THE POLITICS OF JESUS, by John Howard Yoder

This book was written in the 1970’s and is Yoder’s primary work on Christian ethics. In this book Yoder proposes that Jesus’ message, life, & deeds were & are, not only spiritual in their nature & impact, but also political. Yoder is teaching that Christians can gain an ethical perspective from the message & life of Jesus as seen in the Gospels. I would not encourage those who have not wrestled through ethical issues to read this book, nor would I suggest people who haven’t had some experience reading scholarly material. This is a scholarly book and is not a simple read. Believers who are wrestling through some of these issues & have more experience with this type of writing absolutely need to read Yoder’s work.

FREEDOM OF SIMPLICITY, by Richard Foster

This book was written in the 1980’s after Foster had already written his masterpiece, Celebration of Discipline. Foster, in his usual way, does a great job of weaving a great number of biblical texts, classic spiritual disciplines, ancient stories, and current statistics to teach on the necessity of simplicity. The book is a terrific resource to help readers work through deeper, inner simplicity, and Foster gives his readers very practical tools to begin making outward strides towards greater simplicity. This is an excellent book to read and work through. I encourage anyone who does read it to work through it slowly & to journal. I would also say that if you haven’t read Celebration of Discipline, to read it before you begin to tackle Freedom of Simplicity.

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS, by Chris Seay

This book was written a few years ago by the pastor of Ecclesia, Chris Seay. It’s a pretty neat concept. Seay comes from a family of pastors…his grandfather, father, & 2 brothers have all been in pastoral roles. Basically, the book is a dialogue that happens between these 5 men about faith, ministry, & how things have changed in the church over the past 50 years. It’s a pretty cool book and a very easy read. This book offers some insight on how leadership within the church is changing and must change in order to be faithful to Christ in the world that we live in now. I liked this book and believe it offers some healthy perspective on ministry and church. Anyone can read it.

TUESDAY’S WITH MORRIE, by Mitch Albom

This book was written about 10 years ago by the sportswriter, Mitch Albom. It’s a great book and very easy to read. Morrie is Mitch’s old college professor & mentor who is now old and dying. Mitch reconnects with Morrie and begins to interview him in Morrie’s last days. They cover all sorts of important topics, and the book offers a very unique perspective because it focuses on what is most important to Morrie before he dies. It’s a heart-warming & heart-breaking book…you just fall in-love with Morrie. This is a great little book to read & it really makes you ask yourself how you are living and if you’re focusing your life on things that really matter. Anyone can and should read this book.

THE VOICE REVEALED: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LAST EYEWITNESS,
by Chris Seay

This re-telling of The Gospel of John is part of a project called The Voice (www.hearthevoice.com). The Voice is a vision that is being carried out by artists, poets, pastors, scholars, musicians, & a whole slew of other gifted people who are attempting to capture the beauty & diversity of the Bible. Several of the New Testament books have already been written & published…you can buy them at most Christian bookstores or order them on-line (I encourage you to buy it on-line rather than through a Christian bookstore…lets stop being products from stores that isolate themselves from the rest of society & culture). I really liked this retelling of The Gospel of John. It’s very short, easy to read, and doesn’t dumb-down the writings. Check out the web-site.

LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION, by Sam Harris

This book was written about one year ago by Sam Harris. I had never read anything by Harris before (he has one other book called “The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason”) and was challenged to think through many issues that deal with the role & influence of religion (particularly Christianity) in our society. I was able to read it in a few hours (it’s only 91 pages) and found it quite interesting. Note: this is not a book that encourages Christianity or any religion for that matter. So if you do not desire to be rocked & challenged a bit, then I do not suggest that you read this book. I would encourage anyone to read it, however, I do think it is important to read this book (and all books I might add) in some sort of community. While our own independent thoughts are crucial, we lose so much when we do not dialogue with others about our readings & thoughts. So, check out this book if you desire to be challenged, but try to be intentional about reading & discussing it with others who will offer different opinions & perspectives.

DISCIPLESHIP AS A POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY, by John Howard Yoder

This short book by John Howard Yoder was written over 40 years ago and was one of his first publications that discusses the relationship between the church & the state. Yoder suggests that the church has historically understood its relationship to the state in several different ways, but that Jesus’ example and teaching of nonviolence, servanthood, humility, & submission should deeply influence our Christian thought & action regarding war and violence. Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God is also seen by Yoder to be fundamental in understanding Jesus not just as a spiritual teacher, the Son of God, or messiah, but as a person who was opposing the political empire of his day. Yoder proposes that Jesus & his message have deep political implications. I really like Yoder & his thoughts. This is a short book, but in typical Yoder-fashion, it is quite thorough. I wouldn’t read this unless you’ve had some experience reading Christian scholarly writings.

IN THE NAME OF JESUS, by Henri Nouwen

This book was written about 15 years ago after Henri Nouwen made a huge change in his life & profession. Nouwen had taught for many years at Harvard, Notre Dame, & Yale in their respective seminaries & religion departments. By this time, he had already published many books and was a very popular speaker & teacher. Sometime in the late 1980’s, Nouwen made a drastic move…he quit teaching at the universities and chose to become the pastor a L’Arche community called “Daybreak.” This was a community for the mentally handicapped, just outside Toronto. In this short book (81 pages), Nouwen ponders the tasks of Christian leaders for the 21st century. He works through the 3 temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, and offers suggestions based on the temptations & the response of Jesus to each temptation. This is a great book…a must read for anyone in any type of leadership role in the church. Young leaders especially need to heed Nouwen’s wisdom.

THE TAO OF ENRON, by Chris Seay

Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia, wrote this book nearly 6 years ago, after the collapse of Enron. Seay is a Houstonian and was pastoring in Houston when the collapse occurred. Because of his history in the city & the relationships that he had developed over the years, Seay was able to meet with and interview several different people who were somehow a part of the Enron scandal. There is a lot of detail regarding many different aspects of the collapse, as well as how it affected different kinds of people. The book discusses the values that caused the collapse and contrasts those values to deeper, healthier ones. Greed, materialism, selfishness, and isolation are compared to generosity, simplicity, humility, and community. This is a pretty good book…not incredible, but pretty good. It’s an easy read and reveals a lot of the destructive values that permeate our culture and the church.

THE CONTEMPLATIVE PASTOR, by Eugene Peterson

Eugene Peterson has received a great deal of fame in the past several years because of the translation he did of the Bible called The Message. What most people don’t know is that Peterson was a pastor for over 30 years and has written some incredible pieces of literature on the role and purpose of the pastor. Peterson calls for pastors to return to their primary calling and role: to be spiritual architects and directors for their spiritual communities. In the past 30-40 years, pastors have become more like CEO’s than like spiritual directors, and this has caused the church to be run and led like a machine. Peterson writes from some deep wells of experience, theology, reflection, and spiritual discipline. An incredible book…a must-read for anyone who is going to be shaping a spiritual community. It’s not too difficult to read either.

PEPPERMINT-FILLED PINATAS, by Eric Bryant

Eric Bryant is one of the lead pastor of Mosaic, a church in the LA area. This is Bryant’s first book and it’s a good one. Using lots of stories, scripture, and cultural understanding, Bryant is teaching his audience that to be Christian is to love and serve people. While this is a pretty easy concept to understand, most people struggle to embrace it and to actually live it out. This book challenges us to practically take steps to serve and love people where we live, work, and play…not in the hopes that someone will be converted, but because we are seeking to be like Jesus. Jesus engaged culture, people, and society…he didn’t isolate himself from it like many Christians have. Bryant is helping us to see that it’s not enough just to simply tolerate people, but we must love and serve them. This is a really easy book to read and it is challenging as well.

SOUL CRAVINGS, by Erwin Raphael McManus

Erwin Raphael McManus is the lead visionary pastor of Mosaic, a church in the LA area. This book came out a few years ago, but is a collection of writings and journal entries that McManus had composed over a longer time period. I have read one of McManus’ other books, but I think that this one has a pretty unique feel and vision to it. McManus tends to appeal to those who are not religious, and he definitely sends that vibe in this book. It deals with 3 distinct “soul cravings” that the author believes each person possess’: a craving for intimacy, destiny, and meaning. McManus talks about different philosophies that deal with each of these cravings, diverse people that he’s encountered who have pursued their personal craving, and his own journey towards these 3 cravings. It’s a good read and quite easy to follow. This would be a good book for someone who isn’t interested in religion but is intrigued by spirituality and/or Jesus.

EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE, by Brian McLarnen

This is the latest book by the author, pastor, and visionary Brian McLaren. If you don’t know, Mr. McLaren has sometimes been surrounded by a bit of controversy because of his involvement and influence within the emerging church. This book I’m sure will also be quite controversial, not because it has an “emergent” vibe to it, but because McLaren challenges Christians and non-Christians alike to understand Jesus as someone who offers a very holistic message of hope and restoration to the entire world and all her systems. This book seeks to reveal that the prosperity, security, and equity systems of the world are destructive and that the central message of Jesus, the kingdom of God, offers healing and the opportunity for transformation within the world. This is the second book that I’ve read from McLaren and I deeply appreciated it. If you want to be challenged and stretched by your understanding of the world and the way that Jesus understood it, then I highly recommend this book.

CALL TO COMMITMENT, by Elizabeth O’ Connor

This is the story of the beginnings of The Church of the Savior in Washington, DC. Elizabeth O’ Connor was one of the founding members of this revolutionary church in the capitol of the United States. It’s a beautiful story of a community of people who sensed that they were supposed to be a part of something new and fresh. The Church of the Savior started in the early 50’s and is still happening today. This group has been recognized all over the world for their innovation and faithfulness for what they have sensed God leading them to be and do. This book was helpful for me to understand a bit more about this church and what their history is. It is beautifully written and should be read by people who are seeking to serve their area well.

REAL HOPE IN CHICAGO, by Wayne Gordon

This is the story of Lawndale Community Church, a church on the west side of Chicago in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the United States. Wayne Gordon is the pastor at the church and he tells the story of how the church started, struggled to determine what it meant to serve the Lawndale community, and sought to be a voice of reconciliation and peace in its neighborhood. This is a very inspiring story and an incredible example of what it means to meet the needs of people within a community. The book was written in 1994, so the story of what the church is doing now is not recorded in this book, but I got to spend a week with this church (look at my Chicago reflection) and I was very encouraged by them and the impact that they are making in their community. People are being empowered and the community is being restored because this church gave themselves away to the area. Please read this book…it’ll challenge your perspective and stir your heart.