This was another big year for both reading and writing. As far as my writing goes, the top highlight was definitely my first book, Redeeming Royalty: Anthro and the King of Lux, being published! I was also able to get an article on evangelism, “Does Evangelism Objectify People?,” published on the The Gospel Coalition. TGC has been extremely influential on me over the years, so getting to write an article for them was very exciting!
As far as reading goes, I feel like I kept a good balance between fiction and non-fiction (plus the several lengthy textbooks I read for UF!). I have a new goal of reading at least one “super classic” a year, and this year it was Homer’s Iliad (I’m planning on the Odyssey for next year). I also really enjoyed reading 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 back-to-back.
Of note in the modern fiction department was, The Hate U Give. It’s a very thought provoking work dealing with many modern racial issues, as well as a gripping story. Cormac McCarthy’s, The Road, is now one of my favorite story’s of all time. It was fun reading it twice and having a group from my church meet up to talk about it. Also, I highly recommend reading The Road for the first time alone in the woods with a rifle sitting on your lap… just saying, some books were made to be read in optimal settings! (I was reading in a deer stand… I mean deer hunting, when I read it, in case you were wondering lol).
Now to the main event. As always, it was a tough choice, and the list doesn’t necessarily mean one book is better than the other. I’m rating my overall experience with the book, rather than simply its particular merits. Anyway, here is the top 5 list for this year:
5. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan
So many people, believers and nonbelievers, wrestle with fully understanding God’s actions in the Old Testament. The orthodox believers like myself and Copan, believe that the God of the Old Testament is the exact same God of the New. Nevertheless, it is not the easiest topic to work through, both existentially and rationally. Copan approaches the issue with all the appropriate nuance, empathy, gentleness, faithfulness, and intellectual rigor.
4. Am I Just My Brain? by Sharon Dirckx
This very short book is a perfect entry book into this difficult topic. I’ve had the pleasure of attending one of Dirchkx’s lectures, and she is the perfect balance of engaging and informative. She is charitable and wise as she helps the believer (or skeptic) see just how neuroscience challenges (or doesn’t challenge) the faith.
3. Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say by Preston Sprinkle
I found this book at Goodwill. Yep, that was my first introduction to it, but with a title like that, who wouldn’t pick it up? I knew nothing of Sprinkle, but was very impressed with his tone, patience, pastoral heart, and commitment to provide solid answers to very difficult questions. I believe Christians can sometimes be too quick to simply dismiss arguments (and people) without ever really listening to them. Listening is a vital expression of love, and neither requires endorsing another’s words or actions. Sprinkle has obviously listened to those of very different persuasions from his own and he handles their concerns with care, kindness, and truth.
2. The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses by C.S. Lewis
I have a reading rule to read at least one new C.S. Lewis book a year. I’m dreading the year I run out. This year I tackled Pilgrim’s Regress and The Weight of Glory. The later is just one more example of C.S. Lewis at his absolute best. If you are a Lewis fan and haven’t read the actual essays (or sermon), “The Weight of Glory” or “Learning in War-Time,” you need to add them to your list. They will not disappoint no matter how much of Lewis you have read. Both are contained within this book.
- Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
This one has been on my list for a while now, curtesy of Tim Keller’s statements on it years ago. I absolutely loved reading it. Dillard has a wonderful way of making the normal within nature shine with all of its God given beauty and mystery. Of course, there is a raw brutality that one must accept as well. Dillard weaves together both of these themes found within the world. She helps to create not just a reflective reader, but a reflective person. She opens the eyes to the marvels surrounding us, even at the humblest of creeks.
Happy new year! See you next year!
Previous years:
Notes
Photo by Matias North on Unsplash
Moore Thinking 
Congratulations, on your first book – Redeeming Royalty: Anthro and the King of Lux! Also, for the article on evangelism – Does Evangelism Objectify People for the Gospel Coalition. The list of your top 5 non-fiction books of 2023 were well thought out and interesting. Thank you for the heads up!
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