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Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand (Random House)
In 1943, Louis Zamperini planned to be preparing for the Olympics. Instead, he was shot down over the Pacific Ocean, enduring weeks adrift at sea, fighting off sharks, starvation and Japanese fighters reigning down bullets. In this New York Times bestseller, Hillenbrand tells Zamperini’s story of capture, torture and the will to survive.
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What Shall We Say: Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith, Thomas Long (Eerdmans)
Few questions plague us more than this: why is there suffering, in a world ruled by a kind and generous God? Long thoughtfully approaches the question from a unique perspective, wondering what exactly preachers should say about these unsettling realities. Narrating Job, a familiar text for these questions, Long offers personal and pastoral wisdom.
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The King Jesus Gospel, Scot McKnight (Zondervan)
Once again, McKnight offers a trenchant and accessible summary of wide-ranging conversations happening within Christian theology. McKnight weighs in on the core question: what is the gospel? What is the good news that Jesus pronounced — and that the Church proclaims? Gospel is more than (though it includes) salvation, forgiveness and ultimate destiny. The gospel is the full story of Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ as the embodiment of God and the completion of Israel’s mission, Christ as the one who reigns over our entire existence and our entire history. The gospel is the full (and multi-textured) hope of the world.
Winn Collier (www.winncollier.com) is pastor of All Souls, a Baptist congregation in Charlottesville, Va., the author of three books and a columnist. He is a trustee of the Religious Herald.