church fathers

My 5 Favorite Books of 2022

/ Brandon D. Smith / Leave a comment

If you’re looking for a few ideas for last second Christmas money/gift card redemption, here’s a few ideas. You can also check out my past lists: 2015 and 2016 lists at my old Patheos blog, and my 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 lists posted here at Biblical Reasoning.

Please forgive my shameless plug upfront, but beyond these five fantastic books below, I have two books to briefly plug:

  • Out tomorrow(!) is an academic monograph with IVP Academic entitled The Trinity in the Book of Revelation, which brings together pro-Nicene retrieval and engagement with modern biblical scholarship. Order here.
  • Out in May, you can preorder my next book with Lexham Press entitled The Biblical Trinity, which is an introductory book to the Trinity in Scripture for pastors and thoughtful laypeople. Order here.

Thanks for considering! And now, in no particular order, here are my five favorite books that I read in 2022.

Hermeneutics and the Rhetorical Tradition by Kathy Eden

This book was recommended to me by several friends as a necessary read for working in early Christian theology and exegesis, and I see why. It is an excellent introduction to the larger contextual influences on early reading cultures and their intersection with/influence on early Christian writings. Order here.

The Trinity by Thomas Joseph White

I simply do not have enough superlatives for this book. Just read it and reference it over and over. Listen to our conversation on tough Trinity questions here. Order here.

Jesus Becoming Jesus (vol. 2) by Thomas G. Weinandy

This three-volume series (see also: vol. 1 and vol. 3) is a treasure trove of theological interpretation of the Gospels. Aside from Jesus himself, of course, Weinandy’s prose is the star of this book. I devoured each volume rather quickly due to how effortlessly Weinandy blends beautiful writing with deeply engaging insights, but I especially enjoyed volume 2. I’ll be revisiting these often. Listen to our conversation on the trilogy here. Order here.

Post-Hellenistic Philosophy by G. R. Boys-Stones

This book is not an easy read, but well organized and gets straight to the point regarding the major philosophical developments in and around early Christianity. The discussion toward the end on Christian appropriations of philosophy is worth the price of the book. Order here.

Sprawlball by Kirk Goldsberry

I know everyone tells me to read more fiction, but I typically reserve my “free time” reading for sports books. I really enjoyed this one on the evolution of the modern NBA game by Kirk Goldsberry, a pioneer in NBA advanced analytics. Order here.

Gavin Ortlund on Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals and Theological Triage (Repost)

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This episode is a conversation with Dr. Gavin Ortlund of First Baptist Church of Ojai, California. We discuss how evangelicals can retrieve theology from the past (2:50), benefits and dangers of retrieval (6:05), evangelicals who “leave” to other traditions (11:01), retrieving Augustine and getting beyond modern theology debates (13:53), why theological triage is important and what it looks like (17:34), doctrines that we rank too high or too low (27:34), and more. See my review of Finding the Right Hills to Die On at Christianity Today and buy Gavin’s books.

Church Grammar is presented by the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson.

Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, on the board of directors for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

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Madison Pierce on Jesus’s Humanity, Atonement, and March Madness Predictions

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This episode is a conversation with Dr. Madison Pierce of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. We discuss student and listener critiques (2:49), the relationship between Christ’s work and the atonement (5:26), in what sense(s) Jesus was human (29:24), March Madness predictions (50:01), and more. Buy Madison’s books.

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson.

Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

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Fred Sanders on the Holy Spirit, the Trinity in Salvation, and Retrieval

/ Brandon D. Smith / 2 Comments

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Fred Sanders of Biola University. We discuss the names for the Holy Spirit in Scripture (2:16), the seeming “silence” of the Spirit in major moments in the biblical narrative (5:17), the Spirit in the OT (15:40), the Trinity in salvation (20:34), theological retrieval (24:30), the Trinity and theological education (31:30), and more. Buy Fred’s books.

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson.

Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

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Irenaeus’s “On the Apostolic Demonstration” with Matthew Emerson

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This is a crossover episode with Dr. Matthew Emerson from the new Center for Baptist Renewal podcast and YouTube Channel. We discuss the first book in the CBR Theology Classics Reading Challenge, Irenaeus’s On the Apostolic Demonstration (or Preaching).

Subscribe to the CBR podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson.

Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

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Evangelicals and Premodern Exegesis

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This episode is a short talk based on my recent piece over at Mere Orthodoxy, “In Defense of Premodern Exegesis,” where I lay out the fundamentals of premodern exegesis and how evangelicals can employ their method.

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson. Episode sponsor: Lexham Press.

Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.

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Joshua McNall on the Atonement and Pastoral Theology

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This episode is a conversation with Dr. Joshua McNall of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. We discuss the depth of the Bible’s portrait of the atonement (1:40), the different aspects of the atonement (6:30), and pastoral theology (36:07).

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl. Producer: Katie Larson.

Brandon D. Smith is Assistant Professor of Theology & New Testament at Cedarville University, Editorial Director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, and writes things. You can follow him on Twitter at @brandon_d_smith.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.


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John Behr on Nicaea, Trinitarian Language, and Vintage Bicycles

/ Brandon D. Smith / 1 Comment

This episode is a conversation with Fr. John Behr of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. We discuss becoming a scholar (2:59), the beginning of the patristic tradition (8:30), Nicaea and Trinitarian language (13:22), John’s prologue (46:45), SVS Press (51:00), vintage bicycles (57:30), and more. Buy John’s books.

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.


Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Craig Carter on the Church Fathers, Premodern Exegesis, and Platonism

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This episode is a conversation with Dr. Craig Carter of Tyndale University College and Seminary. We discuss becoming a scholar (2:35), coming to a new understanding of classical Christian theism (7:00), theological growth throughout the years (12:30), interpreting Scripture with the church fathers (15:55), Trinitarian theology from the Bible to the early church (29:27), Christian Platonism (38:15), and more. Buy Craig’s books.

Church Grammar is presented by B&H Academic and the Christian Standard Bible. Intro music: Purple Dinosaur by nobigdyl.

*** This podcast is designed to discuss all sorts of topics from various points of view. Therefore, guests’ views do not always reflect the views of the host, his church, or his institution.


Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS