We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. A.W. Tozer
Therefore let God-inspired Scripture decide between us; and on whichever side be found doctrines in harmony with the word of God, in favor of that side will be cast the vote of truth. --Basil of Caesarea
Once you learn to discern, there's no going back. You will begin to spot the lie everywhere it appears.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service. 1 Timothy 1:12

Monday, January 1, 2018

Books I Read in 2017


As with previous years (all but 2016 now deleted) I am following the idea of other bloggers and letting my readers know what sorts of things I read — well, that is, besides the Bible and newsletters, journals, etc!   This has actually been another fairly slow year for reading books; hard to find time.

Like 2016, a few books were repeat reads for me for various reasons (some so I could give them away, but mostly just too many years passed to remember what was in them!).  Those will be noted in blue.  For the most part, the titles should tell you what the subject was.  You’ll notice that my two favorite subjects are history and theology.  But if you’re interested in seeing what I fill my head with, take a gander below. (These are the order in which they were read, as I build my list as I go).

The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story, by Elliott West

Images of America: Fort Yellowstone

A Basic History of the United States, Vol. 4: The Growth of America 1878-1928,  by Clarence B. Carson

On the Reliability of the Old Testament, by K.A. Kitchen 

Images of America:  Yellowstone National Park

The Lady Be Good, by Dennis E. McClendon
(Story about a B-24 bomber which crash-landed in the Libyan desert in 1943 and found 16 years later: how they overshot their base and what happened to the crew, etc)

The First World War, by Hew Strachan

The Four Feathers, by A.E.W. Mason
(Novel which led to several movie versions, of which I have the 1939, 1977, and 2002 versions, and I wanted to see which followed the book the best.)

A Basic History of the United States, Vol. 5: The Welfare State 1929-1985, by Clarence B. Carson

The American Muhammad, by Alvin J. Schmidt
(About Joseph Smith, Mormon “prophet”)

The Anxious Christian, by Rhett Smith
(Read at the request of the book’s owner, and I found it to be very poor teaching.)

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
(Wanted to see what the movie was based on; the movie was better than the book!)

Standing for Christ in a Modern Babylon, by Marvin Olasky

1914 and the Gentile Times, by Ralph Woodrow
(Examining Jehovah’s Witness claims)

The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
(Comparing with the movie, and so the next book will be more fun. Too many years since I read both books because mine were loaned out and never came back, and I replaced them finally this past year)

The Darwin Conspiracy, by James Scott Bell
(Using the plot of “The Maltese Falcon,” but instead of the bird the item chased is a manuscript explaining the conspiracy to make everyone believe evolution.  Pretty witty, but also with lots of historical footnotes.)

Possession and Exorcism, by Traugott K. Oesterreich  
(I only read about 1/3 of the book before giving up.  Too much hokum and unbiblical nonsense. Book was given to me by an elderly friend.)

Betrayal at Little Gibraltar, by William Walker
(About a World War I battle.)

The Rage Against God, by Peter Hitchens
(Passed to me by a friend — for my “entertainment”)

The End of Reason, by Ravi Zacharias

Exodus: Myth or History? by David Rohl

Cedar Rapids: Tall Corn and High Technology, by Ernie Danek

Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture, by Anthony Esolen

The Big Red One: American’s Legendary 1st Infantry Division from World War 1 to Desert Storm, by James Scott Wheeler

A History of the Holocaust, by Saul S. Friedman

Jesus Among Secular Gods: The Counterculture Claims of Christ, by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale

The Mystery of E Troop: Custer’s Gray Horse Company at the Little Big Horn, by Gregory Michno

The Love Dare, by Stephen & Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough

The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan

Saving Kennedy, by Jerry L. Pattison
(Time travel stories)

Mormonism Unveiled or Life & Confession of John D. Lee and Brigham Young

Measuring the Music, Another Look at the Contemporary Christian Music Debate, by John Makujina

Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth, Isaac Watts

The Improvement of the Mind, A Supplement to Logic, with A Discourse on the Education of Children and Youth, by Isaac Watts

Trusting the Shepherd: Insights From Psalm 23, by Haddon W. Robinson

2 comments:

April said...

Thank you for the list. Now I won't waste my time reading the Book Thief. I, too, try to read books before watching the movies. It's rare when the movie is better than the book.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Hi April,

The book had lots of foul language and sexual stuff, totally uncalled for in the story. We really liked the movie, though!