A Secular Age (Charles Taylor) : Taylor is a well-known philosopher with a penchant for secularism and religion. Instead of writing religion off, Taylor points out that secularism allows religion to flourish. This magisterial volume (896 pp) offers a range of interdisciplinary and historical insights on the nexus of religion and secularism. Though written by an academic, this volume is eminently readable.
The Message of the Old Testament (Mark Dever) : Dever (Ph.D) is the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist and founder of Nine Marks Ministries. He has recently come alongside Acts 29 in support of church planting, one evidence of his commitment to combining academic skill with pastoral wisdom and ministry. Though this work is a collection of sermons on Old Testament passages and books, it summarizes major themes well. In the preface Goldsworthy cautions, most preachers are not gifted to preach these kind of sermons. This book is reacquainting me with the message of the OT while also offering an example of good writing that is engaging and biblically faithful.