I like to always be reading some fiction; this is the second novel in a series about King Hezekiah, and the first book was a nice read. It helped me to view Hezekiah and the prophets of that day in a new light.
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
Claiborne and I seem to be on the same page concerning the problems of institutional Christianity, the importance of social outreach, and the hypocrisy of much of wealthy suburbia. Every pastor and Christian leader should add this to their reading list...very, very challenging stuff.
Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words by Stanley Hauerwas
This is in preparation for Lent, and is written by the most important ethicist of my lifetime.
The Mosaic of Christian Beliefs: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity by Roger Olson
Olson is a solid Arminian/Wesleyan evangelical, equally horrified by extreme Protestant liberalism and fundamentalism. He seems to have written this book to define the "Great Tradition", the essentials of the Christian religion (which could be a presumptuous thing) while also outlining the bounds of heresy. It actually seems to be pretty generous. My criticism (so far) is that is seems strong on orthodoxy (which is all well and good) but weak on orthopraxis (which is at least as important, if not moreso).
I've heard nothing but good things about Irrestible Revolution.
ReplyDeleteClaiborne spoke at Messiah a couple years ago when I was on staff there. I did all of the scheduling and had the opportunity to work with him, and he's a genuinely great guy. I heard an interview with him just this week and it was great. Don't know if you read anything by Relevant (like Relevant magazine or the Relevant Podcast) but it's great stuff. I think that you would really really enjoy what they have to say and how they look at the world. Check it out when you get the time.
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