The A-Team Blog Book of the Year Award (2005)

Date March 2, 2006 Posted by Roger Overton

Last week I announced the books that qualify for
The A-Team Blog Book of the Year for 2005. Of the 28 books I read that were
published last year I’ve chosen one that I consider the best, and two that are
also noteworthy. There are, of course, more good ones than only these three.


2005 Book of the Year

 The 2005 Book of the Year is Truth and the New Kind of
Christian by R. Scott Smith. I must admit for full disclosure that I’ve
known Dr. Smith for several years, but I truly believe this book is the most
important from last year. 

Truth and the New Kind of Christian is an analysis of
postmodern philosophy in the works of Stanley Hauerwas, Stanley Grenz, John
Franke, Brad Kallenberg, Brian McLaren, and Tony Jones. Dr. Smith goes to great
lengths to fairly describe the ideas he seeks to critique; so much so that the
first half of the book is dedicated to simply explaining what postmodernism is
and stating what these men have written about it.

Dr. Smith takes these men’s ideas seriously, in context, and
explains what’s at stake in the discussion. Then he offers an uncompromising
critique of Christian postmodernism (as taught by these men) and a defense for
objective truth and our ability to access it. Because of the importance of the issues
addressed, and the quality with which Scott Smith handles them, Truth and
the New Kind of Christian is the Book of the Year for 2005.

Another quality book from 2005 was C.S.
Lewis’s Case for Christ by Art Lindsley. Each chapter of the book is placed in the context
of a story about a bookstore study group made up of people from various
backgrounds. After a chapter is introduced through the group’s discussion, it
transitions to a non-fiction text addressing different obstacles C.S. Lewis
faced in coming to faith and how he overcame them.

Lindsley analyzes twelve obstacles Lewis confronted
including “chronological snobbery,” whether Christianity is mythology, whether
faith is rational, if morals are relative, and if only one religion can be
considered true. His study is great on its own, but the narrative context he
places it in makes C.S. Lewis’s Case for Christ a one of a kind book.*

*My full review will be published in Areopagus Journal
later this year

2005 Runner-Up

2005 Runner-Up

 From my review: “Bruce Ware’s Father, Son, &
Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, & Relevance, seeks to provide us
with the robust understanding we lack [about the Trinity]. The brief 158 page
book is an adaptation from a series of lectures Dr. Ware gave at a conference
in 2004 and is broken down into six chapters… The book is a very easy read,
though it is far from simple. I still think James R. White’s The Forgotten
Trinity is the best book available in regards to the Biblical basis of the
doctrine. However, Dr. Ware’s is the best I’ve seen that explains the roles of
each person and how the doctrine should apply to how we live…. If you are
seeking a deeper understanding of the Trinity and the relevance the nature of
God has in your life, Father, Son & Holy Spirit is a must read.”

Related posts:

  1. The A-Team Blog Book of the Year Award (2005): Contestants
  2. John's New Blog
  3. The A-Team Blog: Part 2
  4. Welcome to The A-Team Blog
  5. My Final A-Team Blog Post
  6. Book Review: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit by Bruce Ware

Category Posted in Book Reviews, Main Page, Roger's Posts

One Response to “The A-Team Blog Book of the Year Award (2005)”

  1. Anonymous said:

    March 6th, 2006 at 10:31 pm

    I ordered your number one pick. Thanks for putting up your reviews.

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