Sunday, March 21, 2010

submit your top five books that should be included in seminary curriculums, but likely aren't.

Due to an offhanded comment, i "accidentally" started to compose a list of " the top five books that should be included in seminary curriculums, but likely aren't."

I am thinking of books that likely aren't officially "Christian," or officially about "Christian" topics, but offer valuable lessons re: life and ministry in the postmodern world. Or maybe books that may be theological, but push envelopes, norms and forms..books we may not agree with doctrinally, but God can use to form us as far as cultural sensitivity.

Love to see your list!! Post them below.

Oh, here are my first (off the wall, and odd the cuff) three, including one (second link) that I actually was allowed to use in seminary (Gotta love Asbury! I even joked about sneaking it into the seminary in a brown paper bag!).
In no particular order:


Oh, it should go without saying that, if I go with a list of books that are in some way officially Christian/theological, the list gets easy and long.. Of course, "Get Up From Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog" should make the list...Wolfgang Simson, Alan Hirsch, Annie Dillard..et al... Love to see your lists of those...but:

I would really love to hear your more provocative..unobvious...good "pagan" books, yeah! (:


PS:
i already know one of Ryan's...and found it on discount:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Road

And one of Mike Rinaldi's:
http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2010/02/chiasm-led-me-to-christ.html


Even though Brian Dodd's response was profound, and ideally should shut down all submissions:

Dave, I find the whole exercise self-defeating. It is a wrong question, that leads to wrong answers, that lead to misguided behavior. We need to be a people of ONE book. We are anemic as a church, not because our religious professionals need to read different books, but because we read--and do--everything but the Bible. When I was a leadership ... See Moreprofessor at your alma mater, I continually got this feedback for my "Servant is Leader" class: "I read more Bible in your leadership class than I have in any of my Bible classes." Sad, but true. The Bible sheds a lot of light on the commentaries and commentators. The command is not to understand, but to stand-under, and to "teach them to OBEY ALL that I have commanded you." Oh, give me the book of God! I want to know the way to heaven! Brian (for more on this, see "Why I am not writing another book" @ http://www.brianjdodd.blogspot.com/).
-
Brian J Dodd

...I would still love to see your

>>See this, for some amazing suggestions so far...
and add yours.

I just have to promise we won't start a new seminary.
Or read any of your books before I read the Bible today..

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Hey, thanks for engaging the conversation!