Reading Goals for 2019

I’ve set my reading and learning goals high. The Bible is a given, and is therefore not listed. I will read through it at least once. I’ve tried to diversify the books and videos on this list. It seems like this year I’ve taken a particular interest in the Holocaust, the Gnostic Gospels, and evidence for the existence of God.

I’ve listed 50 books, 50 documentaries, and just over 20 debates that I want to get through in 2019. On top of that, I’ve listed the Gnostic Gospels, a few other religious texts, and some reading like the Catholic Apocrypha, which includes several books on its own. I’ll cross off each item as I make it through.

There’s plenty more that I want to absorb, but I had to cut it off somewhere. I believe a plan for growth should be intentional, and that’s what led to this list. I’m never questioning what to read/watch next; I plan ahead.

Here’s to growth for 2019!

Books & Texts

Biographical

1. Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas
2. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

Business & Productivity

1. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
2. Beyond Grit by Cindra Kamphoff
3. Deep Work by Cal Newport
4. The Everything Store by Brad Stone
5. Grit by Angela Duckworth
6. How I raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
7. Scrum by Jeff Sutherland

Fiction

1. The Billion Dollar Sure Thing by Paul E. Erdman
2. The Coffee Trader by David Liss
3. The Greatest Story Ever Told by Fulton Oursler
4. The Last Christian by David Gregory

Finance

1. Building Wealth One House at a Time by John Schaub
2. But It, Rent It, Profit! by Bryan M. Chavis
3. Essays of Warren Buffett by Lawrence Cunningham
4. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
5. Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
6. Reminiscences of a Stock Market Operator by Edwin Lefevre

History

1. The Christians and the Fall of Rome by Edward Gibbon
2. The Communist Manifesto by Friedrich Engels & Karl Marx
3. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
4. The Lion’s Gate by Steven Pressfield
5. The Orgins of Christianity by Thomas Whittaker
6. Thirty Years a Slave by James K. White
7. Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield

Marriage & Relationships

1. A Celebration of Sex by Douglas Rosenau
2. Every Man’s Marriage by Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker
3. God, Marriage, and Family by Andreas J. Köstenberger
4. Intended for Pleasure by Ed Wheat & Gaye Whea
5. Passion Pursuit by Linda Dillow & Dr. Juli Slattery
6. People Skills by Robert Bolton
7. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

Parenting

1. How to Raise Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World by Dave Stone
2. Money Monster or Money Master? by Norma LaFonte & Lance Dinahan
3. MoneyBags: A Guide to Teach Your Kids About Money by Wendy Gillespie
4. Teach Your Child to Fish by Holly D. Reid

Theology

1. Catholic Apocrypha
2. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3. Christianity 101 by Gilbert Bilezikian
4. Cross Purposes by Anthony Bartlett
5. God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
6. God of the Possible by Gregory A. Boyd
7. How to Read the Bible for All it’s Worth by Gorden D. Fee
8. Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan
9. Is God to Blame by Gregory A. Boyd
10. Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias & Vince Vitale
11. The Jesus Legend by Paul Rhodes Eddy & Gregory A. Boyd 
12. Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola & George Barna
13. Prayer by Timothy Keller

Gnostic Texts

Source: Gnosis Archives

Text Preserved Before 1945

1. Works preserved by the Church:
   • Acts of Thomas
   • The Acts of John
2. The Bruce Codex (purchased in 1769 by James Bruce):
   • The Gnosis of the Invisible God or The Books of Jeu
   • The Untitled Apocalypse or The Gnosis of the Light
3. The Askew Codex (British Museum, bought in 1784):
   • Pistis Sophia: Books of the Savior
4. The Berlin Codex or The Akhmim Codex (found in Akhmim, Egypt; bought in 1896 by Carl Reinhardt):
   • The Gospel of Mary
   • Apocryphon of John
   • an epitome of the Acts of Peter
   • The Wisdom of Jesus Christ
5. Unknown origin:
   • The Secret Gospel of Mark
   • The Hermetica

Codices Found in Nag Hammadi

1. Codex I (also known as The Jung Codex):
   • The Prayer of the Apostle Paul
   • The Apocryphon of James (also known as the Secret Book of James)
   • The Gospel of Truth
   • The Treatise on the Resurrection
   • The Tripartite Tractate
2. Codex II:
   • The Apocryphon of John
   • The Gospel of Thomas a sayings gospel
   • The Gospel of Philip
   • The Hypostasis of the Archons
   • On the Origin of the World
   • The Exegesis on the Soul
   • The Book of Thomas the Contender
3. Codex III:
   • The Apocryphon of John
   • The Gospel of the Egyptians
   • Eugnostos the Blessed
   • The Sophia of Jesus Christ
   • The Dialogue of the Savior
4. Codex IV:
   • The Apocryphon of John
   • The Gospel of the Egyptians
5. Codex V:
   • Eugnostos the Blessed
   • The Apocalypse of Paul
   • The First Apocalypse of James
   • The Second Apocalypse of James
   • The Apocalypse of Adam
6. Codex VI:
   • The Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles (includes The Hymn of the Pearl)
   • The Thunder, Perfect Mind
   • Authoritative Teaching
   • The Concept of Our Great Power
   • Republic by Plato – The original is not gnostic, but the Nag Hammadi library version is heavily modified with then-current gnostic concepts.
   • The Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth – a Hermetic treatise
   • The Prayer of Thanksgiving (with a hand-written note) – a Hermetic prayer
   • Asclepius 21-29 – another Hermetic treatise
7. Codex VII:
   • The Paraphrase of Shem
   • The Second Treatise of the Great Seth
   • Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter
   • The Teachings of Silvanus
   • The Three Steles of Seth
8. Codex VIII:
   • Zostrianos
   • The Letter of Peter to Philip
9. Codex IX:
   • Melchizedek
   • The Thought of Norea
   • The Testimony of truth
10. Codex X:
    • Marsanes
11. Codex XI:
    • The Interpretation of Knowledge
    • A Valentinian Exposition, On the Anointing, On Baptism (A and B) and On the Eucharist (A and B)
    • Allogenes
    • Hypsiphrone
12. Codex XII
    • The Sentences of Sextus
    • The Gospel of Truth
    • Fragments
13. Codex XIII:
    • Trimorphic Protennoia
    • On the Origin of the World

Additional Texts

1. The Hymn of Jesus
2. Acts of Peter
3. Apocalypse of Adam
4. Coptic Apocalypse of Peter
5. Dialogue of the Saviour
6. Odes of Solomon
7. Gospel of Judas
8. Gospel of the Saviour

Debates & Documentaries

Debates

• The Abortion Debate
• Bill Nye Vs. Ken Ham
• Does the Christian God Exist?

• Frank Turek
  1. Alex O’Connor | The Moral Argument
  2. Christopher Hitchens | What Best Explains Reality
  3. David Silverman | Examine Reality
  4. Jeffery Jay Lowder | What Best Explains Reality
  5. Michael Shermer | What Best Explains Reality
• John Lennox
  1. Christopher Hitchens | Is God Great?
  2. Keith Parsons | Why I am or am Not a Christian
  3. Michael Ruse | Science, Faith, and the Evidence for God
  4. Michael Shermer | Does God Exist?
  5. Peter Atkins | Dialogue on Science and God
  6. Peter Singer | Is There a God?
  7. Richard Dawkins | The God Delusion
  8. Richard Dawkins | Has Science Buried God?
• N.T. Wright
  1. Gary Morson | What Gods Do We Believe in Now?
  2. Sean Kelly | The Bible
• William Lane Craig
  1. Daniel Came | Does God Exist?
  2. Erik Wielenberg | God and Morality
  3. Lawrence Krauss | Has Science Buried God?
  4. Richard Dawkins
  5. Richard Dawkins | Is God a Delusion?
  6. Sam Harris | The God Debate II

Documentaries

Playing With FIRE

• Netflix
  1. Best of Enemies
  2. Foo Fighters: Back and Forth
  3. Food, Inc.
  4. Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian
  5. Holy Hell
  6. Karl Marx City
  7. Minimalism
  8. My Scientology Movie
  9. Oklahoma City
  10. The Pixar Story
  11. Pumping Iron
  12. Survivors Guide to Prison
  13. The Vietnam War
  14. What the Health

• YouTube
  1. 3D Printed Guns
  2. 911 the War in Afghanistan
  3. 911 Documentary: The Truth
  4. A Night of Exploration: WW2 Documentary
  5. The American Civil War Full Documentary
  6. American Drug War 2
  7. America’s Forgotten Wars
  8. Armistice: The End Game of WWI
  9. Child of Rage
  10. Christ Revealed | Episode 1
  11. The Collapse of Mormonism
  12. Gods and Monsters: Great Military Blunders
  13. The Extraordinary Genius of Albert Einstein
  14. The Family That Walks on All Fours
  15. Findings Confirming the Bible
  16. Gnosis – Bible’s Buried Secrets
  17. Herculaneum: The Other Pompeii
  18. The History of Christianity
  19. History of the Bible
  20. Inside North Korea
  21. Iraq War Documentary
  22. The Jesus Story
  23. Kitty: Return to Auschwitz
  24. Life in a Day
  25. Life in a US Prison
  26. The Lost World of Pompeii
  27. The Men Who Killed Kennedy
  28. Philosophy – A Guide to Happiness
  29. Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed With Mary Beard
  30. The Power of a Revolution: First World War
  31. Quantum Theory
  32. A Simpler Way
  33. The Spanish American War
  34. The Strangest Secret
  35. Theologians Under Hitler
  36. Weed
  37. Who Killed Jesus?
  38. Why America Lost the Vietnam War
  39. The World in 2050
  40. WW2 Through Children’s Eyes