Author Archives: Jonathan Sircy

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie The first Hercule Poirot mystery, this novel is routinely voted the best mystery novel of all time. It’s a twist-ending book that makes Christie into the villain. She misleads us just like the novel’s guilty party. To teach us? To entertain us? To test us? Yes. TheContinue reading “BRC: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”

The Nineties: A Book – Chuck Klosterman Klosterman writes cultural criticism. His reputation-making first book, Fargo Rock City, examined what 80s heavy metal sounded like to a North Dakota farm kid. In 2022, Klosterman has worked at ESPN, Esquire, Spin, and the New York Times. He’s written books of fiction and non-fiction, and he’s earnedContinue reading “BRC: The Nineties”

The Defense of the Faith – Cornelius Van Til Van Til lays the theological foundations for presuppositional apologetics then systematically compares and contrasts it with Thomistic (Roman Catholic) and Arminian apologetics (evangelical and Protestant). The takeaway: your apologetics ends where it begins. Van Til’s admonition: begin with the God of the Bible. RECOMMENDED

Ultralearning – Scott Young Young works with Cal Newport. The two began working with each other when Young did the equivalent of MIT’s undergraduate Computer Science degree in a year while Newport was still an MIT post-doc. That should tell you all you need to know about Young’s purpose: offer guidance to people who wantContinue reading “BRC: Ultralearning”

The Courage to Teach – Parker Palmer Palmer addresses the spiritual component of teaching. His chief concern is integrity, a teacher’s internal and external consistency. He insists that teachers can only do this in community. I read it after having multiple Christian educators recommend the book. I understand what they see in it, but IContinue reading “BRC: The Courage to Teach”

The Story Grid – Shawn Coyne Coyne was a long-time book editor for major book publishers. This book reveals how he evaluated fiction: with a grid that allows an editor to chart a plot’s flow. It’s an extremely practical book, impressive in its insight and generative in the ways you can apply its insights. Interestingly,Continue reading “BRC: The Story Grid”

How to Read the Bible as Literature…and Get More Out of It by Leland Ryken. In the Bible, God communicated through specific forms. Many are literary. Ryken commends reading scripture in a “literary” way, not just an “expository” way because such an approach echoes scripture’s content. The book offers a primer in that approach. PARTIALLYContinue reading “BRC: How to Read the Bible…”

Enjoying the Bible by Matthew Mullins Mullins argues that we often use the Bible more than we enjoy it. The key to enjoying the Bible more is to read it like literature, specifically like we would poetry. The book thus offers an introduction to reading poetry and meditating on scripture. The book’s most helpful featureContinue reading “Book Review Capsule: Enjoying the Bible”