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Talon’s 2023 Top 5
Year 1 of the Journal is in the books! Here are my top 5 favorite books I read in 2023.
Timeline
“The purpose of history is to explain the present—to say why the world around us is the way it is. History tells us what is important in our world, and how it came to be. It tells us why the things we value are the things we should value. And it tells us what is to be ignored, or discarded. That is true power—profound power. The power to define a whole society.” - Timeline, Michael Crichton
Conscience
“The conscience is your consciousness of what you believe is right and wrong.” - p. 42
Talking About Race
“None of us are our own independent, self-sustaining streams; we all are connected to the tides of the past, and these tides will wash up on the shores of our lives, communities, and hearts-whether we like it or not.” - Isaac Adams
No Place for Truth
In No Place for Truth Wells looks at how the modernization of America as impacted the evangelical church.
Evangelicalism Divided
Evangelicalism Divided Murray is taking a look at evangelicalism and the changes from 1950-2000.
One Assembly
Jonathan Leeman’s book One Assembly is just that, a biblical case for a church being one assembly.
Church in Hard Places
“For this reason, it is our conviction that churches that are content to merely provide material assistance to needy people are missing an opportunity to minister to them at a deeper level.” - Mez McConnel
What Is the Mission of the Church?
“The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship and obey Jesus Christ now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father” - DeYoung and Gilbert
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
In Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer helps us wrestle with how divine sovereignty and human responsibility are both true.
Evangelism
“Evangelism is teaching (heralding, proclaiming, preaching) the gospel (the message from God that leads us to salvation) to persuade (convince, convert).” - J. Mack Stiles
Revival & Revivalism
Murray weaves biographical accounts into the narrative, trying to follow how revivals shifted to revivalism.
Conversioin
This may be the best of the 9Marks booklet series. If not the best it is the most central. I think many of us take for granted the theology of conversion.
The Trellis and the Vine
Basically, you have structures for leadership, trellis work, and you have true gospel growth, vine work. I love this picture and it gives great language to think through the questions, is my leadership structure focused on helping the vine grow?
The Compelling Community
We all desire community. We were created to live in community. We know this and our churches know that there is a need to worship God as the church. But what is godly community?
Discipling
Dever defines discipling as, “helping someone follow Jesus by doing deliberate spiritual good in his or her life” (p. 47).
The Rule of Love
Prepare to get wrecked! Do you think you know what love is? I thought I did!
Church Discipline
This book is a great resource for pastors and members of churches that already have a view of church discipline.
Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons
If you are considering whether you should be an elder this book would go a long way in figuring that out.