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Spring 2009: Reading Recommendations
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"What shall I read?"
Wondering what books would most inspire and inform you—and other leaders—as the days lengthen during the spring? Congregational Resource Guide staff ask you to consider these top pics. (Click on the book's title to access the publisher's website and ordering information. Or if you prefer, click on "Amazon" at the end of each annotation to order the book from Amazon.)
We at the Alban Institute and the Indianapolis Center for Congregations wish you and yours hope and blessings during this season of renewal.
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An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
Barbara Brown Taylor, Author. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2009.
Barbara Brown Taylor suggests that when people talk about spirituality, they often are referring to a reality deeper than the one they usually experience. They are seeking a "More" in life and they wonder where it can be found. This book demonstrates that it can be found here and now, in the "everyday activities, accidents, and encounters" of our lives. Each chapter of An Altar in the World describes a practice that can help us know God more fully and become more fully human. People in congregations may wish to explore these practices in small group communities, or congregational leaders may find spiritual nourishment by engaging them on their own.
Amazon
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American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
Chris Hedges, Author. New York, NY: Free Press, 2008.
Journalist and Harvard Divinity School graduate Chris Hedges examines the Christian "dominionist" movement in America, a movement—rooted in radical Calvinism—which seeks to promote a theocratic state. Hedges compares the dominionist movement to the totalitarian movements of the last century, taking note of the militant and apocalyptic rhetoric that includes highly charged invectives against the rights of homosexuals and the equality of women. Profiling current and former members, and outlining the movement's agenda, Hedges demonstrates that the dominionists' goals, if achieved, would seriously threaten "the very concept and practice of an open society." Here is a call to respond with reason, but respond firmly, to a potent threat.
Amazon
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The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon
Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Authors. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2009.
Biblical scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan argue for a new understanding of Paul's letters. While thirteen letters are attributed to Paul, the authors assert that seven (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon) are genuine Pauline documents. Three letters (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) are "non-Pauline." Three more (Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians) are in dispute. For Borg and Crossan, the first group constitute the "radical" Paul, the second the "reactionary" Paul, and the third the "conservative" Paul. In addition to discussing these groupings, the authors explore the historical context of these letters and the identity of Paul as a "Jewish Christ mystic."
Amazon
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For Life Abundant: Practical Theology, Theological Education, and Christian Ministry
Dorothy C. Bass, Craig Dykstra, Editors. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 2008.
Dorothy Bass and Craig Dykstra draw together the voices of pastors, seminary professors, and practical theologians to address how Christ's abundant life may be embodied within congregations and for the sake of the world. The authors ask what shapes are given to a way of life that is truly life-giving; how people in congregations can support one another in fostering this way of life; how pastors can collaborate with and support each other in their ministries; and how theological education can encourage the development of pastoral imagination and leadership. Throughout the book is the conviction that "Christian life and ministry belong first and last not to us but to God."
Amazon
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Forgive for Good
Fred Luskin, Author. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2002.
While all major religions encourage us to forgive one another, we know that forgiveness is easier said than done. We fear that forgiving a behavior might be the same as condoning or forgetting it. Or forgiveness might require us to reconcile with the offender. Psychologist Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, explains that forgiveness does not entail any of these things. He shows that forgiving "for good" means forgiving for our own good and demonstrates that forgiveness is integral to physical and mental health. The HEAL approach to forgiveness (Hope, Educate, Affirm, and Long-term) enables us to forgive, control our pain, and make positive choices.
Amazon
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God Drops and Loses Things
Kilian McDonnell, OSB, Poet. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009.
This third collection of poems from Father Kilian McDonnell presents biblical passages, following each passage with imagined reflections from players in the passage's drama. "Suddenly They Vanish," for example, begins with Matthew 26:56 ("Then all the disciples deserted him and fled"). It then offers Jesus' thoughts. ("Have I botched it? They lost not the apocalyptic battle on the mountain against dark principalities and powers, but the first skirmish on level ground facing temple guards.") We read "reflections" from Adam, Isaac, Miriam, Mary, Peter, Lazarus, and many others. Like Jacob wrestling with the angel, Father Kilian holds that—in these poems—"I am contending with God."
Amazon
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God's Tapestry: Understanding and Celebrating Differences
William M. Kondrath, Author. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2008.
A tapestry, notes Bill Kondrath, "depends on differences, thrives on multiplicity." And vital congregations, as expressions of God's "tapestry," do the same thing. Drawing on relational theory, transactional analysis, and a deep understanding of power dynamics, the meaning of feelings, and the nature of transformational change, Kondrath helps congregations embrace multiculturalism (defined as "the process of seeing, understanding, and appreciating differences so that they transform individuals and communities"). Featured in the book are essential guidelines for group interactions, processes for reflecting on emotional responses to differences, a legal timeline on racial oppression in the United States, and an annotated list of resources.
Amazon
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The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why
Phyllis Tickle, Author. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008.
Phyllis Tickle explores two thousand years of Christian and social history to help readers understand how Christianity is changing in our time. She particularly seeks to explain the Emergent Church movement and its significance as a religious and social phenomenon. This book addresses three questions: What is the "Great Emergence"?; How did it happen?; Where is it going? Central to Tickle's exploration is the thesis that every five hundred years the structures of institutionalized Christianity are significantly challenged. Like earlier challenges, the current challenge will result in new and vital forms of Christianity, a reconstituted version of the older Church, and a deeper and wider spread of Christianity.
Amazon
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Just Peace: A Message of Hope
Mattie J.T. Stepanek, Jimmy Carter, Authors. Riverside, NJ: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2006.
Mattie Stepanek, a young man who died at 13 from a neuromuscular disease that also claimed the lives of his siblings, wrote numerous poems and reflections during his short but fruitful life. When asked what he wanted to be when he "grew up," he replied that he wanted "to be a peacemaker…I want to serve as an ambassador for humanity through my thoughts and words and actions." This book was written in collaboration with Mattie's "real-life hero for peace," former President Jimmy Carter. In addition to offering Mattie's email correspondence with Carter, it offers poems, prayers, and essays that demonstrate an inspiring commitment to world peace.
Amazon
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A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story
Diana Butler Bass, Author. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2009.
People often confuse the entire story of Christianity with what Diana Butler Bass calls "Big C" militant Christianity—a Christianity marked by inquisitions, religious wars, and the like. The author, however, asserts that "Big C" is not the whole picture; there is, in addition, a "Great Command" Christianity through which the faithful have sought to humbly live as Jesus instructed—by loving God with all their hearts and loving their neighbors as themselves. Arranged chronologically, the narratives in this book present Gregory of Nyssa, Julian of Norwich, and Maria Stewart (among others) as examples of those whose religious devotion and commitment to social justice demonstrated transformative Christian grace.
Amazon
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Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations
David R. Brubaker, Author. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2009.
Organizational consultant David Brubaker surveyed 100 churches to assess what congregational changes are associated with conflict. He found that conflicts often focus on leaders, who (rightly or wrongly) are held responsible for the results of change. Conflicts also tend to be correlated with changes in congregational decision-making structures or changes in worship practices and styles. Brubaker suggests that changes in decision-making structures will be more effective if leaders attend to the power dynamics operative in a congregation, anticipate and encourage disagreements, and manage their own anxiety well. Changes in worship practices will be more effective if leaders refrain from moving too quickly and reinforce the core values embodied in worship.
Amazon
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Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Authors. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2006.
In a world where the "war on terror" is often equated with pre-emptive strikes and interrogations, Greg Mortenson chose a path that addresses the roots of terror. Having survived a failed attempt to climb K2 in 1993, and in gratitude for the Pakistani mountain villagers who helped him, Mortenson vowed to build the village's first school. From this endeavor grew the Central Asia Institute, which has constructed over fifty schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Joined by David Oliver Relin, Mortenson narrates his experiences and affirms his conviction that the best response to Taliban extremists may come from "collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls."
Amazon
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