I'm a Baptist youth worker serving in the United Methodist Church. Over the years, I have served in ministry among Baptist, Episcopal and Lutheran communities. Heck, I even lived in a Catholic Worker house for a couple of months. I guess you could say I've been around the "ecclesiological block" a few times.
Recommended Reading
Below you'll find (for what it's worth) a growing list of works that I consider to be essential reading for Christian ministers and laypeople. Of course not all of the works listed are "theology proper" and not all of them will be of interest to everyone. This is just an incomplete list of books that have shaped the way I think theologically and do ministry and I hope others will benefit from them as well. Please feel free to add your own suggestions.
- The Bible
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Athanasius, On the Incarnation
- Augustine's Confessions
- Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship
- Will Campbell, Brother to a Dragonfly
- G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
- Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People
- Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon, Resident Aliens
- C.S. Lewis, The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics
- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel & The Importance of Being Foolish
- Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture
- Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society
- William Placher, Jesus The Savior, A History of Christian Theology
- Timothy B. Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name
- Robert Louis Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought
- Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace
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2 comments:
Please tell me what church layperson is going to read this list of books? Are you being serious here?
You may notice that if this is a list of books for pastors, there is not a single work on the work of pastoring churches. And no one is going to get anything from Cavanaugh that he or she didn't get from Hauerwas (and if you're thinking of lay people, you're better off just having them read the more accessible, cheaper, and more practical Resident Aliens than a whole reader dedicated to one theologian).
Pastor Mack,
You may be right about a handful of these books. However, most of them - with the exception of Zizioulas, Hauerwas, McClendon and West - were all found well-weathered and thoroughly read in my church's library.
I suppose I could have titled the list "books that have thoroughly shaped my theological understanding and from which I think all Christians would benefit" but that would have been too long of a title. I do think I will change the description and note that it is a thoroughly incomplete list, however.
Also, the reason there are no books on the work of pastoring churches is that - in my seminary training - I have yet to run across a book on the subject that I found helpful or theologically palatable. I'll be sure to seek out and add some good ones to the list.
Thanks for your comments!
Andrew
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