Thinkers Incorporated

We talk a lot about books here at Thinkers Incorporated. We’ve talked about the importance of reading, we’ve shared summer reading lists here and here, and we’ve even delved into some of the less straightforward benefits of reading. Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you agree with us that reading is important for staying informed and developing a coherent worldview. Here are five contemporary books that do just that:

Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment

This book delves into one of our culture’s most unique facets: the rise of boredom in spite of the expansion of the entertainment industry. Richard Winter discusses the prevalence of boredom, its history, its causes, and its solutions. We’ve written about boredom here and here, but this book provides much greater analysis of the subject.

Loveology

No contemporary non-fiction book has so enraptured me as this one. John Mark Comer delves into the issues surrounding dating, marriage, sex, and love in a way that makes this book a must read. It is relevant, biblical, and straightforward. Loveology just might be my favorite book of the year.

Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age

Although this book is the oldest book on the list, it is still extremely relevant. If you care to understand the artistic, philosophical, and historical developments that led to the birth of the modern era, then you should read this. Modris Eksteins does a good job of showing how artistic developments coincided with philosophical movements and led to the historical events which shaped our world today.

The Universe Next Door

James Sire catalogs today’s major worldviews in this easy to read guide to worldviews. He clearly explains Christian and Muslim theism, deism, naturalism, Marxism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern monism, New Age philosophy and postmodernism. If you are curious about the beliefs of others, this book provides a good introduction to the topic.

Love Into Light

Regardless of what you believe, the growing acceptance of homosexuality is a fact that cannot be ignored. This book by Peter Hubbard is essentially an instruction manual for the subject. For Christians in the modern world, this book is a must read.