Reading List From My First Year at Fuller
I went through and typed out all those book this year that have been most influential in my schooling.
It was good for me to do this because I actually had the opportunity to realize that I did learn something this year!
Philosophy:
Brown, Warren; Murphy, Nancy; Malony, H. Newton eds
Whatever Happended to the Soul: Scientific and Theological Portraits of Human nature
A collections of Essays put together by Fullers Main Philosopher Nancey Murphy of the possibility of human beings having no soul and its implications upon Christianity. She Who is an Anabaptist believer herself believes that there is no immaterial soul and seeks to verify her beliefs through Science and theology.
Influence on my thinking*** (out of 5)
Murphy, Nancy
Reasoning and Rhetoric in Religion
An easily accessible book covering the structure of arguments to Alasdair MacIntyres account of how to evaluate traditions using Philosophy and the Methods from the field of science.
Influence ****
Spirituality:
O’connor, Elizabeth
Journey Inward Journey Outward 3rd Ed
A biography of the Church of the Savior in the late 60s a wonderful community church that reaches out to the urban poor in downtown DC.
Influence ****
King, Martin Luther
Strength to Love
A Collection of Luthers Sermons you could almost hear him speaking these powerful messages.
Influence: **
(I thought it was amazing, but I agreed pretty much with what he was saying, and much of it wasnt that new)
Quakerism:
Woolman, John
The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman
A great read for any mystic and especially for those who are interested in how the Abolition got started. John Woolmans Piety is challenging to anyones faith.
Influence: ***
Cooper, Wilmer
A Living Faith, A Historical and Comparative Study of Quaker Belief
A brief history and summary of Quaker Beliefs from the most liberal to the most conservative evangelicals. One of the best parts of this book is when Cooper talks about Christ as Prophet, Priest and King, and how Christ as prophet was one of the most important parts of early Quaker Christology, a part that is lost in much of evangelical Christianity today.
Influence: ***
Barclay, Robert
Apology for True Christian Divinity
The founding theology for Quakerism, written 30 years after the movement was started. It is as systematic a theology as the Quakers had and it is quite frankly an amazing work of theology. I found myself saying time and time again why have I never heard any of this before???? Probably the single most important book to me this school year.
Influence: *****
Barbour, Hugh and Frost, J.
The Quakers
A great history of Quakerism in America, pretty critical and covers fairly the different parts of the movement.
Ethics:
Pitts, James
How to Live Your Life
Probably the best book ever written by the one true Christian human alive.
Sieder, Ron
Rich Christians in An Age of Hunger
A very powerful, provocative and moving account of the Americas (and its church) neglect of the poor.
Influence:****
Douglas, Kelley
The Black Christ
A book about Christ and how he relates to African American Spirituality written from a Feminist African American Woman. A great a short read to get your feet wet in Black Theology.
Influence: ****
Marsden, George
Fundamentalism and American Culture
A critical and well put together history of the Fundamentalist movement and its negative effects on the American church. Probably the second most important book I read this school year. It helped me understand much of my church background and the ideologies that fueled it.
Influence: ****
McKnight, John
The Careless Society and its Counterfeits
How is it that there are so many service jobs now? With so few product producing jobs available in this country? J. McKnight asks this question and many others as he sets for the idea that much of Americas economy is fueled by service jobs that were created to fulfilled false needs in the society. He says that what people need is true community (and he offers great ideas as to what this is) and not more therapists, doctors, teachers, and rescue mission workers etc.
Influence: ****
Roberts, Samuel
African American Ethics
A great ethics book looking at many important issues for African Americans and how these issues are being handled by the larger society. It also has some great Black Theology in it.
Influence: ****