New From the Bookshelf Intro | MacIntyre, Root and Caputo

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I’ve decided along with my other segments (like Dress Down Friday, Flickr Pics, and Quotations) on ol’ “gathering in light” that I’d start doing a little segment on new books that I come across at the bookstore that you may (or may not) find interesting. I am going to try and be fairly diverse in my selection. I figure since I spend a decent amount of time working at the bookstore and have all kinds of new and exciting books come across my fingertips that I should share some of these titles with you. So here’s the plan: I am going to briefly write about 3-5 books that have just come out (or have come out in the past 6 months or so) in just a couple quick sentences so you can get the basic gist of the book. I will plan to do this every other week unless I have enough time (and books) to do more. If you’d like to suggest books you’re always welcome to do that! Just contact me.

Here are the first three.

Edith Stein: A Philosophical Prologue 1913-1922

Edith Stein: A Philosophical Prologue 1913-1922 by Alasdair MacIntyre. This book is a biography of Edith Stein’s life and philosophical thought, with the express interest of showing how philosophy can shape one’s life practically. Edith Stein, a Jew become catholic nun, is important not only for her philosophical work in phenomenology but also because of the way her philosophy impacted her own life. She died in an internment camp during Hitler’s rule.

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry – From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation” by Andrew Root takes a new look at youth ministry by suggesting that our “models” for working with youth are captive to modernity, and are in fact, not incarnational or not enough. He turns to Dietrich Bonhoeffer for an example of how incarnational ministry seeks to serve those who are suffering and who are outsiders.

What would Jesus Deconstruct?

What would Jesus Deconstruct? By John Caputo is a great entry point into the theological uses of continental philosophy and deconstruction. Here Caputo argues that the church must allow Jesus to deconstruct it in order that it not become absolutized, and set itself up as the Kingdom of God. Rather than the church allowing itself to be the answer, it needs to see itself always as the question. The Kingdom of God is the answer.

4 responses to “New From the Bookshelf Intro | MacIntyre, Root and Caputo”

  1. I just finished Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry and it was INCREDIBLE – and I’m not overstating it. I am going to review it soon on my blog… so good.

  2. Yes, I’m interested in that review, for sure. I did that Young Life thing for a good chunk o’ years, so I’d be interested to hear incarnational ministry (as we know it) decontructed.

    But I’m most interested in getting my paws on that Jesus/Deconstruct one. From the cover design it looks like the same series as -Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism.- And that one was phenomenal.

  3. @Jenelle – Yes it is a part of that series and I do really like Smith’s book, caputo’s isn’t really of the same thread, in fact I’d say he’s much more antagonistic than Smith. But even still its worth reading.