I wanted to take some time to reflect on some of the better books I’ve read in 2006. Between teaching prep and grad school, I spend quite a bit of time reading. I don’t know how many books I’ve read this year, but I compiled my top 5 list of the most important / enjoyable reads of the year. Not all of these were released in 2006, but these were texts that impacted me at some level this year. Here goes:
5. Fantasyland by Sam Walker. Each summer, I make a special point to read a baseball-related book. A few summers back it was Shoeless Joe. Then it was Moneyball. This was my baseball book this summer. Well, sort of. Fantasyland is a book about the addicting craziness that is fantasy baseball. If you’re even a semi-serious Roto player, you gotta read this book. Only 3 months till draft night!
4. God’s Politics by Jim Wallis. I’m almost finished with this one and I can already tell it’s not going to crack the top 3. Wallis can be a bit verbose (I wish he would’ve lopped off about 75 pages of anecdotal material) but his message is an important one. He critiques the Republican Party for co-opting Christianity and distilling “faith & values” to two issues: abortion and homosexuality. But he also hammers the Democrats for not even allowing faith to enter into the discussion. A must read for Christians on both sides of the aisle.
3. The Shaping of Things to Come by Frost & Hirsch. I had to read this one for a grad class in October and I’m still sorting through some of its implications. The authors issue a prophetic call for the church to return to her roots as a missional, messianic, organic presence in our world. I’m not entirely comfortable with all of their conclusions, but no other book has caused me to so closely consider the future of the church. I probably need to re-read this one after letting it percolate for a few months.
2. Simply Christian by N. T. Wright. This is sure to go down as one of this decade’s classic Christian texts. Wright does away with the “insider language” that corrupts so much of Christendom’s jargon and expresses the faith in beautifully evocative terms. This would be a great book to offer a seeker looking for an explanation of Christian faith and doctrine. Simple, concise, profound…Wright has given us a treasure in Simply Christian.
1. Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp. This book challenged me so thoroughly that I often found myself uncomfortable with what I was reading. I soon understood that my discomfort came from years of explaining away (or in some cases, completely ignoring) the words of Jesus. Thanks to this book, Jesus has become the litmus test for everything in my life. Camp caused me to reevaluate my understanding of discipleship and its implications. What does it mean to follow Jesus? And by following Jesus, what sort of things will I have to abandon? I think everybody ought to read this book. It made me love Jesus more and for that, it earns my designation as Book of the Year.
There’s my list, folks. What’s been the best book you’ve read this year?
already & not yet 
I agree that Wallis could have said all he did in a much thinner book. That was one of my complaints about it. But, like you said, it’s worth wading through.I still have The Shaping of Things… and Simply Christian on my shelf and haven’t gotten to them yet. I hope to read Wright’s soon, though.I read Mere Discipleship nearly 3 years ago, I think, shortly after it was published. I wasn’t really ready for it at the time, but it still spurred me on to other things. I’ve wanted to read it again, but still haven’t yet.
My mother really enjoyed Mere Discipleship. I think I’d like to read it.
Greg, Simply Christian won’t take you very long. It’s a great read. The Shaping of Things To Come might take a little longer but it’s equally worthwhile.Kenny, you should pick up a copy of Mere Discipleship and give it a read. It’s one of the most influential books I’ve ever read.