I've just tossed off this little list... Anyone else want to try/comment?
THE BEST BOOKS I=92VE EVER READ
My journey as a Christian, lover/husband, father, and pastor/teacher/=20
evangelist has covered different terrains during threescore and ten=20
years. Here=92s a rough chronological journey listing books that=20
influenced me =91at the time=92. Remember, I=92m not =91back there=92, st=
uck=20
where-I-was. I was brought up in a =91gentle fundamentalist=92 church (Op=
en=20
or Plymouth Brethren) and I=92m still =91evangelical=92 but now also some=
what=20
=91progressive=92 and =91catholic=92, conservative about a few things but=
also=20
radical, encouraging individual initiative but also committed to social=20
justice, compassion and community. As Richard Rohr says in his latest=20
book (Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality) we must incorporate -=20
not reject - Torah/tradition, Prophetic/dissenting perspectives and=20
Wisdom/mysticism =96 all of these - into a full and complete life of=20
faith, hope and love...
Another caveat: My calling is to minister mainly to practising pastors=20
and to ex-pastors, so this list is slanted towards =91pastoral
theology=92=
=20
rather than, say, academic theology, or missiology etc. Other gaps in=20
this list include social issues like homosexuality, corporate worship,=20
counselling, pastoral leadership/management - important areas but which=20
would require many more words/titles. I=92ve also majored on recommending=
=20
authors who were pastors for a substantial period of their lives as
well=20
as being well-read scholars (Sangster, Claypool, Peterson, Rohr,=20
McLaren, Barbara Brown Taylor etc.). A longer list compiled half a=20
decade ago can be found here: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/8073.htm
.
1. THE BIBLE. As a youngster I was captivated by the wonderful stories=20
of God=92s grace in the Bible (KJV), and also its magnificent poetry (eg.=
=20
Isaiah 40, which as a teenager I learned off by heart). I knew more=20
about =91dispensational prophecy=92 than the apostles did, and read the=20
Bible through several times. (The most readable recent translation:=20
Eugene Peterson=92s The Message. The best for study and corporate worship=
:=20
the NRSV.)
2. ADVENTURE STORIES =96 especially R M Ballantyne=92s; and the William,=
=20
Biggles and Deerfoot books - gave me as a child a love of reading for=20
pleasure.
3. THE KNEELING CHRISTIAN (by =91An Unknown Christian=92) instilled in me=
=20
the conviction that genuine Christian commitment is nothing if not=20
fervent. BIOGRAPHIES =96 of people like George Muller, William Carey,=20
Hudson Taylor, C H Spurgeon and the Ecuador Martyrs =96 inspired me in my=
=20
formative years to =91be the best I can be=92 for God and others.
4. C S LEWIS (especially Mere Christianity) and JOHN STOTT (Basic=20
Christianity) were helpful in my accepting orthodox Christian tenets as=20
=91believable=92.
6. MILLAR=92S SCM COMMENTARY ON LUKE and (later) WALTER BRUEGGEMANN=92S O=
N=20
THE PSALMS (among others, eg, Abraham Heschel) encouraged me to believe=20
that expounding the Scriptures can be instructive, and interesting and=20
challenging.
7. W E SANGSTER=92S sermons, books on homiletics, and magnum opus The=20
Pure in Heart (on spirituality) were wonderful =91integrative=92 elements=
in=20
my formation as a young pastor. Two decades later Richard Foster=92s=20
Celebration of Discipline and later again his Streams of Living Water=20
helped in the quest for an overview of historical/ecumenical spirituality.
7. I got JOHN CLAYPOOL=92S sermons once a month by mail for many years,=
=20
and stopped everything to read them: he=92s still the best =91writing=20
preacher=92 in the English language, I reckon. His Tracks of a Fellow=20
Struggler =96 sermons on Job while his 9 year old daughter Laura Lue
was=20
dying of leukemia =96 has comforted many in their grief. Following=20
Claypool, I think Barbara Brown Taylor=92s sermons delight me the most.
8. Three Catholic authors who have enriched/inspired: THOMAS MERTON
(his=20
best - New Seeds of Contemplation), DOM HELDER CAMARA (especially A=20
Thousand Reasons for Living), and HENRI NOUWEN (start with either The=20
Wounded Healer or Creative Ministry).
9. My favourite contemporary author is RICHARD ROHR. Start (slowly)
with=20
his latest book Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, then=20
Everything Belongs: the Gift of Contemplative Prayer.
10. For young/new Christians no one beats BRIAN McLAREN. His best, I=20
think, is A Generous Orthodoxy. For those enquiring about Christianity=20
give them Finding Faith: A Search for What is Real.
11. Interfaith? Remember the dictum ascribed to Zwi Werblowsky:
=91There=20
are some things about a given religion which can only be understood
from=20
inside and some things about the same religion which can only be=20
understood from outside.=92 Now here=92s a surprise choice perhaps: begin=
=20
with KHALED HOSSEINI=92S The Kite Runner. It gives us brilliant
insights=20
into the lives of Muslim families in Afghanistan (and should help
soften=20
some of our bigotry about Islam).
12. The number one issue in western theology is the current =91Jesus=20
Quest=92. Conservatives will like CRAIG EVANS=92 Fabricating Jesus (2007)=
=20
or BEN WITHERINGTON=92S What Have they done With Jesus? (2006), but I=20
would suggest that a wider stance should be explored =96 most easily with=
=20
the dialogues TOM WRIGHT had with MARCUS BORG on The Meaning of Jesus=20
(2000) and JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN on The Resurrection of Jesus (2006).
13. Christianity and Social Justice? Start with JIM WALLIS=92S Seven Ways=
=20
to Change the World (2008).
14. Finally, anything by EUGENE PETERSON is excellent (though there=92s=20
quite a bit of repetition in his various writings). His Take and Read:=20
Spiritual Reading, an Annotated List is a good guide, and his recent=20
books on Spiritual Theology =96 Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (2005=
)=20
and The Jesus Way (2007) =96 are an excellent summary/miscellany of his i=
deas.
Ponder: =91Beware of the man of one book=92 (Thomas Aquinas). =91The fail=
ure=20
to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens our most=20
fatal tendency - the belief that the here and now is all there is.=92=20
(Allan Bloom ).
In another article I=92ll look at best/favourite blogs and websites.
Rowland Croucher
April 2008
--=20
Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
(20,000 articles 4000 humor)
Blogs - http://rowlandsblogs.blogspot.com/
Justice for Dawn Rowan - http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/
Funny Jokes and Pics - http://funnyjokesnpics.blogspot.com/
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