My reading this year has been primarily books by N. T. Wright. He is the Bishop of Durham of the Church of England and a theologian-historian who is leading the latest scholarly effort to re-examine Jesus and St. Paul in the context of 1st century Judaism. He also does an excellent job of presenting Post-Modern approaches to historical studies and Christianity in particular.

Here’s my list:

1. The New Testament and the People of God
2. The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture
3. Paul: In Fresh Perspective
4. The Challenge of Jesus

The last book revisits the efforts of Albert Schweitzer in his landmark book Quest of the Historical Jesus

Obviously, it is time for me to move on to a new author and a new topic.

The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant is excellent. I’ve read that so many times (especially the Schopenhauer chapter) that I’ve had to buy another copy because book was falling apart and the print was starting to smear. It’s actually the book that got me more involved in philosophy.

In the philosophical aspect, I’m going through Plato’s Symposium. This will be my fourth time reading it. And I’m trudging through Camus’ The Rebel.

I am thrilled with all three of these books. In addition to these, I am just finishing up a delightful read, “Tuesday’s with Morrie.” This is a terrific book, of which the man that is being written about quite reminds me of Socrates! Morrie says, “It’s like I keep telling you. When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” Interesting.