• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

DONATE
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Our Bloggers
    • Commenting Policy
  • Reading Lists
  • Scholar’s Compass
    • Scholar’s Compass Booklet
    • View Recent Posts
  • Connect
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Donate
    • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Science Corner / Book Review/Discussion / What have you been reading over Christmas Break?

What have you been reading over Christmas Break?

December 30, 2010 by Tom Grosh IV 3 Comments

Inspired by What will you be reading? (Scot McKnight. Jesus Creed Blog. 12/17/2010), I’m curious what Emerging Scholars have been reading over Christmas break.  Just looking for titles.  But if you have some brief comments/recommendations (or link to a longer review), please include them.

Below are the books in my queue.

“Defending Constantine” Cover
“Looking For The King” Cover
“On The Incarnation” Cover
“Straight Man” Cover
“The Book of Pastoral Rule” Cover
“The Year Of Living Biblically” Cover
“Voices of the Turtledoves” Cover

I’ve completed three titles.

  • Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel (David C. Downing. Ignatius. 2010).   David C. Downing provides an fantastic fictionalized dipping into Arthurian legend through the eyes of some “Emerging Scholars” who mix with a phenomenal crew of mentors (i.e., C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, etc) in 1940.  If you’re in South Central PA, don’t miss David C. Downing kicking off our 2o11 Christian Scholar/ESN Series on Monday, January 10, 6:30 pm.  Note:  The series is a partnership with Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ and Elizabethtown Public Library.  For more information click here.  A review of Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel and an author interview are in process.  Stay tuned 🙂
  • On the Incarnation (Saint Athanasius):  An addition to my reading list since I posted on the Jesus Creed (Comment #16).  A classic work which provided significant spiritual encouragement to our family and ministry this CHRISTmas.  As you may remember, On the Incarnation provided direction for the last three posts in the 2010 Advent/Christmas series.
  • The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible (A.J. Jacobs. Simon & Schuster. 2008).  Hard not to laugh and groan through a number of sections in which Jacobs, who describes himself as “Jewish in the same way as Olive Garden is Italian,” becomes a “reverent agnostic” while trying to live out “Biblical law” in the midst of a growing New York City family.  He would have benefited from more New Testament and less appreciation for “cafeteria Christianity”/spirituality.  But I appreciate his cultural critique of religion (including agnosticism), in particular how none of us can be “truly literal” with the complex set of influences in which we find ourselves.  Now it’s time to insert a series of worldview questions. …

I confess three titles which I share on Jesus Creed (Comment #16)* have taken a back seat to

  • Defending Constantine (Peter Leithart. IVP. 2010) — no doubt spurred by Featured: A Yoderian Rejoinder to Leithart’s DEFENDING CONSTANTINE [Vol. 3, #46] and Leithart’s response to John Nugent’s “Yoderian Rejoinder”. Thank-you Chris and Englewood Review of Books!  Thank-you to Kevin for chatting with me about this book on Central PA Christian Scholars’ Facebook page — I’m getting back to you after a family holiday. Anyone else interested in on-line discussion?
  • The Book of Pastoral Rule (Saint Gregory the Great.  Introduction and translation by George E. Demacaopoulos).  Added it to my Christmas list out of curiosity spurred by a friend sharing it was receiving the focus of their attention.  It’s so good that I’ve taken it everywhere I go since Christmas, picking up the “Proverbial/instructional” sections one by one.

*The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher;  Straight Man by Richard Russo (Note: was to be my choice for “time in the air” heading out to InterVarsity’s National Staff Conference.  But we’ll see how far I’ve advanced with Constantine and Saint Gregory); Jeff Bach’s Voices of the Turtledoves: The Sacred World of Ephrata.

About the author:

Tom Grosh IV
Website | Posts

Tom enjoys daily conversations regarding living out the Biblical Story with his wife Theresa and their four girls, around the block, at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church (where he teaches adult electives and co-leads a small group), among healthcare professionals as the Northeast Regional Director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), and in higher ed as a volunteer with the Emerging Scholars Network (ESN). For a number of years, the Christian Medical Society / CMDA at Penn State College of Medicine was the hub of his ministry with CMDA. Note: Tom served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA for 20+ years, including 6+ years as the Associate Director of ESN. He has written for the ESN blog from its launch in August 2008. He has studied Biology (B.S.), Higher Education (M.A.), Spiritual Direction (Certificate), Spiritual Formation (M.A.R.), Ministry to Emerging Generations (D.Min.). To God be the glory!

    This author does not have any more posts.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: Book Review/Discussion, Christ and the Academy, Science Corner Tagged With: Amish, Book recommendations, David C. Downing, Defending Constantine, Jesus Creed, Looking for the King, On the Incarnation, Saint Athanasius, Saint Gregory the Great, scot mcknight, The Book of Pastoral Rule, The Year of Living Biblically

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janine says

    December 30, 2010 at 10:51 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing!! I am also hoping to read “Defending Constantine” over break. I’m also currently finishing an absolutely FANTASTIC book, http://www.amazon.com/Serve-God-Wal-Mart-Christian-Enterprise/dp/0674033221

    Reply
    • Tom Grosh IV says

      December 31, 2010 at 8:00 am

      You’re welcome Janine. As you can probably tell, I love the opportunity and as such it’s great to know someone out there’s interested 😉

      The Walmart book looks fascinating, I’ll place it in my queue. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on “Defending Constantine” — hint 😉

      PS. Next week, I’m going to ask what Emerging Scholars have been watching over Christmas break. Currently I’m taking in “Savior is Born” told by Morgan Freeman, http://www.rabbitears.com/products/43141-the-savior-is-born, with one of my kids. Wow!

      Reply
  2. W. Brian Lane says

    January 8, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    The only book I was able to read over break (and I still haven’t finished it) is “Towers of Midnight,” the thirteenth and latest installment in The Wheel of Time series (and the second written after the original author’s death). It’s been very dramatic, especially after a pivotal redemptive moment at the end of the twelfth book. The final book is supposed to come out in about a year.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Become a Member

Membership is Free. Sign up and receive our monthly newsletter and access ESN member benefits.

Join ESN Today

Scholar’s Compass Booklet

Scholar's Compass Booklet

Click here to get your copy

Top Posts

  • 5 Practical Ways to Avoid Cultural Domination and Neo-Colonialism in Western Missions
  • The Message of Genesis 1
  • Faith and Reason, Part 3: Aquinas
  • Faith and Reason, Part 2: Augustine
  • Christian Views of Creation

Facebook Posts

Facebook Posts

Footer

About Us

The Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) is a national network within InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries which supports those on the academic pathway as they work out how their academic vocation serves God and others. We encourage and equip undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and early career faculty as they navigate each stage of their academic vocation and transition to the next step in or beyond the academy.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

  • Confession
  • Temptation: The Little Lie
  • Science Corner: Finding the Proteins of Theseus

Article Categories

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us
Member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
Copyright © 2023 - InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA ®. All rights reserved.

InterVarsity, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, and the InterVarsity logo are trademarks of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and its affiliated companies.