FAVORITE NON-FICTION OF 2021

 

Courtesy of Enclave Publishing

Yesterday, I shared my favorite fiction books of this year. Today, I'm dealing with non-fiction. I mentioned I had a goal of reading 12 such books, and came just short of doubling that target.

Since a lot of the fiction authors I read are friends on Facebook, and I don't want any to think I like another author better than them, I put the lists in alphabetic order by author. I usually don't have that situation with non-fiction writers, I am quicker to put them in order from my favorite and down. This year, I did some debating. Partly because I do know one of the authors on my list personally and that my wife has met another. And while there might be books I want to promote and have everybody read it, this year I'm hoping you will consider getting (or at least checking out and reading) all ten of these.

I mentioned earlier this week that I reread three non-fiction books. I debated considering them in my top ten list, and if i did, all three would be in the top ten. All three of them, by the way, made my list the first time I read them.  So I decided to leave them off the list. But which books are they? I'll gladly tell you. They're, in alphabetic order by title:

1. Getting to Know The Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction (2nd edition) by Bryan Litfin. (My previous listing may have been from the 1st edition.)
2. Living The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J. Mahaney.
   
3. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. 

So here is my list of non-fiction for this year:

1. Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers. 
   
2. Beyond Poverty: Multiplying Sustainable Community Development by Terry Dalrymple.
3. Calling on the Name of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of Prayer by J. Gary Millar (New Studies in Biblical Theology, No. 38).
   
4. Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice by Thaddeus J. Williams.
5. Corporate Worship: How the Church Gathers as God's People by Matt Merker (9Marks: Building Healthy Churches).
   
6. The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ by Randy Singer.
7. Facing Snarls and Scowls: Preaching through Hostility, Apathy, and Adversity in Church Revitalization by Brian Croft and James B. Carroll.
8. Faith Seeking Freedom: Christian Libertarian Answers to Tough Questions by Dr. Norman Horn, Doug Stuart, Kerry Baldwin, and Dick Clark.
9. Voice of a Prophet: Who Speaks For God? by A.W. Tozer.
10. When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians by Todd Nettleton. 

You'll notice that unlike my fiction list, all I gave on this list is the title, author, and if applicable the series it's in. That's because in the case of nine of them, you can tell what the book is about with just the title and subtitle. The exception is #6, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ, which has no subtitle. The book is written by attorney and pastor Randy Singer, and looks at key confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees.

If you want to know the order I placed them, yell, and I'll let you know. And if you've been a faithful follower of this blog and have been reading all the entries for at least the past four days, you'll know which one was number one.

Which books have you read and been blessed by? Which of these have you read? Which ones will be on the top of your reading list? And which one of these is written by an author that has shown up frequently on my favorite fiction lists?

BOOK REVIEW: BEYOND POVERTY BY TERRY DALRYMPLE

 

In Beyond Poverty: Multiplying Sustainable Community Development, Terry Dalrymple gives a vision to overcome worldwide poverty. The solution, however, is not through the state but the church. He sees the answer also being a movement that is able to multiply.

The author of this book served on the mission field before joining Medical Ambassadors International (MAI), where he was trained in Community Health Evangelism (CHE). He founded and is current coordinator of the Global CHE Network, and is cofounder and current VP of the Alliance for Tranformational Ministry. Additionally, he is an instructor at the Genevea Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at the United Nations.

Dalrymple points out that while there are physical aspects in dealing with poverty, the root is the evil in our hearts. While faith in Christ alone may not irradicate poverty, the transformation in the believer's life should be visible so said transformation becomes contagious to the community and beyond. He gives examples how some belief systems help keep others poor, and in one segment Dalrymple illustrates how latrines can be a sign of spiritual growth.

There are five fundamental principles of what Dalrymple calls "wholistic transformational ministry:

1. Integration of the physical and the spiritual;
2. Asset-based development (funded not by outsiders but by what the participants have access to);
3. Community ownership of the ministry;
4. Multiplication; and
5. Self-discovery.

One powerful point of the book is an inclusion of a pair of warehouses built in the third world. One was funded by an outsider, and it looked functional. The second had been built by the contributions of the villagers who were going to be using it, and that warehouse was a solid, well built building.

Dalrymple gives examples of how CHE has changed communities around the world in the villages of Asia, Africa, and South America. 

If you want to be a part of the solution to the poor, I highly recommend that you acquire this powerful little book and consider how you can impact the lives of others. He gives information how to get involved in CHE.

Let me add an item. How many of you have a former room-mate who addressed the U.N.? I've known Terry since we attended Southwestern College (now Arizona Christian University) in Phoenix, Arizona in the late '70's. Is that why I highly recommend this book? No! I believe it is well worth reading.

If you are interested in learning more about the Global CHE Network, you can check their webpage at www.chenetwork.org.