Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do
Paul David Tripp (Crossway)
At the beginning of his latest book, Tripp, the popular ministry leader, confesses to an “Epicurean” delight in some of life’s finer pleasures. Beautiful artwork and delicious cuisine would call forth feelings of awe. But for him, they didn’t lead to awe for God. In chapters touching on the church, the workplace, the family, and other fundamental arenas of life, Tripp shows how time spent “gazing on the beauty of the Lord” transforms our attitudes and behavior. “No other awe,” he explains, “satisfies the soul. No other awe can give the heart [the] peace, rest, and security that it seeks.”
Terry Glaspey (Baker)
Many Christians, writes Glaspey, are “unaware of how many of the great masterpieces—works universally admired—were created by people who share our faith commitment.” Here, Glaspey issues a “fistful of invitations” to explore classics of Christian inspiration (“Amazing Grace,” the Chronicles of Narnia series, Handel’s Messiah, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel); others that wear their faith more lightly (Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, U2’s The Joshua Tree); and plenty of more obscure works that many readers will likely encounter for the first time.
Andrew Pettegree (Penguin Press)
As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Pettegree—a Reformation scholar and specialist in the history of communication—shines light on an overlooked talent of its main progenitor, Martin Luther. Luther leveraged revolutionary printing technologies to cultivate his “brand.” “Within five years of penning the 95 theses,” writes Pettegree, “[Luther] was Europe’s most published author—ever. How he achieved this was the most extraordinary of the Reformation’s multiple improbabilities.” Brand Luther shows how Wittenberg’s most famous son took keen interest not only in the content of his books, but also in how they were manufactured, designed, and marketed.
