Arminian Today

The following are the top ten books that I read in 2012.  While I may or may not endorse all that is written in the books, the books are chosen because of how well written, the amount of intrigue that they produce while reading them, and the value of the book itself for me.

10.  The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler.

Really enjoy this book on the gospel and how the gospel makes all the difference in our lives as we live in submission to Christ as Lord.  The mix of sound doctrine and humor were excellent.

9.  A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White, Jr.

An excellent biography of perhaps the most prominent President in the history of the United States.  It was interesting to read of Lincoln from a historian position who seemed to avoid trying to fit Lincoln into his own political, social, or religious views.

8.  The Natural Ability of Man by Jesse Morrell.

This is a book written to explore and defend the libertarian free will view from a moral government perspective.  Morrell keeps you interested in the subject by having hundreds of proof texts and interacting with other viewpoints about free will.

7.  The Hope of the Gospel by Vic Reasoner.

This book covers eschatology from a Wesleyan viewpoint.  Reasoner argues from a post-millennial perspective but as usual, Dr. Reasoner interacts with other viewpoints and offers counterpoints.  He argues that the post-millennial view brings hope as Christians believe the gospel will transform our world no matter how bad things may seem.

6.  An Unfinished Life: JFK by Robert Dallek.

I have not read much about JFK so I was intrigued to read this book.  The book covers JFK’s life in-depth and exposes the man as a man.  JFK was on the one hand a brilliant leader but on the other hand he was a very ungodly man.

5.  God’s Strange Work by David L Rowe.

This book explores William Miller and how this man captured the national attention in mid 19th century America by predicting that Christ would return in 1843-44.  I was interested to see how Miller came to this view and then the aftermath following his failed predictions.  Many have called Miller a false prophet but he actually never prophesied that Christ would return but he deduced it from his own studies of Scripture.

4.  Flyboys by James Bradley.

Flyboys is the story of World War II fighter pilots in the Pacific.  These men faced constant danger from Japanese forces and were often shot down or simply ran out of fuel while flying.  Their missions took them into the heart of Japan and into the face of the enemy.  A very interesting story indeed.

3.  Against Calvinism by Roger Olson.

Olson argues that the main reason he is not a Calvinist is that the Calvinist view of God is a God he cannot worship.  He believes that the character of God as seen in the Bible as loving and good is maligned if you hold to divine determinism.  Interestingly, he argues this by simply allowing Calvinists to speak for themselves in their view of God.  I enjoyed this book much.

2.  Fundamental Wesleyan Commentary on Romans by Vic Reasoner.

Dr. Reasoner made my reading list twice this year.  He is a good writer.  In this commentary, Dr. Reasoner writes perhaps the best Arminian commentary on Romans (although Dr. Jack Cottrell’s is excellent).  He interacts with the text, teaches the text, and deals with Arminianism and Calvinism when he has to.

And the number 1 book of 2012 in my estimation that I read:

1.  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

I first heard of this book while attending a conference with Dr. John MacArthur.  He recommended the book.  I must say, excellent book.  This book has it all.  From the beginning to the end, you’ll be captivated with the story.  And it is all true!  The will of man is very hard to break and sometimes, impossible.