2014 – Justin Daniel

This is a list of the books I read in 2014. All the reviews were written in 2014 and are archived on this site in (roughly) the order I read them in.

Book Reviews 2014

- The Cross of Christ, John R.W. Stott
  September 15, 20192014 / Book ReviewsPeople are always looking for that “quick fix” for their lives: “All you have to do to find true happiness is steps 1, 2, and 3!” Unfortunately, the church has soaked up this harmful practice. Church attenders today, in America, are sadly drawn in by rhetoric that has little to do with the Bible in order to live “your best life now.” What you really need is to know Jesus: who he is and what he did and why it’s important. I am so saddened when I talk to folks who show no interest in theology. Granted, theology has gotten a negative reputation as being something for academics and has little use outside the classroom. However, after reading John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ,” this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Not understanding theology is what is keeping you suckling milk when the academics are chewing on hearty meat. Understanding theology helps us in our sanctification and strengthen and deepen our relationship with God. It was surprising to me to find out most Christians do not know the real reason why Jesus died on the cross (I’m getting to the book soon, I just need to stand on this soapbox for a minute), and the answers we typically give are mostly erroneous. Yes, he loves us, but why the cross? If he simply had to die because he loves us, that seems shallow and superficial. No, God has a hatred for sin, seen in Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” God’s wrath is against sin. Therefore, to be justified, or declared not guilty, someone had to take the penalty for God’s wrath. Therefore, the reason Jesus died on the cross was to satisfy (propitiation: see Romans 3:23) the Father’s wrath against sin, the exchange being Jesus’ righteousness for your sin. How do we respond to this act of love? We fall down to our knees in worship! But we also consider the sin in our life. When we understand how much God hates sin, then we begin to hate sin. Our theology determines our methodology! These are some of the truth’s found in Stott’s book. This is merely the surface however. This book is eye opening: it reveals what depth of love Jesus has for us, how much God hates sin, both of which are impossible to truly understand given a theology based on superficial presuppositions like “Christ died for YOU on the cross.” This cheapens both Christ’s death and Christianity. Stott’s book has solidified in my mind the need to educate the layman in theology: it is not merely an academic exercise. Understanding the cross is crucial to a correct understanding of who Jesus is and without it, we perpetuate the Church’s steady decline into irrelevance. This definitely deserves a second read because it is sometimes not easy to understand, but Stott presents such a sound argument with loads of evidence considering all the points (which can be confusing at times). I have learned much from Christ’s experience on the cross and the subsequent response we as Christian should have when we discover such magnificent truths. I would recommend you pick up a copy to read for yourself! “If we spoke less about God’s love and more about his holiness, more about his judgment, we should say much more when we did speak of his love.”...
- John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock, Iain Murray
  September 25, 20192014 / Book ReviewsI read “Servant of the Word and Flock” a couple of months ago but this book still sticks out in my mind. I have long associated with John MacArthur with a kind of spiritual father: it was through his ministry at Grace to You that led to my belated salvation. So I’m very grateful for him and his ministry but also incredibly impacted by his teaching. I took up this book with interest to understand why this man has become so influential in modern day Evangelical Christianity. That being said, several things stick out right away. Something about reading biographies of great Christian men help spurn on enthusiasm for radically altering your own life’s routine. What struck me about Dr. MacArthur was his personal study. Before becoming the pastor of Grace Community Church, he told the elders he needed at least 30 hours a week of preparation time for his sermons. One of the most stunning moments of his career, I think, was the completion of his sermon series on Mark where he preached through the entire New Testament in a 30+ year time period. Obviously this man knows his bible. Another defining moment in the book was the vast maturation of his radio ministry. Admittedly, this resonates particularly strong with me because I was impacted by the huge resource library available at Grace to You. Apparently, Dr. MacArthur was receiving letters from all over the world about how his sermons helped them in their spiritual life. There are really many topics I could choose to talk about that make John MacArthur a great man: the building up his church from a few dozen people to over a thousand; the inception of Masters Seminary and it’s growth; the focus on international missions, where John took an extended survey of South East Asian Churches in the 70’s, among others. When observing the massive legacy John MacArthur has imprinted on Evangelical Christianity in America, I believe he will be remembered as one of the great theologians of our time. For years he has faithfully built a reputation that is based on the inerrant word of God, the Bible, and has never caved to the pressures of modernity in our ever changing world. I definitely recommend Iain Murray’s book to everyone interested in reading about this great man of the faith!...

The Cross of Christ

Washington: A Life

Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over

Starship Troopers

Mao: The Unknown Story

Refugee (Star Wars: Force Heretic, #2)

The Story of Christianity, Vol II: The Reformation to the Present

The Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers

The Courage to Be Protestant: Truth-Lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World

The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

The Japanese and Christianity: Why is Christianity not widely believed in Japan?

First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps

Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Black Hawk Down

Rainbow 6

Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)

The Last Stand Of Fox Company: A True Story Of U.S. Marines In Combat

Without Remorse

John Macarthur: Minister of the Flock

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I Heard My Country Calling: a Memoir

Animal Farm

1984

Fight Club

Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis

The Lion’s Gate: On the Front Lines of the Six Days War

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames

The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Daniel Commentary

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller

The Life of the Automobile: The Complete History of the Motor Car

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden

Level Zero Heroes: The Story of U.S. Marine Special Operations in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan

A Christmas Carol

The Giver

The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight

Visions Of America: A History Of The United States

Debt of Honor

The Hobbit

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story

The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning

Justin

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