Because I didn’t have much control over what I was reading the last two years while getting my Master’s, I gave my mind a bit of a reading break in 2024. That being said, of the books I did read, these were the best.
Modern Genre Theory by Andrew Judd
If you want to know the Bible better—which is really an ancient anthology of books written to people of different times and places in genres that continued to evolve with each culture—then it’s good to understand a little bit of genre theory. If that sounds boring, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Not only is Judd’s information very interesting, but he also has quite a bit of humor, which is hard to come by in biblical studies. This is well worth a read and written for anyone to enjoy.
Is God to Blame? by Greg Boyd
This is an older book from one of my favorite theologians. While I’m already pretty well studied on the topic of open theism (the belief that God knows all possible futures, not just one), I still found this book incredibly engaging. Whether you’re new to the topic or have been studying it for a while, this one is the right read for you on this topic.
Women and the Gender of God by Amy Peeler
As a feminist, I’m always looking for good feminist theology to read. Peeler gives some great insight that I hadn’t considered before. Some of the thoughts that especially stuck with me revolved around Mary as the mother of Jesus. We Protestants tend to downplay Mary so much that I think we miss a lot of the brainstorming exercises that her character brings to good theology.
The Widening of God’s Mercy by Christopher B. and Richard B. Hays
Regardless of where you fall on Hays’ conclusion, this is an excellent theological work that engages the study of God in a way I have rarely seen. It’s not afraid to remind us of some strange Bible passages that we don’t give enough thought to—several of which we probably didn’t even notice were in the Bible. I especially love that it takes those weird passages seriously instead of watering them down or saying, “Well it didn’t really mean that.” Even outside of the topic of sexuality, this book has some incredible theological thoughts that can be more widely applied to a number of conversations.
The Erotic Word by David M. Carr
It has been a long time since I have been so gripped by a scholarly work like this one. Carr illuminates God’s love in a way that few scholars dare to consider. For that reason, his book reads more powerfully and applicably than many scholarly books do. Well worth the read.
The Lost World of the Prophets by John H. Walton
If there was one book I wanted to recommend to the general church audience on Biblical prophecy, this would be the one. As usual, John Walton writes powerfully for both scholars and laypeople alike, and he does a terrific job of setting the record straight on what prophecy is and isn’t. He also helps his readers get a better grip on how to read books that fall into the apocalyptic genre, which is very needed for modern Christians. I think this book is important for all Christians to read.
They Flew by Carlos M.N. Eire
There is a lot of documentation throughout history that shows us that the saints did really weird and impossible things. This large publication from Yale University Press does a great job of documenting the impossible for us. Eire also shows us some of the false signs and wonders of fraudulent people so we can compare the true and the false. This book will have even supernaturalists such as myself raising an eyebrow in surprise.
Discovering an Evangelical Heritage by Donald W. Dayton
Though Dayton wrote this book back in the 80’s, it has much to say to Evangelicals today. Much of his point is that the heritage of evangelicals is to progressively blaze new trails in outreach and theology alongside the Holy Spirit so that we might reach more with the gospel and engage in modern justice issues. Yet every time a new wave of energy moves the evangelical church forward, we return to stagnancy right after. We then go on to fight what God is up to in the next wave. Dayton’s prophetic points need to be heard by the church again today.
Middlewest by Skottie Young
Being a nerd, I read several graphic novels this year, of which Middlewest was my favorite. This fantasy novel feels both magical and like the everyday world at the same time. Far from being trivial, this book carried deep meaning as it was unexpectedly about a boy dealing with his abusive father. Skottie Young has now become one of my favorite artists.
Descender by Jeff Lemire
I got an amazing idea for a book I wanted to write halfway through reading this compendium, but then found out that my story was the ending to this book. I had apparently picked up on the breadcrumbs they were laying down early on. Haha. Nonetheless, this is a great book about the topic of AI and robots—one that we need to take more and more seriously each year. AI has the ability to think, and this book invites us to treat it kindly.
Jamin Bradley 
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