Inquiring Minds...

Recently I was asked to post my reading list.  So, I thought I would offer here in a blog post. Then we will switch over to a regular part of the blog so those of you who love books and sharing titles can keep up.  More importantly you might even make a suggestion to me!

Books I am reading currently:

Fiction:

The Yard by Alex Grecian
The Widower's Two Step by Rick Riordan

Non Fiction:

The Story of My Boyhood and Youth by John Muir
The M Factor by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman
Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky

Books I recently finished:

Big Red Tequila by Rick Riordan

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Unholy Night and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

 

Books for consideration from my bookshelf:

Leading God’s People by Christopher Beeley

World Shaped Mission by Janice Price

Climb Higher by Scott McKenzie and Kristine Miller

For Church Leaders:

I think there are some foundational texts that every church leader should be familiar with as they enter ministry.  Therefore I am recommending the following for clergy to have on their bookshelf when they graduate from seminary and to have read in their first three years of ministry.  These are in no particular order.

The shape of liturgy by Dix
 

Orthodoxy by Chesterton

Missionary Methods by Roland Allen

History of Global Anglicanism by Wingate etc

The Cross of Christ by John Stott

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman

After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre

Jesus the Christ and Harvesting the Fruit by Walter Kaspar

Fling Out the Banner by Ian Douglas

Primal Leadership by Daniel Coleman

Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Hiefetz

Leading Change by John P. Kotter

The Word Made Strange and Theology and Social Theory by John Milbank

A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McClaren

Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky

They Like Jesus But Not The Church by Dan Kimball

Why Study the Past and Ray of Darkness by Rowan Williams

Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent J Donovan

Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times by Peter Steinke

Turn Around Strategies for the Small Church by Herb Miller

Hearing God’s all-Ways of Discernment for Laity and Clergy by Ben Campbell Johnson

The Leader’s Journey-Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation by Herrington; Creech; Taylor

Here are a few pieces that are my recommended reading for guidance, comfort, assurance.  These are the books I turn to over and over again and are well dog-eared:

My Oxford Annotated Bible

Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Cruelty of Heresy by C. FitzSimons Allison
Grace In Practice by Paul Zahl
Theological Turning Points by Donald McKim

 

Books from the recent past:

Burning Chrome by William Gibson

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

The New World by Winston Churchill

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

Shakespeare by Bill Bryson

The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill

At Home  by Bill Bryson

Fever Crumb and Mothstorm series by Philip Reeve

The Hunger Games  series by Suzanne Collins

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
Trumanby David McCullough
Semper Fi by Dan Carrison, Rod Walsh

Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins

Club Dead series by Charlaine Harris

Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda

True Grit by Charles Portis
Lonesome Dove trilogy  by Larry McMurtry
Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain
Agenda for a New Economy by David C. Korten

Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo  by Stieg Larsson

 

News on Archbishop of Canterbury Search

First printed in The Church of England Newspaper.

The Crown Nominations Committee met last week to consider the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Details of the 26-27 July meeting, including its location and whether potential candidates were invited to meet the committee have not been disclosed.

While the committee has maintained its internal discipline and not leaked details of deliberations to the press or favored insiders as in past years, lobbying by pressure groups for favoured candidates continues. A letter seen by the Church of England Newspaper that was written by primates attending the Global South Conference last week in Bangkok has urged the committee to consider archbishop’s pan-Anglican duties when it reviews the candidates.

“At a time when the Christian faith faces challenges from other religions as well as secular worldviews, the new Archbishop of Canterbury must be committed to uphold the orthodoxy of the Christian ‘faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints’,” the primates said.

The next Archbishop of Canterbury will be a “guardian of the faith” charged with uniting the wider Anglican Communion, “especially on issues that have led to the present crisis in the Communion”, they said and must be able to “communicate effectively and gain the respect and confidence” of the wider church the 21 July 2012 letter said.

Chaired by the Lord Luce, the committee consists of six members elected by the Diocese of Canterbury Vacancy in See Committee: The Rev Canon Clare Edwards, Mr. Raymond Harris, Mr. David Kemp, the Rev. Canon Mark Roberts, Mrs. Caroline Spencer and Bishop Trevor Wilmott,
Six further members of the committee were elected by the General Synod: Mr. Aiden Hargreaves-Smith – Diocese of London, Prof. Glynn Harrison – Diocese of Bristol, Mrs Mary Johnston – Diocese of London, The Very Rev Andrew Nunn – Diocese of Southwark, The Rev Canon Peter Spiers – Diocese of Liverpool and the Rev Canon Glyn Webster – Diocese of York.

The Rt Rev James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle, and the Rt Rev Michael Perham, the Bishop of Gloucester were elected by the House of Bishops of the General Synod, and Archbishop Barry Morgan of Wales was elected by the Anglican Consultative Council to serve on the committee as well.

Three non-voting members also serve on the committee: the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments Ms Caroline Boddington, the Prime Minister’s Appointments Secretary Sir Paul Britton and the Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council, Canon Kenneth Kearon.