What Are You Reading?

As one of my seminary profs likes to say, "Leaders are learners." Over the years I've tried to live by that and intentionally schedule some one-on-one time with a good book. Still, it is often much easier, after an arduous evening committee meeting or youth event, to simply plop myself in front of the TV next to my wife and view one of the latest installments of House, The Office, or Seinfeld reruns.

Still, I believe there is no substitute for reading a good book and, at least for me, it is one of the chief ways that God forms and challenges me for ministry. Here's a selection of some of the stuff into which I've delved over the past year.

MINISTRY-RELATED:

Tim Conder, The Church in Transition: The Journey of Existing Churches into the Emerging Culture. I really enjoyed this book because it avoids two pitfalls: It's not simply a how-to book ("Do these five things and your church will be postmodern"). It's also not simply a book glorifying churches that were started as postmodern. Rather, it challenges existing churches to reframe the conversation that takes place among their members so that creative transformation can happen.

Avery Dulles, Models of the Church. This is written by a Catholic theologian, and is filled with references to a plethora of other Catholic theologians I've never heard of and never intend to read. Still, I absolutely loved it. In presenting six distinct models of the nature of the Christian church, I believe this book will challenge pastors to rethink some of their own biased ecclesiological practices, and also to think outside the box about how they can "do" church even more effectively.

Norm Wakefield, Between the Words: The Art of Perceptive Listening. As pastors, we love to talk...whether it's in sermons, lessons, prayers, or at meetings. We are often esteemed as the voices of authority and wisdom in our congregations. But we are often poor listeners, and we do not present ourselves simply as people willing to listen to others. This book gives some great practical suggestions and techniques for improving our listening skills.

Brian J. Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat, Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire. This book is an exposition of Colossians, looking at the practical relevance of its theology for the political, economic, and social realities of today. While I take issue with some (not all) of their methodologies and conclusions, I am glad to have read it, and I believe that Walsh and Keesmaat have added some valuable thoughts to an ongoing conversation.

JUST FOR FUN:

Dan Brown, Angels and Demons. This one has been sitting on my shelves for a couple years now. His theology (if you can call it that) aside, I think Brown is an exceptional writer and have enjoyed every one of his books. This one challenged me to really think about the relationship between faith and reason, religion and science.

Bernard Goldberg, Arrogance. First, a disclaimer: This book does not argue that there is a liberal "conspiracy" within the mainstream media. What it does try to prove is that the media elite of this country are so removed from the views, beliefs, and realities of people outside their own circles, they are simply incapable of having an objective, balanced perspective in reporting and editorializing the news, despite their own assertions to the contrary. This book is extremely helpful for ordinary Americans to interpret the content of their news sources....whether it's the New York Times or FOX News.

Scott Turow, Limitations. This is the latest book from a great writer of legal thrillers. While the plot is not as well-crafted and integrated as some of his past books, especially Presumed Innocent, I thought it was overall intelligent and enjoyable. I think it's a good illustration of Christ's precept that one must deal with the log in one's own eye, before one attempts to deal with the speck in someone else's. Overall, it addresses the "limitations" of human justice.