Books completed in 2020 - Part Two

I love to read, but while I do a fair amount of reading for study and research, or to fuel my preaching and writing, I do not at present get to just sit down and reads loads of books cover to cover over the course of a year. There are other pressing responsibilities and activities that must take priority, and that is as it should be. Nonetheless, in addition to the articles, essays, and think-pieces I will digest in a year, I do discipline myself to make time to actually sit down and work through several books cover to cover. This year I finished 15 books (if anyone is wondering, I do not count listening to audio books – something I do only rarely – or skim reading). I will not review these books here, but simply list them below with title, a copied and pasted book description and author bio, and a page count. I will list these books in 3 parts, 5 at a time. This is part 2. You can read part one here: Books completed in 2020 - Part One | RyanBurtonKing.blogspot.com

Dominion: the Making of the Western Mind – Tom Holland (2019)

Book Description

Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebears, and dismiss all religion as pointless superstition, remain recognisably its heirs. Seen close-up, the division between a sceptic and a believer may seem unbridgeable. Widen the focus, though, and Christianity's enduring impact upon the West can be seen in the emergence of much that has traditionally been cast as its nemesis: in science, in secularism, and yes, even in atheism.

That is why Dominion will place the story of how we came to be what we are, and how we think the way that we do, in the broadest historical context. Ranging in time from the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC to the on-going migration crisis in Europe today, and from Nebuchadnezzar to the Beatles, it will explore just what it was that made Christianity so revolutionary and disruptive; how completely it came to saturate the mind-set of Latin Christendom; and why, in a West that has become increasingly doubtful of religion's claims, so many of its instincts remain irredeemably Christian. The aim is twofold: to make the reader appreciate just how novel and uncanny were Christian teachings when they first appeared in the world; and to make ourselves, and all that we take for granted, appear similarly strange in consequence. We stand at the end-point of an extraordinary transformation in the understanding of what it is to be human: one that can only be fully appreciated by tracing the arc of its parabola over millennia.

About the author

Tom Holland is an award-winning historian, biographer and broadcaster. He is the author of
Rubicon: The Triumph and the Tragedy of the Roman Republic, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize; Persian Fire his history of the Graeco-Persian wars, won the Anglo-Hellenic League’s Runciman Award in 2006; Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom, a panoramic account of the two centuries on either side of the apocalyptic year 1000; In the Shadow of the Sword, which covers the collapse of Roman and Persian power in the Near East, and the emergence of Islam; and Dynasty, a portrait of Rome's first imperial dynasty.

He has adapted Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides and Virgil for the BBC. His translation of Herodotus was published in 2013 by Penguin Classics. His biography of Æthelstan, the first King of England, was published in 2016 under the Penguin Monarchs series, and his biography of Æthelflæd, England’s Forgotten Founder, was a Ladybird Expert Book published in 2019. In 2007, he was the winner of the Classical Association prize, awarded to ‘the individual who has done most to promote the study of the language, literature and civilisation of Ancient Greece and Rome’.

Holland is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Making History. He has written and presented a number of TV documentaries, for the BBC and Channel 4, on subjects ranging from ISIS to dinosaurs.

He served two years as the Chair of the Society of Authors and is Chair of the British Library’s PLR Advisory Committee.

624 pages

We Need To Talk About Race: Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches  – Ben Lindsay (2019) 

Book Description 

From the UK Church’s complicity in the transatlantic slave trade to the whitewashing of Christianity throughout history, the Church has a lot to answer for when it comes to race relations. Christianity has been dubbed the white man’s religion, yet the Bible speaks of an impartial God and shows us a diverse body of believers.

It’s time for the Church to start talking about race. Ben Lindsay offers eye-opening insights into the black religious experience, challenging the status quo in white majority churches. Filled with examples from real-life stories, including his own, and insightful questions, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of race relations in the Church in the UK and shows us how we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community.

About the author 

Ben Lindsay is a pastor at Emmanuel Church London. He is passionate about inclusion and 

wants to see a racially diverse church that better serves and represents the local context. Ben is CEO and founder of Power The Fight, a charity empowering communities to end youth violence. He has a background working in local government and the charity sector. We Need To Talk About Race is his first book.

 216 pages 

The President is Missing – Bill Clinton and James Patterson (2018)

Book Description 

As an unprecedented cyberterrorist attack cripples the United States, the President must face an unthinkable truth:

There is a traitor in his Cabinet. His life is in danger.

And the only way to stay ahead of the shadowy forces tearing at the heart of America is to go off the grid, leaving behind his presidential protection. The President must go missing – and he may never resurface…

Set over the course of three days that shake a nation to its core, The President is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of the American government. Filled with information that only a former President could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying thriller in years.

About the authors

Bill Clinton was elected president of the United States in 1992 and served two terms. After
leaving the White House, he established the Clinton Foundation, which helps improve global health, increase opportunity for girls and women, reduce childhood obesity and preventable diseases, create economic opportunity and growth, and address the effects of climate change. He is the author of a number of nonfiction works, including My Life, which was a #1 international bestseller. This is his first novel. James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 385 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books for young readers including the Middle School, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, Dog Diaries and Max Einstein series. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed author of adult fiction in UK libraries for the past eleven years in a row. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.

 528 pages 

Let Justice Roll Down – John M Perkins (1976) 

Book Description 

His brother died in his arms, shot by a deputy marshall. He was beaten and tortured by the sheriff and state police. But through it all he returned good for evil, love for hate, progress for prejudice and brought hope to black and white alike. The story of John Perkins is no ordinary story. Rather, it is a gripping portrayal of what happens when faith thrusts a person into the midst of a struggle against racism, oppression and injustice. It is about the costs of discipleship, the jailings, the floggings, the despair, the sacrifice. And it is about the transforming work of faith that allowed John to respond to such overwhelming indignities with miraculous compassion, vision and hope.

About the author

John Perkins has ministered among the poor for nearly 50 years. He founded Mendenhall Ministries, Voice of Calvary Ministries and the Harambee Christian Family Center and Preparatory School, and was co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association. He was publisher of Urban Family Magazine and is the author of nine books, including the civil rights classic Let Justice Roll Down, one of the top 50 books of the last half of the twentieth century, according to Christianity Today. Despite dropping out of school before he was 10, he now holds 8 honorary doctorates. John has served on the boards of directors of World Vision, Prison Fellowship, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Spring Arbor College, and others. He is an international speaker and a teacher on the issues of racial reconciliation, indigenous leadership development and community development. Seattle Pacific University recently opened the John Perkins Center for Reconciliation.

 219 pages

5 Things to Pray for Your City: Prayers that Change Things for Your Church, Community and Culture - Helen Thorne and Pete Nicholas (2018)

Book Description 

Our cities are full of people, full of needs, and bursting with opportunity. The United Nations estimates that 60% of the world's population will live in cities by 2030.

Urban churches have the world on our doorstep. But if we want to see God work in our cities and through our churches, we need to pray.

That's where this little book is designed to help. It will enlarge your vision and equip you to pray passionately and powerfully for the salvation and renewal of your city.

Each chapter takes a passage of Scripture and suggests 5 things to pray for an area of city life. Because when we pray in line with God's priorities as found in his word, our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5 v 16)—and that's a truly thrilling prospect.

This book has been developed in partnership with London City Mission and Redeemer City to City, and is flexible enough to be used whatever your urban context.

About the authors

Helen Thorne is Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK and an experienced counsellor. She formerly worked with London City Mission and has written Purity is Possible, Walking with Domestic Abuse Suffers and 5 Things to Pray for Your City. She attends Dundonald Church in Raynes Park, London.

Pete Nicholas is a senior pastor at Inspire London church, which is part of the Redeemer City to City network. He is on the City to City UK executive team. Previously he worked for Christians in Sport, and before that as a management consultant in the technology industry. He has also written Virtually Human: Flourishing in a Digital World.

72 pages