My Most Important Books of 2023

My hope each year to read at least five books that have a real impact on the way I see the world and sharpen my thinking in some way. I never like to use the term “best books” because the books I pick are simply based on how they impacted me in a given year. There are times that I recognize that a book maybe should be a “best book” but it does not impact me the way another might. So these are the five most important reads for me in 2023.

Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus by L. Michael Morales

Leviticus is a very difficult book to understand but it is essential to understanding Israelite religion and the Bible as a whole. Many Christians view the book simply as a list of laws that were necessary to maintain to the letter in order to appease God and simply dismiss it as no longer relevant because of Jesus. Such a understanding completely misses the point of the book and thus Christians are unable to understand how the ideas in this book influenced New Testament authors. Morales does an amazing job at tracing the themes of the Leviticus and how all of the rituals fit together for the Israelites. Further he helps Christians understand how those same themes are a deep parts of our own theology and why the book of Leviticus matters for us today. This is a truly wonderful book that deeply changed my views on the Old Testament sacrificial and purity system.

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion by Rodney Stark

When it comes to survey books like this one I think it is important to consider which subjects are included and consider how the author weaves them together. This is not a typical “survey” book in that Stark skips through church history hitting specific highlights, an approach that works for me. I like Stark’s overall approach to Church history, particularly how he deals with the major turning points in the Early Church. Overall I think this is a good book to read for anyone but the reader should remember that unlike other survey books you will not be dealing with as broad a picture, rather you will be dealing more with highlights within the scope of Christianity.

Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters by Carmen Joy Imess

Imes’ follow-up to Bearing God’s Image, which was on my most important list last year, traces the theme of God’s Image through the Bible and Christian theology. I like Imes’ approach because it is incredibly straightforward and readable, further she not only cites sources but provides a number of resources for those unfamiliar with the subject to easily learn about the topics, including Bible Project videos. This is the first book I would recommend on the subject of what it means for humanity to be made in God’s image and to live that out in the world.

God, Stephen Hawking and the Multiverse: What Hawking said and why it matters by David Hutchings, David Wilkinson

Stephen Hawking’s ideas on cosmology might be the most influential in the world. Whether he was right or wrong his ideas have filtered into the modern Western consciousness like no other scientific educator. Wilkinson is a talented scientific communicator in his own right and takes on the task of explaining Hawking for the average reader. I think he does a brilliant job and even more that provide and outline of Hawking he provides valuable critique for where Hawking goes beyond science and begins to dabble in metaphysics. Overall this is a helpful introduction to the issues of physical cosmology and how a Christian can approach the subject.

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

This was the most difficult book I read this year, simply because of the overwhelming nature of the subject. This is not a history of native civilization, but a history of the interactions between natives and Colonizers in what is now the United States. Dunbar-Ortiz is very detailed and often graphic in her account of how North America’s indigenous population was marginalized and decimated by the United States and its citizens, from the first British Colonies to the present. This is a history which endeavors to reveal the horrors of Colonization so that the practice is not repeated, rather than a more objective recounting of events. The reader is supposed to feel the pain of the people involved and be moved to action. Overall, I think this book is a good corrective to the largely mythic telling of American history that paints the US as the unconquered hero of the story and is worth reading.

I hope you will consider picking up one of these excellent books next year. Also stay tuned tomorrow I am releasing the books I am excited to read in 2024. And as always drop me a note about what you are reading and what you think I should pick up next.