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There are two sets of recommended books. First, there are
Scott Engle's monthly book recommendations from 2003-2006. Second, there are
Scott's recommendations
on books about the Bible that you might find helpful.
Included here are some of the books from which he drew readings for
his classes. There is a brief note about each book that may
help you find what you are looking for.
Monthly Book Recommendations.
Click on the link to download the flyer for that month.
September 2006 -- Talking the Walk: Letting Christian Language
Live Again, Marva Dawn
July/August 2006 -- Take and Read -- Spiritual reading, an
annotated list, by Eugene Peterson
June 2006 -- Recapturing the Wesleys' Vision, by Paul
Wesley Chilcote
May 2006 -- Simply Christian: Making Sense of Christianity,
by N.T. Wright
April 2006 -- Finding God in the Questions: A personal journey,
Dr. Timothy Johnson
March 2006 -- The Message//Remix, Eugene Peterson's Bible
paraphrase
February 2006 -- How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth,
Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
January 2006 -- Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Anne Rice
December 2005 -- The Renovaré
Spiritual Formation Bible (NRSV), Editor, Richard Foster
November 2005 -- Understanding Islam, Thomas Lippman
October 2005 -- The Drama of Scripture, Bartholemew &
Goheen
September 2005 -- If You Want To Walk On Water, You've Got To
Get Out of the Boat, John Ortberg
August 2005 -- A Passionate Life, Breen and Kallestad
July 2005 -- Can God Be Trusted? Faith and the Challenge of
Evil, John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
June 2005 -- What's So Amazing about Grace, Philip
Yancey
May 2005 -- In God's Time: The Bible and the Future,
Craig Hill
April 2005 -- The Progress Paradox: How life keeps getting
better while people feel worse, Gregg Easterbrook
March 2005 -- Your God Is Too Small. J.B. Phillips
February 2005 -- The Jesus I
Never Knew, Philip Yancey
January 2005 -- Jesus and His World, Peter Walker
December 2004 -- Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol
November 2004 -- Two books on The DaVinci Code
October 2004 -- Flannery O'Connor: Spiritual Writings,
edited by Robert Ellsberg
September 2004 -- The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
August 2004 -- The Bible Makes Sense, Walter Brueggemann
July 2004 -- The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis
June 2004 -- Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
May 2004 -- Why I am a United Methodist, William Willimon
April 2004 -- Following Jesus, N. T. Wright
March 2004 -- Lord Teach Us, Willimon and Hauerwas
February 2004 -- Prayer, Richard Foster
January 2004 -- Mark for Everyone, Tom Wright
December 2003 -- Best Christian Writing of 2002, editor,
John Wilson
November 2003 -- Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey
Click here for some thoughts on study Bibles and other practical
bible study tools.
General books about the
entire Bible
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
by Gordon D. Fee & Stuart Douglas, second edition, 1993, Zondervan
This is an excellent lay person's introduction to interpreting the
Bible. The Bible includes a variety of different literary forms --
hymns, letters, histories, poems, gospels, etc -- and each presents unique
challenges. The authors examine each type of literature and provide
an overview that will help our understanding.
Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind
by Tremper Longman, 1997, NavPress
This book is a good introduction to the Bible that focuses on how we should read
and interpret the Bible. It provides valuable guidance to reading the
different types of literature in the Bible, discusses translations, and speaks
to the transforming power of the Bible.
Books about the Old Testament
The Bible Jesus Read
by Philip Yancey, 1999, Zondervan
Like all of Yancey's books, this is an easy yet thoughtful read. By
looking at several books of the Old Testament, Yancey confronts the issue of
whether the Old Testament is worth the effort.
 The
Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks
and Feels
by Thomas Cahill, 1998, Anchor/Doubleday
Being products of the West, it is almost
impossible for us to grasp how the ancient Hebrews changed everything
about how humans think and feel. Cahill's book does a great job of
describing the uniqueness of the Jews and their relationship with God in
the ancient world. I don't agree with everything he has to say, but
this is an easy read that will deepen your understanding of the Old
Testament. Be prepared though, some parts of this book are pretty
frank with respect to human sexuality and the place of sex in ancient
cultures.
A Survey of the Old Testament
by Andrew E. Hill and John H.
Walton, 2000, Zondervan
This survey is an excellent
introduction to the Old Testament and is suitable for laypeople. It
contains background material on the Old Testament, as well as an overview of
each book. Because it is a widely used textbook, I've often seen
copies on "bargain book" tables and at places like Half-Price
Books. If you keep your eye open, you may be
able to find a copy for less than $15.
An Introduction to the Old Testament
by Raymond Dillard and Tremper Longman, 1994,
Zondervan
There are many surveys of the Old Testament.
This one doesn't have a lot of background material on the Old Testament, but
it has excellent treatments of each book. There is historical
background on each book, as well as a look at its theological message, a
literary analysis, and a brief discussion of each book's relationship to the
New Testament. There is also an extended bibliography for each Old
Testament book. However, this book is more "scholarly" than is Hill &
Walton's A Survey of the Old Testament.
Books about the New Testament
The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is
by N. T. Wright, 1999,
Intervarsity Press
N. T. Wright is probably the
preeminent New Testament scholar working today. In addition to being
an excellent scholar, he has also served as a pastor in the Anglican Church.
Currently, he is Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey. This book is
an introductory, lay person's treatment of the key themes from his monumental
(and scholarly!) work, Jesus and the Victory of God. Wright's
work underlies much of what I teach in class. I recommend this book
highly, but bear in mind that it is not a "light" book. There is a lot
of meat here!
Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology
by P. J. Achtemeier, J. Green,
and M. Thompson, 2001, Eerdman
This is an excellent introduction
to the New Testament. It is provides substantial background to the New
Testament and excellent overviews of the individual books. I have
found it easy to read, while still representing some of the best of New
Testament scholarship.
A Survey of the New Testament
by Robert H. Gundry, 1994,
Zondervan
This is the companion survey
textbook to Hill & Walton's survey of the Old Testament. It contains
background essays as well as an overview of each New Testament. It is
quite suitable for lay people. This book can often be found on bargain
tables and used-book stores.
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