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Typical beach reading is heavy on novels and narrative non-fiction. But if you want to shake up your summer selections, consider picking up one or more of these newly released, theologically informed books.

Big Truths for Young Hearts : Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God by Bruce Ware Crossway, April 2009 224 pp., $11.99

Your beach companions will think you're prepping for Sunday school or family devotions. You'll actually be learning plenty yourself from an unusually gifted theologian equally adept at teaching seminary students and young children.

Christless Christianity : The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael Horton Baker Books, December 2008 240 pp., $14.99

Maybe you should wait to read this book on a rainy day when you can't go to the beach. Horton, a discerning and clear-thinking theologian, diagnoses what ills American believers, including consumerism, individualism, and nationalism.

Fearless Pilgrim : The Life and Times of John Bunyan by Faith Cook Evangelical Press, January 2008 432 pp., $21.99

Biographies make for a quick, engaging read. Cook explores the times that gave us Bunyan, the pastor and prisoner whose best-selling The Pilgrim's Progress brought theology to the masses.

The New Shape of World Christianity : How American Experience Reflects Global Faith by Mark A. Noll IVP Academic, June 2009 250 pp., $17.99

Venerable historian Noll expands on the contributions of missiologist Andrew Walls to show how American Christianity has shaped the rapidly expanding global church.

Politics for the Greatest Good : The Case for Prudence in the Public Square by Clarke Forsythe IVP Books, June 2009 304 pp., $16.99

The senior counsel for Americans United for Life advocates the neglected virtue of prudence for fighting abortion. His timing is impeccable for Christians dealing with the ramifications of George Tiller's murder.

When Athens Met Jerusalem : An Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought by John Mark Reynolds IVP Academic, June 2009 240 pp., $15.99

Theology has always confronted and conformed to the intellectual trends of its cultural context. Like some early Christian apologists, Reynolds draws connections between Hebrew theology and the Greek philosophy so popular in ancient Rome. He even dares to recommend cooperation between faith and reason in order to save Western civilization.

Justification : God's Plan and Paul's Vision by N. T. Wright IVP Academic, May 2009 264 pp., $17.99

Read for yourself what all the fuss is about. Bring along the handy chart from the June issue of Christianity Today to compare Wright with his chief critic, John Piper. Justification is too important to be left to professional theologians, so bring your Bible, too, and trace the sometimes-complex arguments.

Why We Love the Church : In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck Moody Publishers, July 2009 224 pp., $11.99

The authors of the award-winning Why We're Not Emergent return to tackle another set of theological innovators. Whether committed, disgruntled, waffling, or disconnected from the local church, this book will help you love the bride of Christ.

Predestination : The American Career of a Contentious Doctrine by Peter Thuesen Oxford University Press, July 2009 288 pp., $27.99

Want to celebrate the summer of John Calvin's 500th birthday? Then read about the history of the doctrine most closely associated with him. You'll see just how far theology can stretch over space and time.

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June (Web-only) 2009, Vol. 53