A Few Good Books
My friend Dan at “The Ekklesia in Southern Maine” asked “What to Read?” I offered the following list of books about the church that I enjoyed reading over the last few years. Obviously – as with any book – I didn’t agree with everything in all of the books. But in each book, I found something interesting and exciting about the church as described in Scripture.
(These are in no particular order)
Paul’s Idea of Community by Robert Banks
Engaging with God by David Peterson
Church Without Walls by Jim Peterson
When the Church was a Family by Joseph Hellerman
Reimagining Church by Frank Viola
The Rabbit and the Elephant by Tony and Felicity Dale
What books about the church would you add to this list?
The Misunderstanding of the Church by Brunner
The Baptist Identity by Walter Shurden
And, weirldy enough Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Iin no particular order, and with the same caveat you gave on content:
God’s Work in God’s Way -Bill Dillon, 1957
The New Testament Order for Church and Missionary -Alexander Hay, 1947
Body Life -Ray Stedman, 1972
Rethinking the Wineskin -Frank Viola, 1997
MISSIONARY METHODS: ST. PAUL’S OR OURS? -Roland Allen, 1912, 1927
The Early Church -Gene Edwards, 1974
Sharpening the Focus of the Church -Gene Getz, 1975
Going to Church in the First Century -Robert Banks, 1980
The Problem of Wineskins -Howard Snyder, 1975
The Church Comes Home -Robert & Julia Banks, 1998
Community and Growth -Jean Vanier, 1979, 1989
The House Church -Del Birkey, 1988
Authentic Relationships -Wayne & Clay Jacobsen, 2003
Toward a House Church Theology -Steve Atkerson (Editor), 1996
Come to the Table -John Hicks, 2002
Making a Meal of it -Ben Witherington, 2007
A Harmony of the Life of St Paul -Frank Goodwin, 1951
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters -Hawthorne & Martin, 1993
Finally, two most recent reference works I picked up are turning out to be quite helpful:
Paul the Missionary -Edward Schnabel, 2008
The Greco-Roman World of the NT -James Jeffers, 1999
I’m glad to see Jim Petersen’s Church Without Walls on the list, it’s a favorite of mine. I once got to have lunch with Jim, and it was a wide-ranging conversation indeed.
I’ll add Pagan Christianity Frank Viola and George Barna, and The Jesus Paradigm Dave Black (though I still think The Downward Path of Jesus was a much better title for it).
I would add all of Viola’s books. They kind of piggy-back on each other.
Houses That Change the World – Wolfgang Simson
I second When the Church was a Family
For my charismatic brothers I recommend Post Charismatic by Rod MacAlpine.
Here are two more:
Church 3.0 and Organic Leadership by Neil Cole.
Ekklesia: To the Roots of Biblical Church Life by Steve Atkerson http://mcaf.ee/e6a91