REMINDER: Win the Godology Starter Stack

First Anniversary Celebration! Subscribe and win the Godology Starter Stack!

I’m sending out a new post tomorrow, but I wanted to resend this one to remind you about the drawing for the book giveaway.

Thank you for reading my Godology newsletter! I can’t believe that I started this little project a year ago this month. To show my gratitude for you, I want to celebrate this anniversary by giving away something I absolutely love: books! I’m calling this collection of books the “Godology Starter Stack.” It’s an assortment of volumes that I’ve enjoyed, that have shaped my thinking, and that I think you will also enjoy and benefit from.

At the end of February I will randomly select one subscriber to win the Godology Starter Stack. I am also going to be opening up a paid subscription option, and if you become a paid subscriber I will double your chance to win the Starter Stack. I will also be sharing some additional opportunities that will be available exclusively to paid subscribers. I hope you will consider become a paid patron of my work.

Anyway, I think you’re going to love this stack of books. Here’s why.

The Gospel According to John, Scripture journal

The gospel of John is a biblical masterpiece, displaying a vision of God the Son in human nature, Jesus Christ, unlike any other part of Scripture. Preaching through John the last few years was powerful and formative for me. Spending time in this book will feed your soul. (If you win the starter stack, I will let you choose either a Greek or English version of the Scripture journal).

The Enchiridion, by Augustine

Most folks start reading Augustine with his Confessions, which is a great option. It’s the first in the trilogy of his “big three,” together with The Trinity and the City of God. That said, I think another great entry point is his Enchiridion, which is a “handbook” (that’s what “enchiridion” means) of basic Christian beliefs. I have found The Enchridion to be a helpful and insightful book, and I think you will, too.

Delighting in the Trinity, by Michael Reeves

When I read Delighting in the Trinity almost ten years ago, it blew my mind and filled my heart. I’d studied the doctrine of the Trinity fairly deeply, but this was another ball game. Reeves pulls back the curtain on the most important doctrine in Christianity powerfully in this volume. You will learn and love God more when you’re done reading it.

Dominion, by Tom Holland

Holland is not a Christian, which makes his argument in this book all the more compelling. He shows how the entire culture in which we swim has been influenced by Christian teaching in a zillion ways and to immeasurable depths. This is a challenging and somewhat long book, but it’s worth the time. I think it will encourage you with the goodness of Christianity for the world.

A Time to Build, by Yuval Levin

Along with Dominion, Levin’s volume has been one of the most influential non-biblical books for me in the last few years. Levin is a conservative political scholar, and he argues that our society is withering from the lack of strong institutions. Instead of molds that shape behavior, we have turned institutions into platforms for our own advantage. This needs to change. Levin helps show the way, and you will want to be a part of the solution when you’ve read his proposal.

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, by Stephen King

My longtime favorite movie The Shawshank Redemption is based on this novella by Stephen King. Here King steps outside of his normal genre of horror and tells the story of a man unjustly sentenced to life in prison. Along the way, you will find a compelling tale of hope in life’s dark places.

Confronting Racial Injustice, edited by Gerald Hiestand and Joel Lawrence

I was privileged to contribute an essay in this book about my own experience of being a white pastor in a majority-black church and community. There are a lot of thought-provoking essays here. You will probably disagree with some of them or parts of many of them. But each one will stretch your thinking on the critical topic of race and injustice in our culture from a Christian perspective.

Songs of the Narrow Road, by Danny Slavich

A few years ago I collected some of my best poetry together and had it printed. I’d had the thought since I read Song of the Open Road by Walt Whitman in college to riff on this title with Jesus’s call to the narrow road. Thus, the title. Now, fair warning, this is some of my best poetry, but that might be like being the tallest kid in kindergarten. So far this volume has sold like seven copies, so thanks for being recipient number eight.

Subscribe!

So, what are you waiting for? Subscribe and get this awesome Starter Stack of books!

And don’t forget to double your fun with a paid subscription.