The Chaplain's Reading List

Updated Summer 2014

 

The following is a list of books that have stood the test of time in my own life. These are so many great books out there. But these are ones that I return to like old friends, flipping through them to track down my margin notes. These are books that seem to say something new to me when read at a new stage to life. They inhabit my heart and mind. The voices of these various authors inform my thoughts, decisions, opinions, and prayers. I’m thankful that God does not send us down the road alone . . . .  

 

Anderson, Carol, Knowing Jesus in Your Life, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1993. For many hears, this has been my ‘go to’ book for confirmation instruction. Though she happens to be an Episcopalian, and one of the first women ordained in the Episcopal Church in the United States, Anderson’s topic is simply how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. She draws on her own spiritual journey as a vehicle for a simple and straightforward presentation of the basic elements of the Christian faith.

 

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, The Cost of Discipleship, New York: Macmillan Pub. Co., 1963. This is one of the first works of true Christian theology that I ever read. At the time, I had never come across a Christian writer who took the gospel message so seriously. Bonhoeffer, who died at the hands of the Nazis, speaks forcefully to the comfort and apathy in the church today. The chapter on “Costly Grace” is a classic.

 

Buechner, Frederick, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1977. Buechner draws on Shakespeare’s King Lear in this work of non-fiction. Buechner also publishes popular works of fiction (also try Son of Laughter, 1993). His appreciation of the Bible as story really opened up the scriptures to me.

 

Chambers, Oswald, My Utmost for His Highest, New Jersey: Barbour & Company. Chambers was instrumental in beginning the YMCA. This collection of daily devotions is one of the best-selling devotional books ever. I was given a copy as a high school student and pull it off the shelf almost every time I prepare to preach or teach.

 

The Cloud of Unknowing, The Cloud of Unknowing, Classics of Western Spirituality Series, New York: Paulist Press, 1981. For those interested in contemplative prayer, this is necessary reading. Written anonymously, “The Cloud” is a helpful corrective to the current trend to package attractive formulas for prayer.

 

Gonzalez, Justo L., The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day, Massachusetts: Prince Press, 1999. This two volume standard seminary text on Church History has been republished under a single cover. It’s readable without sacrificing detail. A good start for those interested in the sweep of Christian history.

 

Hauerwas, Stanley & William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989. Hauerwas and Willimon attack many of the sacred cows of the church and call for a new vision for Christians based on our status as aliens in this world. The book is a moving call to the church to begin to live as the church.

 

Johnson, Timothy Luke, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986. If you are searching for a one-volume commentary on the Bible, this is the first one to put on your shelf. Johnson is a professor of New Testament Studies at Emory University in Atlanta.

 

Karr, Mary, Lit. Karr has written three memoirs, this being the third. She describes her recovery from alcoholism. It is full of humor, sharp insights about human frailty, and the best description of the struggle of the alcoholic that I’ve read.

 

Kierkegaard, Soren, Purity of Love is to Will One Thing. I recently revisited this short classic and found that every page had something immediate to say to me. The book was written as preparation for the sacrament of confession and calls the reader to an honest examination of the self before God.

 

Lewis, C. S., The Screwtape Letters, Ohio: Barbour and Company, 1990.  This work of fiction makes us privy to the correspondences between a senior tempter and his trainee. It is both hilarious and unsettling.

 

Lewis, C. S., Mere Christianity, Ohio: Barbour and Company, 1990. Lewis is perhaps the most widely read Anglican author in history.  His writings have stood the test of time in a way that few modern, Christian writings have. This book on the primary beliefs of the Christian faith is based on series of Lewis’ talks that were broadcast by BBC radio.

 

Manning, Brennan, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-up, and Burnt Out, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1990. Manning, an ex-Roman Catholic priest, writes about recovery from addiction and the radical grace of God. His Lion and the Lamb, and Abba’s Child are also well worth reading.

 

Merton, Thomas, Seeds of Contemplation, Great Britain: Anthony Clarke, 1961. Merton, a Trappist monk, came to popularity in the 60’s and continues to be widely read. His journals are also fascinating.

 

Percy, Walker, Signposts in a Strange Land, USA: HarperCollins, 1991. In this collection of essays, Percy muses on life in the south, science, religion, morality, literature and language. Percy shows no one any mercy, least of all himself!

 

Peterson, Eugene, The Contemplative Pastor, Dallas: Word Pub., 1989. Though this book is addressed particularly to pastors, anyone seeking depth and integrity in their ministry will find a friend here.

 

Peterson, Eugene, The Message, Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1993. Peterson draws on his knowledge of biblical languages and his talents as a poet to create this paraphrase.

 

Rutledge, Fleming, The Bible and the New York Times, Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998. This collection of sermons by one of the Episcopal Church’s premier preachers is arranged according to the liturgical calendar. Rutledge has a gift for making the biblical text come alive. Her grasp of contemporary issues lets her “keep the Bible in one hand and the New York Times in the other” (Karl Barth).

 

Rutledge, Fleming, The Undoing of Death, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002. This collection of Holy Week sermons is excellent reading for Lent. Paintings of scenes from the events of the last week of Jesus life are included and commented on by the author.

 

Wright, N. T. The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1996. Wright is an Anglican biblical scholar and dean of Lichfield Cathedral, England. The Original Jesus is a synopsis of Wright’s larger academic writings. For anyone interested in the historical Jesus questions, Wright is a good place to begin. The Crown and the Fire, Who Was Jesus?, and What Saint Paul Really Said are also well worth reading. 

 

Zahl, Paul F. M., Grace in Practice, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007. This book is hands down my favorite for connecting the good news of the gospel with the realities of everyday living. The first section describes the foundational beliefs of reformed Christianity (atonement, original sin, the un-free will, imputation, grace and law). The rest of the book applies these truths about the human predicament to the actual situations that people face in families, at work, in the church, and in one’s own head. A great read.

 

Zahl, John, Grace in Addiction: The Good News of Alcoholics Anonymous for Everybody, Charlottesville, VA: Mockingbird Ministries, 2012. There are lots of good books out there on recovery, but this one is my favorite. Zahl draws on personal experience to describe how the alcoholic is driven by forces beyond his control. He helps the reader to connect the insights of AA with the old, old story of Christianity. The book is also full of fantastic illustrations.

 

Not all these books will become your books. Can I suggest a goal? Goal-setting is, for the most part, bad spirituality. But there can be exceptions. I think this might qualify as an exception: over the next five years, develop your own list of spiritual friends. Start with my list, but then gradually remake it into your own. You have to start somewhere. Start here. Eliminate. Substitute. Develop your own list, which over the years will become not a ‘list’ at all, but a room full of friends with whom you have ‘sweet converse.           Eugene Peterson (Take and Read)