Of the religion and biblical studies books I read this year, only a few of them dipped below the threshold of "recommend very highly." As I look over the list, I find it quite impossible to rate them relative to each other, So I'll just give them to you in the order I have them written down here (pretty much the order in which I read them). Also, since I'm tired, I'm just putting titles down but not authors.

1 The Faith of Jesus Christ--A thorough and seminal study of Galatians 3 and following. Creates a whole host of theological questions we should be wrestling with.

2 Handbook of Biblical Social Values--This could be one good place to start reading what I now find to be the indispensible contributions of the "Context Group." The book is done in encyclopedia style with short essays on key social-science terms. I'd recommend it as a great resourse for pastors and other christian teachers.

3 The Resurrection of the Son of God--You probably either have read this one or at leastt heard about it. Inspired me to get into debating atheists about the resurrection, though that was often a less than fulfilling experience.

4 A Social Science Commentary on the Gospel of John--tons of valuable insights, though the final section on the resurrection is downright heretical. Everything else was wonderful though.

5 Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew--This was by far my favorite Context Group book I read, and possibly the best book of the year for me. Honor and shame are the 2 most important concepts to "get" when trying to understand the people of the bible. If you only get one book based on my recommendation, make it this one.

6 Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down--a study of worship within the modern church within the modern culture. A great deal to think about here. The downside is that it will probably make you start asking too many questions about why your church does things the way it does and get you into trouble.

7 The Politics of Jesus--Despite the title, deals mostly with Pauline theology. Consider this, for instance:
A- Men have the right to self defence.
B- Jesus had the right to self defence.
C- Jesus voluntarily gave up that right.
D- The attitude of C above (though not strictly limited to that) is exactly what Paul was referring to when he spoke of imitating Jesus.
Yoder also anticipates quite a bit of what became the NPP.

8 Portraits of Paul: An Archeology of Ancient Personality--an extremely helpful book on ancient notions of identity and personality. Lots of classical and early christian works cited for examples.

9 The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament--A good general work touching on many aspects of 1st century life.

10 Matthew and Empire--a very well written and well argued defense of a political interpretation of Matthew. An excellent companion to the Neyrey book above. Would be a good follow-up after reading Wright's books on the gospels.

11 Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul--a difficult but very rewarding look at Paul's use of the OT. Only downside is that a fair amount of it isn't in English.

12 Paul Among the Postliberals--a study on the effects of the "New Perspective" on 20th century theology. Interacts with many of my favorite theologians. The section on Wright is a bit odd though. Still a fascinating read.

13 Truthfulness and Tragedy--If you have any interest in medical ethics, you'll find a lot to think about here. The broad idea is that we lie to ourselves and lie about God when we deny the tragic elements of our lives. Good stuff.

14 After Christendom? How the Church Is to Behave If Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation Are Bad Ideas--If the title makes you angry, this is the book for you. You'll be glad you read it.

15 The Victory According to Mark--Yes, Mark, you made it to my list. The strength here is the wealth of thought about how the gospel of Mark echoes so many ideas and images from the OT.

16 Resident Aliens--a good place to start seeing a radical view of the church. Simple but quite profound.

17 Virtues and Practices in the Christian Tradition--A wealth of good articles expanding on Alasdair MacIntyre's work and applying it to the church. Yoder's essay on forgiveness was the best essay I read all year.