I am going to flip-flop my schedule and do the fiction entries tomorrow. In looking back over my reading I notice that I haven’t read as much theological writing this year as in years past. At least in my leisure reading I haven’t. It especially dropped off after June. A couple of reasons conspired for that. One is that I don’t want to read anything weighty after reading my grad school assignments. The other is that we had to do a spending freeze at church earlier this year and that limited my study materials.
However, I did read several notable works that bear mentioning:

10. Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt
I know that this is not officially marketed as a Christian book. But this children’s book about the title character of Angela’s Ashes and her concern for the baby Jesus is a beautiful reflection on the hope of the Christ child. Beautifully illustrated and touching.

9. Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community by James C. Wilhoit
I used this book as a basis for an adult class on spiritual formation earlier in the year and it proved to be a reliable resource. Wilhoit lines out four “pillars” of spiritual formation: receiving God’s grace, remembering our purpose, responding in service, and building relationships. It is an important entry in the discussion of discipleship.

8. Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne
I’m a huge fan of Claiborne as he is one of the foremost gadflies in the Christian world today. He consistently, logically, and passionately pushes the church to be a better reflection of Christ. That is powerfully captured in his latest work. My one constant quibble with both of Claiborne’s releases is a lack of tightness and conciseness.

7. Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Kraybill, et al.
A moving account of the staggering depiction of forgiveness that the Amish community displayed in the aftermath of the Nickle Mines School shooting. What we must all aspire to emulate.

6. What about Hitler?: Wrestling with Jesus’s Call to Nonviolence in an Evil World by Robert W. Brimlow
This is an intelligent and scholarly response to the red herring that often surfaces whenever nonviolence is discussed. In this work he points out the elasticity of the Just War theory and repudiates notions of “success” in reference to the validity of nonviolence. A great addition to any nonviolent library.

5. The Shack by William P. Young
I am most appreciative of this book for the way it brought some serious and potentially divisive topics into the public consciousness. I know that many read it and never picked up on some of the more controversial themes but any step toward a more indepth and honest assessment of God’s love, theodicy and soteriology is a welcome step.

4. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright
My commonly held perception of the “Afterlife” was first challenged when I took a grad course at Lipscomb back in 1993. It was then that I realized that there was more to the story than just “over yonder.” Wright has an uncanny knack of bringing these important subjects into the mainstream of religious thought. Hopefully, this will be seen as an integral work in forcing us to challenge our understandings of eschatology.

3. The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus Borg
Borg is not for everyone, so exercise caution. However, he is one of my favorite Christian authors who never fails to challenge my thinking at the same time he pushes me into a more nuanced and refined relationship with God. Here he gets at the heart of what this is all supposed to be about.

2. Matthew And The Margins: A Socio-Political and Religious Reading by Warren Carter
I spent most of this year preaching from Matthew. This work by Carter was absolutely essential during that process. Carter does a tremendous job of laying out the important themes of shame/honor and the relationship of the empire with the message of Christ.

1. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker
Provocative and meticulously researched, this work is an in-depth look at the images, art and thinking of the early church and the absence of death as prime motivator. In the early church Jesus was depicted as alive and vibrant. Over the years that shifted. The reasons why are intriguing.