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Thanks to Serena Enger, UniLu member and Boston Public Library librarian, for creating and contributing this list!
Borg, Marcus. The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More Authentic Contemporary Faith. 1997.
A theological meditation considering major cultural and theological characterizations of God in order to shape a new vision.
Borg, Marcus. Jesus at 2000. 1997.
Excellent essays by distinguished theologians, including Harvey Cox, John Dominic Crossan, Huston Smith, and Alan Segal, re-examine Jesus in light of new research.
Breyer, Chloe. The Close: A Young Woman's First Year at Seminary. 2000.
An engaging portrait of the trials of seminary and urban ministry, by the daughter of Chief Justice Breyer. General Theological Seminary, Bellevue, and The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine offer Breyer many challenges.
Buechner, Frederick. Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner. 1992.
A fresh, substantial take on the devotional calendar.
Gomes, Peter. The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart. 1996.
Humorous, tough, and ethical criticism of the uses and abuses of the Bible. Reverend Gomes also discusses how the Bible, despite its historical and mythic context, can speak to suffering, joy, evil, science, and mystery in our lives.
Guardini, Romano. The Inner Life of Jesus. 1998.
Written in 1957, Guardini, a Catholic priest, eloquently describes Jesus' "flaming, radiant center." In general, Guardini's books--short, graceful, powerful meditations on liturgy, prayer, and the life of faith--are now considered classics of the century.
Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches, edited by Walter Wink. 1999.
In addition to Bishop Paul Egertson's moving essay of how he and his family accepted their gay son, the collection includes personal and scholarly essays from Protestant and Catholic ministers, theologians, and activists making the case for an inclusive vision of Christian community and ministry.
House, Adrian. Francis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life. 2000.
A fascinating account of a complex genius whose ethic of neighborliness, rather than rule, helped him to address the break-up of the feudal system (House considers Francis's father one of the first capitalists), the religious life of women, the destructiveness of the Crusades, and the joy of creation.
Lischer, Richard. Open Secrets: A Spiritual Journey through a Country Church. 2001
Currently a professor at Duke University's divinity school, Lischer offers a humorous and moving account of his first Lutheran parishes--poor and isolated and at odds with his vision of himself as a minister.
Nouwen, Henri J.M. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society. 1972.
While books on healing have become an industry, Father Nouwen, like Guardini and Taylor or even St. Francis, recognize and accept suffering as part of life, but seek healing through community and Christian hospitality. A tough, but graceful classic expressing his expectations of ministers and religious communities.
Spong, John Shelby. Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile: A New Reformation of the Church's Faith and Practice. 1998.
In the follow-up to Here I Stand, Bishop Spong offers a radical assessment and rejection of many Christian beliefs. A controversial and stimulating polemic.
Sweeney, Jon M. Praying with Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World's Spiritual Traditions. 2000.
Short paragraphs, illustrated with photographs by Jennifer J. Wilson who photographs Boston parishioners representing a variety of faiths, nicely underscore the importance of hands and the body in energizing our faith.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. Home by Another Way. 1999.
Voted one of the best preachers in the United States, Reverend Taylor is an Episcopal priest and professor of theology who has established herself as a leading essayist. This book offers meditations on the liturgical cycle.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. When God is Silent. 1998.
Reverend Taylor addresses suffering and alienation in a series of impressive essays.
Visser, Margaret. The Geometry of Love: Space, Time, Mystery, and Meaning in an Ordinary Church. 2000.
Through the example of one of Rome's first churches, Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura (St. Agnes Outside the Walls, of Rome), Visser shows how Catholic and Christian symbolism is expressed through architecture, liturgical rite, Church politics, and the life of the church's communities through 1,350 years of worship.
Women and Christian Origins, edited by Ross Shepard Kraemer and Mary Rose D'Angelo. 1999.
One of the best scholarly books re-assessing the spiritual lives of Jewish, Mediterranean, and early Christian women. The bibliography is first-rate.
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