OK, now that I've got all of the Marvel fans' attention. But this time I'm not talking about comic book heroes. I'm actually letting you know of four hard cover heroes you might want to check out.
Over the Christmas break, I get a chance to dive into several books while I'm off work. This year, I had the pleasure of turning the pages on four fantastic works. If you like to read and are interested in outstanding Christian authors who make you think, then you might enjoy these books too.
The first is Mere Christianity. Are you curious about the basics of what it means to be a follower of Jesus? Then check out this C. S. Lewis classic. Believe it or not, this was originally a series of radio broadcasts that Lewis did on the BBC during the dark hours of World War II. If you've heard that Lewis is hard to read, then you don't know Jack. "Jack" Lewis, that is. Mere Christianity is incredibly well crafted and easy to digest.
The second is On Church Leadership. This is a super-fast read by Mark Driscoll. The title says it all. The cover also boasts that it is "a book you'll actually read." If you have any interest in how the healthy church should operate, you can knock out this 94-page wonder in around an hour. You may read it in 60 minutes, but it sticks to your ribs for quite a while.
Batting third is Life and Practice in the Early Church. Don't let the title fool you. Steve McKinion cranks up the Flux Capacitor to see what church life was like back in the first through fifth centuries through the writings of the early church fathers. Pretty quickly you see that they were dealing with some familiar issues. Arguments over worship style. Huge attendance swings at Christmas and Easter. People not paying attention during the service. It's amazing to see how they "did church" still impacts us today.
Last but not least is The Reason for God. I mentioned Tim Keller's book in an earlier post. In the first half of the book, he tears down the arguments against faith in Jesus. The second half makes a powerful case for belief in the Carpenter from Nazareth as the Savior of the world. The last three chapters simply take your breath away. This is a modern day must-read for anyone with an interest in Christian apologetics. I'll almost certainly be re-reading this one in the not-too-distant future.
As Charlie "Tremendous" Jones has said, "You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for the books you read and the people you meet." I'm better for having read this Fantastic Four.
Sorry 'bout that, Human Torch.
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