Suggested Reading part 3
What people are reading and browsing these days
Send descriptions of your favorite "reads" (books, Web sites, periodicals, or online publications) to
bill.bixby@elca.org. The following are some responses and suggestions submitted by youth ministry leaders -- good reads!
The opinions and recommendations of the following people do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or theological perspectives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA Youth Ministry, ELCA Youth Gathering, or the organizations the contributors currently work for. All submissions are edited. There, we had to say that.
- The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster. Upper Room Books, 1998 (www.upperroom.org).
It's a standard in youth ministry circles, with good reason. All those serving young people in the church should read it. As I continue my struggle to better understand how Christian servanthood relates to God's call for justice and peace in this world, I'm carefully re-reading Section 3 on ingredients of the Godbearing life. I find it's always good to re-read important works with different questions and struggles in mind. (Jason Reed, Mt. Holly, NJ)
- Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes by Justo L. Gonzalez. Abingdon Press, 1996. (ISBN 0687014522) “Gonzalez explores how a Hispanic perspective illuminates the biblical text in ways that will be valuable not only for Latino readers but also for the church at large. Introducing five ‘paradigms’ for Latino biblical interpretation, Gonzalez discusses theory and provides concrete examples of biblical texts that gain new meaning when read from a different perspective.” (Len Mason, Chicago, IL)
- Clothed in Nothingness: Consolation for Suffering by Leonard M. Hummel. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2003. Where is God when one suffers? How may one be consoled? How do people understand their religious beliefs in relation to suffering? Leonard Hummel takes three of the most important insights of the Reformation -- the doctrine of justification, the theology of the Cross, and the priesthood of believers -- to see how they have been reappropriated by Christians in contemporary settings. He examines the theology of consolation as formulated in the early Lutheran tradition and as practiced by contemporary Lutherans. He describes the "religious coping" of seven believers who have suffered personal or social ills and how their capacity to cope was enhanced or affected by their belief. These vivid case studies are then used to illumine how pastoral theology and caregivers might bring traditional theological beliefs into a distinctive "lived theology."
- Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment by L. Shannon Jung. Fortress Press, 2006. Jung’s book encourages us to think about what we eat and why we eat it. At the basis of his writing is the belief that we should spend more time enjoying our food, thinking about where our food comes from, and how we extend Christian hospitality through our meal-sharing with others.
- Sustaining Simplicity: A Journal by Anne Basye. ELCA Church in Society, 2007. Available from Augsburg Fortress. This is an interesting 212-page book giving a peek into Anne's life and wrestling with living simply and justly. The format resembles Web pages and a journal so it's easy to pick it up, read a little, and pick it up later again to read. Her writing style reminds me of Herb Brokering's.
- The Memory Book by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas. Ballantine Books, 1996. Having trouble remembering young people’s names? Having trouble making the memorization of the first article of the catechism fun for the whole family? This book might be for you. It blew me away with really practical ways to remember important things. I have already implemented some of the techniques and it has benefited me a great deal in my ministry. (David Scherer, Agapé)
- Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. Riverhead Trade, 2006. Not since Mike Yaconelli has someone been able to be so authentic and yet so faithful at the same time. Lamott really reminds all of us that you don’t have to have your act together to still be a recipient of God’s boundless grace. When I want to hear about dogma and piety I go elsewhere, but when I want to hear the Good News of God’s redemption for the imperfect, I find myself drawn to Lamott's work. (David Scherer, Agapé)
- Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U. S. Denominations by Phil Schwadel and Christian Smith. National Study of Youth & Religion, 2005 (www.youthandreligion.org). This is a good primer for understanding the basic beliefs, practices, and values of youth in our congregations. Youth of the ELCA and Lutheran Church Missouri Synod were included in the study. It's easy to read and understand for those of us who are statistically challenged -- colorful graphs, concise summaries, and lots of white space on the page!
- Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church by Kenda Creasy Dean. Zondervan/Youth Specialties, 2006. This excellently-written book provides a foundation for understanding and responding to adolescent’s needs as a means for communicating the gospel. Dean relies heavily on developmental psychology (namely Erik H. Erikson’s work) and believes that adolescents are excellent “theological texts,” meaning that youth ministry work is done when our theology and faith is in dialogue with a particular local context. This is a meaty book with lots of good stuff to chew on… it certainly gets your mind thinking about how we can do youth ministry with better intentions! (Mark Jackson, Everett, WA)
- Good News About Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World by Gary A. Haugen. InterVarsity Press, 1999. A call to action in the world as Christians and the church. A youth version of this book is available. (Rev. Dr. David Ellingson, Everett, WA)
- Why Christian?: For Those on the Edge of Faith by Douglas John Hall. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1998. In these dialogues with doubt, Hall enters into an earnest search with a young inquirer who is on the edges of Christian faith, asking, "Why be Christian?" In a passionate and personal way, Hall probes fundamental religious questions and wrestles with the basic Christian convictions about Jesus and God, religious belief and the human predicament, unauthenic forms of Christianity, and what is missing in human life today.
Have comments or suggestions? E-mail bill.bixby@elca.org.