Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church

A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian Mclaren.

This book lays out some of the essential theological
components of the emergent church. Mclaren does a
terrific job writing for everyday people. Thisbook is
about a new way to be the church, but it is grounded
in scripture and is true to the gospel of love and
grace. This is an exciting book, and it will cause you
to look at the Christian faith with a fresh
perspective. This is a very inspiring book!

Simply Christian by Tom Wright

This is also a great book. This outlines some of the
basic tenets of the Christian faith. It goes a little
deeper into the theology than Mclaren’s book. Wright
is a very passionate writer and his passion will come
through. We are using this book for our Introduction
to Christianity class that is beginning in April.

Evil and the Justice of God by Tom Wright

This is a fantastic book. Wright does a great job
dealing with a very difficult subject. The church
still struggle with how to deal with the problem of
evil. We want to explain it away, or give it pat
answers. But, it is far more complex than that. Wright
treats the subject with the care that it deserves, but
he does not shy away from shining the light of truth.
We will be doing a book study on this book in the
summer.

United Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center by
Scott Jones

Jones is a bishop in the United Methodist Church. This
book is very informative. I loved this book. However,
it is only for people that are truly interested in the
subject. It is rather dry and detailed at times. But,
it does lay out the prinicple of the extreme center
very nicely.

Why I Am a United Methodist by Will Willimon

Willimon is also a bishop in the United Methodist
Church. This book is more “user-friendly” than Scott
Jones book. It lays out what it good and true about
the United Methodist tradition and essentially calls
for a revival of the great tradition of John Wesley.
This is a wonderful book for anyone that ever wanted
to know about the United Methodist Church.

Introducing the Bible by William Barclay.

Barclay was a great Scottish teacher. In his book, he
does exactly what the title implies, he introduces the
bible to th reader in a way that everyone can
undertsand. This is a great book to read before you
read the bible.

What the Bible Really Teaches Us: About Crucifixion, Resurrection,
Salvation, the Second Coming, and Eternal Life by Keith Ward.

Don’t be fooled by the long title. This is a great
book. This would be an advance course to Barclay’s
book. Ward is a former fundamentalist Christian that
began to explore what the bible really teaches about
some of the concepts that the religious right has (to
my mind) misinterpreted. However, Ward’s book does not
bash anyone. He remains a faithful Christian that only
wants people to explore some of these deep theological
issues in light of the whole biblical witness and not
one or two select passages.

Treasures of the Transformed Life by John Ed
Mathison.

We used this book for our fall study in 2007 and the
people at my church really loved it. This is a great
book, very easy to read. It lays out some of the
principles of Christian discipleship in a very
insightful and entertaining way. Mathison tells a lot
of stories in this book. Many people found it easy to personally
identify
with the principles he is teaching because they could connect to the
stories. This is a great read. And it will challenge you in your faith.

Not For Sale at Any Price by David Batstone

This is an amazing book! It will really open your eyes. Batstone reveals the story of a new generation of 21st century abolitionists and their heroic campaign to put an end to human bondage. In his accessible and inspiring book, Batstone carefully weaves the narratives of activists and those in bondage in a way that not only raises awareness of the modern–day slave trade, but also serves as a call to action.

Cain’s Field: Faith, Fratricide and Fear in the Middle East by Matt Beynon Rees

This is a great book for anyone that would like a deeper understanding of the complexities of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Rees’ believes that the root of the conflict is not just animosity between Jews and Arabs, but also the result of the various internal conflicts that exist. The book is full of anecdotal support for his idea.

The Collaborator Of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees

This is a fictional story about Omar Yussef, or “Abu Ramiz” as he is called, a history teacher at a U.N. camp in Bethlehem. When one of Yussef’s former students is falsely imprisoned for murder, Yussef conducts his own investigation. This book is graphic in its depiction of the violence that is characteristic of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. But, it is a great read.
 
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson

This is a great book. It is a difficult read because there is a lot of date. But, there is also a lot of anecdotal support, as well. It is an important book to read because we often forget that boys actually have an emotional life. It has obviously changed since I was a boy and the mantra was “boys don’t cry.” But, we still have a long way to go and this book has some great insights.