Authors you should read (part 1!)
The incredibly rich works of Nancy Pearcey
I’m starting a new occasional series on authors I’ve really enjoyed and highly recommend – and who, in keeping with this blog theme – unabashedly speak truth.
So let me introduce you to Nancy Pearcey, a highly accomplished intellectual with a burning desire to speak truth into the darkest corners of culture and academia.
Nancy’s magnum opus is undoubtedly Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity, which I mentioned during my recent Book Review Week. A robust apologetics course could be constructed just from this book (and courses have been). She makes an ironclad case for boldly espousing a robust Christian worldview – including powerful arguments showing how Creation (not evolution) is central to that worldview.
But she has written so many outstanding books for the thinking Christian – which should be, of course, every Christian. Two of them might be especially relevant in light of modern headlines:
Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality – Not only does Nancy take on hot-button issues like transgenderism, homosexuality, hookup culture, and abortion, but she also beautifully explains the dignity of the human body, which is a precious gift God gives each of us, which should be honored as such. This is a powerful message, especially for families dealing with related issues.
The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes – Her most recent book, a reaction to cultural trends which are no surprise to anyone who’s absorbed any media in the past few years. Driven by radical feminism, men are summarily dismissed as unnecessary, dangerous, ugly human beings. Boys, likewise, are minimized. But as in all her books, she shows how Christianity not only is the answer to conflict between the sexes, but has a proven track record of facilitating happy marriages and homes.
A couple more noteworthy titles from this prolific author:
Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and other God Substitutes – This is particularly meaningful for those who think it’s not important to think! Our faith is not based on “just believe” – it’s based on facts and reality. She demonstrates this convincingly as she contrasts Christianity with worldviews that ultimately do not even recognize the dignity of individual human beings.
Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning – I particularly love this one that illustrates the impact of ideas, especially as they come to us from the arts, film, literature, philosophy, and science. Again she assaults secularism, and Christianity comes out the victor again. Plus it’s the most visual of her books, because it includes more than 100 art reproductions and illustrations that bring her arguments to life. I’m all for books on Kindle, but consider getting a hard copy of this one, as it’s quite beautiful.
All of Nancy’s books are outstanding for reading with your teenager – either as part of a homeschool curriculum, or maybe even better, as a joint reading/discussion activity between parent and child. How about a chapter a week, then discuss over lunch on the weekend? You’ll both have a lot to talk about with these books!