Like some pastors, I have the privilege of money set-aside for continuing education and books to better my preaching, teaching, blogging, and personal devotions. I had $100 left in that end-of-year money, so I loaded up ye ol’ Kindle with 10 new books. I know lots of people don’t like to read digital books, but it works for both my workflow and my ability to search for things when I think of them in the future. I’ll get to these sometime in 2015, though I’ve got plenty ahead of them in my reading list from 2014…2013…eek!
In case you are interested, my purchase list below was drawn from book suggestions by my smart friends and colleagues, as well as recommendations by websites in my Feedly. I cannot attest to the goodness of these books as I just purchased them, but I (mostly) trust the judgments of those I know and read in their areas of specialty, and it looks like an eclectic list.
General Christianity
- Connected Toward Communion: The Church and Social Communication in the Digital Age by Daniella Zsupan-Jerome
- Apprenticeship with Jesus: Learning to Live Like the Master by Gary W. Moon, Dallas Willard
- Dangerous Passions, Deadly Sins: Learning from the Psychology of Ancient Monks by Dennis Okholm
- Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life by James Martin
- Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes
by Mitri Raheb
Society & Culture
- The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
- Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado
- Sticking Points: How to Get 4 Generations Working Together in the 12 Places They Come Apart by Haydn Shaw, Stephen M. R. Covey
United Methodism
- We Shall Not Be Moved: Methodists Debate Race, Gender, and Homosexuality by Jane Ellen Nickell
- Denominationalism Illustrated and Explained by Russell E. Richey
Total was just over $100.
What’s your end-of-year purchases?
Jeremy, I strongly recommend that you first read Linda Tirado’s book “Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America.” She captures precisely what it’s like to be a minimum-wage worker, to lack health insurance, to suffer the oppression of employers who chronically rob their workers in countless ways, all legal. The term “wage slaves” isn’t a metaphor anymore; it’s the reality.
In fact, I recommend that you consider using Tirado’s book for a study at church. Until they live through it as our family has, or they are confronted by it by someone articulate like Tirado, most Christians today have little concept of what life is really like for most of America today. The study would be valuable if for no other reason than it may help them recognize that we have a potential domestic security threat on our hands because of the growing wealth inequality in America. Stressed-out, jobless, starving, sick people do desperate things, as we’re seeing in Ferguson, New York City, Phoenix and elsewhere. We must change our systems before our society explodes.
I haven’t read the boot strap book, but I have lived that way for over ten years. (I have a full-time, full-benefit job now)
I can certainly attest to the stress and rage that build in a person in that position. There were many times when I would come out of the grocery store and cry in my car after trying to stretch $20.00 to feed myself for a week…..
The Bible.
#boom
#sundayschoolanswer
#kidding
My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit
Endless life: Poems of the Mystics by Scott Cairns
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry (Zombie book but the theological question about the existence of God are fantastic! The second book explore how we deal with our violence as a human race. The third book is all about grief)
I still have books I purchsed last year I haven’t read, but I need to get inspired to read again.
The Bootstrap books keeps coming into my view. As a fan of Walking Dead – in which I often see theological/communal themes. So may check out Rot & Ruin.