that prejudicial self-interest blinds another person from seeing the error of their ways. So what to make of Dr. Berlinksi, with a Ph.D. from Princeton and time spent as a postdoctoral fellow in mathematics and molecular biology at Columbia University, who opens his…
The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg – A Book Review
This book is my top nomination for the highest "bad title to excellent content" ratio. For what it is worth, I think the book cover is terrible too. I mean, did we really need a bird to replace the "t" in "wanted"? I could go on, but I really don't like the health-and-wealth sound of the title or the cheesy cover. Nevertheless, I want…
The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons – A Book Review
The Next Christians, by Gabe Lyons, offers a provocative but ultimately encouraging vision for the flourishing of the Christian faith in 21st century America. Both big-picture vision and practical ideas come together in this intriguing book; as the subtitle indicates, The Next Christians offers "seven ways you can live the gospel and…
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller – A Book Review
What is the most important question in the world? That’s hard to say, but one weighty contender has to be the question, “Who is God?” Whether you’re Richard Dawkins or a Bible-thumping KJV Christian, how you answer that question is of great consequence. In Prodigal God, Tim Keller argues that, in a set of three parables in…
The Reason for God by Tim Keller – A Book Review
The Reason for God, by Tim Keller, is an outstanding response to the biggest questions of our day. (In the very unlikely chance that anyone is wondering: no, there is no connection whatsoever between Tim Keller and this website). Tim Keller is the highly regarded pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, a church with…
Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality by Wesley Hill – A Book Review
Would you be willing to share your 'darkest' secrets in order to serve others? Have you ever bared your most intimate struggles, on a highly controversial issue, knowing that the mean-spirited will use your weaknesses against you? If someone else did this, would you be interested to hear their story? Dr. Hill has offered us, his…
