Eugene Cho is fast becoming my favorite blogger. He and his readers spent some time tossing back and forth what they thought was the 10 most essential books for Christians. You can read his list here http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/my-10-absolutely-essential-books-for-christians/#more-4005
I was looking down the list and can say that I haven’t read very many of those books. I have read bits and pieces probably but not all the way through. The one that I find the most essential on that list (keep in mind I am saying the most essential to those I have read on Eugene’s list) is Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright
The sub-title is “Re-thinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.” Don’t let re-thinking fool you. N.T. Wright isn’t necessarily re-thinking but rather re-explaining what heaven, resurrection, and the mission of the church meant in the context of the early church. He peels back all the layers of tradition that has piled on top to get to the core of what Jesus and his followers believed about heaven, resurrection, and the mission of the church. It is a beautiful book that would make a great read leading up to celebrating Easter. Speaking of that I think I am going to re-read it starting today. Another book Eugene mentions on his list Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.
Irresistible Revolutionis a great book. The stories that Shane shares are extraordinary. I mean the man called Mother Teresa on the phone! It cannot be overstated for people who desire to put their faith into action I can’t think of another book that articulates what that looks like better than this book.
After reading his list and the list’s of people commenting on his list I started to think of what one book do I chalk up as essential to my journey with God. What is the one book that I
continue to look at, study, ponder, and wrestle with. The one book that I think every Christian should read. I know many of you are waiting for me to say the Bible. I know that many of us read way too much about the Bible instead of reading the Bible but that is not what I am going to say. This book is the one I go to first after I read my Bible. Most times that I read my Bible this book is close by so I can see if the author has any insight (and she usual does!) about what I have just read. To me this is the most essential book I have on my shelf.
It is called Stations of the Banquet: Faith Foundations for Food Justice by Cathy C. Campbell.
“Stations of the Banquet, a Scripture-based exploration of the Christian story of salvation as a food story, provides nourishment for those engaged in living out the food and justice challenges of the Gospel. It highlights the power of our biblical and theological traditions to name the root issues of our day, shape our hope, and define horizons for action. It is a resource for study and prayer.”
I was in a class in seminary and this book was one of the required readings. At first I had no desire to read this book. It just sat on my shelf for weeks. To be honest it wasn’t really until after the class I read it. Before every class we would pray one of the prayers found at the end of each chapter of the book. If you get the book just for that it is worth the price. The prayers are some of the most beautiful and vibrant prayers I have ever read. The rest of the book is just as vibrant and beautiful. For some it might be a bit wordy and I guess that is why I haven’t bought 10 copies and passed them out to friends and family. This book really needs to be read and digested in community. If you do decide to check it out I urge you to ask a few people to read it with you. This book is dense to say the least. I won’t give you a long drawn out overview of the book because my words couldn’t do Stations justice but here are a few quotes.
“Time spent in prayer is time spent at the heart of the universe.” Pg 54
“In the simple act of feeding the hungry, we do not just do a good thing or follow a moral imperative to care for our neighbor; we are actually invited to encounter the living Christ, the mystery of the universe from before time to after the end of time.” Pg 70
“Generosity is the impulse at the root of a gift economy. It is our contemporary spiritual challenge. It is at the core of the path of abundent life for all.” Pg 158
What about you? Do you have any essentials?
Peace,
Nate
