As promised yesterday, here’s some of my non-fiction reading from this summer:
Linchpin, by Seth Godin
I heard from a lot of people who were challenged, encouraged, and moved by this book. I was distracted by the format which seemed more like a stream of consciousness. I thought what Godin had to say was good, but much of it compared to Stephen Pressfield’s The War of Art, which I would recommend instead.
A Walk Through the Bible, by Lesslie Newbigin
Newbigin and I always get along. This short and simple book was designed as an intro to the larger story of the Bible. Like most of my favorite theologians, Newbigin takes large theological concepts and paints them in general strokes to make them available to a wider audience than academia.
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, by Peter Scazzero
A follow up to Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Church, which is a valued book in my library. Both of Scazzero’s book are important because the advocate for a spiritual formation that shapes our whole life, integrating our emotions and relationships. I strongly recommend them for anyone in church leadership.
The Language of God, by Francis Collins
I picked this book up on a discounted remainder shelf at the bookstore — it seems like an overlooked book. After reading it, I’m surprised it didn’t generate more dialogue than it did, as I don’t recall hearing much about it. Collins in a respected scientist and openly Christian, and engages the two perspectives to show that they aren’t as at odds as they are portrayed to be. He openly supports evolution as a Christian and that’s why I’m surprised there wasn’t more conversation about the book.
Empire of Illusion, by Chris Hedges
I loved, and hated, this book. You have to love the subtitle (I guess you don’t have to, but I did): The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. Hedges takes a thoughtful look at our cultural assumptions in the United States about entertainment, the economy and moreI enjoyed it because it has a certain “peel back the curtain and see the little man pretending to be the wizard” quality to it, but found myself squirming throughout the book — not because I often didn’t agree with him, but because I often did.
God in Creation, by Jurgen Moltmann
I’m sure I started this book before any of the others on the list, but I finished it after all of them. It’s the kind of read you have to take in thoughtful chunks. I’ve only started to read Moltmann in the last few years, but appreciate the unique voice and perspective he brings to my background. The first section of this book — the relationship between God and creation — and the last — Sabbath as an act of enjoying and experiencing God through creation — were excellent.
Christian worship is one of the primary arenas in which we participate in the practices that shape who we are. If our worship simply mimics the disciplinary practices and goals of a consumer culture, we will not be formed otherwise.” — James K. A. Smith
The Hobbit
The Time Travelers Wife
Out of the Silent Planet
The Passage
The Imperfectionists
Snow Crash
Perelandra
