Book Suggestions?
So, I was given a couple of amazon.com gift cards for Christmas. I’m quickly making a wish list and trying to decide what books to purchase with these gift cards.
I’ll probably buy books on ecclesiology. I’d like to buy a few academic books and a few more popular books. But, I’m having a hard time deciding what to buy.
Do you have any suggestions?
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- Four Books | The Assembling of the Church - [...] I mentioned in my post “Book Suggestions?” I was given a couple of Amazon.com gift cards for Christmas. After…
Bosch, Transforming Mission. The single most important book on mission and church I have ever read, period.
Anything by Philip Gulley or Andy Andrews but if you haven’t read The Traveler’s Gift by A.A. yet then buy this one first! Snow Day by Billy Coffey is another great one – check out his blog, too; good stuff there.
My top 4 of what I read this year:
-John Howard Yoder, Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World (ecclesiology)
-Allan and Debra Hirsch, Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship
-Scott McKnight, A community called atonement (atonement theology in relation to ecclesiology and mission)
-NT Wright, Surprised by hope
My all time top 4:
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship
-John H. Yoder, Body Politics
-Jacques Ellul, The Subversion of Christianity
-Frank Viola, Reimagining Church
Verdhuin, “Anatomy of a Hybrid”
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I’ve added several (that I haven’t read or that aren’t too expensive) to my wish list.
Please, keep them coming!
-Alan
I would love to see you read and review some defenses of traditional church, like Why We Love The Church. I would also echo tomyab with Yoder’s book, which I plan on reading sometime soon
Arthur…you cannot read anything until you read all your T4G books…
Arthur,
I’m tempted… but I just can’t make myself spend money on it. Maybe if it was available for free in return for a review.
James,
I guess I should read at least one T4G book?
-Alan
I suggested this the last time you asked but I’ll suggest it again because I really think you would find it interesting in what early anabaptist vision was, and how closely some of it relates to your thought. The book I am recommending is The Secret of the Strength by Peter Hoover. And guess what you don’t even have to buy it. The whole book can be read at http://www.anabaptistvision.org. If you can’t read the whole book I recommend the Introduction, Chapter 2,5,6,7,9,12
I am not advocating anabaptism or any denomination as such nor condoning the whole book, however it is interesting to see how God moved in a group of people in another time period similar to the early church.
Rod,
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve started reading it.
-Alan
Hey Rod,
Thank you for this timely link; I read the chapters you suggested with much joy. I’ve really been struggling the past 6 months or so, feeling more and more disconnected from Christianity and by that, from Christ. How faithful He is to train up His children, even in our confusion and contrariness.
Alan,
Email me a mailing address and I will send you my copy to read.
James,
I have read 4-5 of those books, the rest probably never will get read.
Rod-
Great suggestion.
I have enjoyed all of Peter Hoovers E-Books, the one you mentioned: Secret of the Strength, and The Russians Secret-What Christians Today Would Survive Persecution?, Behold the Lamb-A brief history of the Moravian Church, The Mystery of the Mark-Anabaptist Missions under the fire of God.
Those books along with Verduin’s The Reformers and their Step-Children as well as Kennedy’s The Torch of the Testimony helped me fill in the blanks regarding church history outside of the revised and abbreviated and revised version handed down to us by the defenders of the Catholic and Protestant traditions.
Wow, I should proof read, revised twice for emphasis? 🙂
thanks Rod
Alan,
Have you read Radical Restoration by F. LaGard Smith? I just picked it up today on a suggestion from a good friend. It is of particular interest to me because I think he is questioning the Churches of Christ practices that he (and I) grew up in.
Rod (and others),
I’ve read “Secret of the Strength” through chapter 9, but now I can’t get the page open. Is anyone else having this problem?
-Alan
Yes, it seems many of the chapters won’t open…
Alan,
I can’t even get on that website at all now. I guess it can’t handle the multitude of hits recently generated by all your blog readers 🙂
However I did get to the rest of the book on another website. Go to http://www.anabaptist.org/writings/excerpts/strength.html and then click on more. It’s not as fancy but the words are still there.
Correction-in the previous post I forgot to include the “s” at the end of anabaptist. This is the correct link: http://www.anabaptists.org/writings/excerpts/strength.html
Rod,
Thanks! Your link led me to another link to the entire chapter list: http://www.allgodsword.com/Sos/
-Alan