CHANGE AGENTS  IN A POST-MODERN AGE
A READING LIST FOR PROGRESSIVE THINKERS
EXTENDED LIST

Format is Author Title Description

Critiques of Tradition

Bruns, Gerald L., Hermeneutics Ancient & Modern. (Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1992.)

Critically examines the nature and purpose of understanding and interpretation against a background of diverse historical and contemporary theories, cultural traditions, texts, and practices.  Significant.

 

Eilberg-Schwartz, H. God’s Phallus And Other Problems for Men And Monotheism. (Beacon Press, Boston, 1994.)

At once, scholarly, amusing, provocative and serious in the way this writer challenges our notions of God, patriarchy, power and faith.

 

Grenz, Stanley J., and Franke,  John R., Beyond Fundamentalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context. (Westminster John Knox,  2000.)

Thorough and provocative, examining contemporary, evangelical thinking and purpose.  While challenging other post-modern thought and principle this work contributes to the debate about saving Christianity from fundamentalism.

 

Glebe-Moller, Jens, trans. Hall, Thor. Jesus and Theology: Critique of a Tradition. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1989.

Examines post-Christian, secular critiques of the Western interpretation of Jesus and Christian estrangement from their own "theological code".

 

Moltmann, Jurgen, The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology. (SCM, London, 1974.).

This work haas been around for many years but still speaks of an appropriate standard for criticism.

Riddell, Michael,  Threshold of the Future - Reforming the church in a post-Christian West. (SPCK, London, 1998.)

Invites the reader to envisage a changing Christian world.  Profoundly readable.

 

Riddell, Michael,   Godzone: A Traveller's Guide. (Lion, 1992)

What does it mean to speak of 'god' in our time?

Spong, John Shelby, Why Christianity Must Change or Die. HarperSanFrancisco, 1999.

A timely, honest look at the future of theism in the modern world that challenges the traditional modes of religious thought.

At times provocative, always compassionate and liberative, Spong questions first century concepts and solutions for twenty-first century living.

Community, Mission and Ministry: the crisis of relevance

Bosch, David J., Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology and Mission. (Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 1991).

Drane, John, Evangelism for a New Age: Creating Churches for the New Century. (Marshall Pickering, London, 1994.).

In a dialogue for change, Drane considers the connection between Christianity and Western thought and morality, and asks whether post-modern living must discard that thinking as out-dated, irrelevant, and untrustworthy for a human future.  Outlines strategies for change that embrace evangelical interaction between Bible stories, God's story and personal stories.

 

Gill Athol, The Fringes Of Freedom: Following Jesus, Living Together, Working For Justice. (Lancer, Homebush West, NSW)

Grenz, Stanley, A Primer on Postmodernism. (Eerdmanns, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996.)

Hauerwas, Stanley, and Willimon, William H., Resident Aliened: Life in the Christian Colony.  (Abington, Nashville, 1992.)

Howard, Roland, The Rise and Fall of the Nine O'Clock Service: A Cult within the Church? (Mowbray, London, 1996.)

The death throes of a dying church or new directions?  Examines how the church has struggled with weariness and shifting paradigms of modernity and the new age of a church in decline.

 

Sine, Tom, Wild Hope: Crises Facing the Human Community on the Threshold of the 21st Century. (Word Publishing, Dallas, 1991)

Anticipating tomorrow's needs, Sine examines the challenges and hopes for the future of the church in its time of declining relevance.

 

Tomlinson, Dave,  The Post-Evangelical. (Triangle, London, 1995.).

Facing questions of authenticity, integrity of mind and spirit, and directions for Christian growth, Tomlinson considers why people are turning to the New Age phenomena and away from a church that they see as having become untenable, less satisfying and inauthentic.  A thought-provoking vision of a church for our times.

 

Ecotheology

The Earth Charter: view the Web Site http://www.earthcharter.org/

Embracing a commitment to earth healing and responsible action for survival and human relationships, the earth Charter provides guidelines for living that are hopeful and justice seeking for all people, for life and the living planet.

 

J. B. Cobb's Ecotheology Book List: a 36 page reading list to download from http://www.cep.unt.edu/ecotheo.html

A comprehensive listing of relevant material on ecotheology for the serious thinker and for anyone contemplating a response to the eco-crisis.  Many of the texts challenge western thinking and the contributions to it from Christian thought, as new directions are considered.  Some texts seek to recover and develop traditions from within Christianity, while others seek new directions and new visions.

 

Hallman, David G., (Ed.) Ecotheology: Voices From South and North.  (WCC Publications, Geneva, and Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 1994.)

An anthology of ground-breaking essays from biblical witness, theology challenges, ecotheminism, indigenous people and ethics that considers implications for Christian witness in face of eco-crisis and the survival of humanity.  Sets an urgent and new agenda for churches.

 

Moltmann, Jurgen, trans. M. Kohl, The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation, (SCM, London, 1992).

Spencer, Daniel T,. Gay and Gaia: Ethics, Ecology and the Erotic. Pilgrim Press, Cleveland Ohio, 1996.

Spencer rethinks ethics, grounding sexuality, ecology and the sacred in relational fields of justice and right relation.  Teaches that only when we are able to integrate our sexuality with our spirituality will we fully experience the divine and fully live out our ethical values.

Science and Theology

Barbour, Ian, When Science Meets Religion: Enemies, Strangers, or Partners?  (HarperCollins, New York, 2000.)

An informative guide to the essential issues, ideas, and solutions in the relationship between science and religion.  Concise and readable, explores questions relating to the Big bang, creation, quantum physics and ultimate reality, evolution and continuing creation, genetics and human nature, God and nature and the critical encounter of the spiritual and quantitative dimensions of life.

 

Bossomaier, Terry, and Green, David, Patterns in the Sand: Computers, Complexity and Life. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW, 1998.

Drawing upon thermodynamics, chaos theory, criticality and emergent phenomena, the writers discuss complexity as a new scientific paradigm that treats life as a natural computation.

 

Davies, Paul, The Mind of God: Science and the Search for Ultimate Meaning. Simon & Schuster, London and Sydney, 1992.

Davies examines the problems of first cause and considers the argument from design in the question:  in the beauty of formal mathematics can man (sic), the animated stardust, sense a greater order that some call God  ?

 

 
 
 

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Bond, E. J., Ethics and Human Well-Being. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, 1996.

A comprehensive introduction to ethical thinking that deals with moral theories behind everyday opinions and encourages examination of those theories.

 

Fishkin, James S. The Dialogue of Justice: Towards a Self-Reflective Society. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1992.

Models unconstrained dialogue for developing a self-reflective, liberal democracy.

 

Grenz, Stanley J. Welcoming But Not Affirming: An Evangelical Approach to Homosexuality. (Westminster John Know Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1998.)

Know what some evangelicals think!  This book is not gay affirming but every glbt church person should read it to keep abreast with the current debate.  Grenz is thorough and writes well.  He deconstructs the current debate over inclusivity as a concern for a "deeper question of ecclesiastical identity" and what it means to be inclusive.  Gay folks have a place in Grenz's Christianity, but are not affirmed in their sexuality.  Welcoming BUT NOT affirming represents the antithesis of UN's approach in defining the kind of church that we see as proper.

 

Pronk, Pim, trans. Vriend, John, Against nature?  Types of Moral Argumentation Regarding Homosexuality. Eerdmanns, Grand rapids, 1993

Questioning a singular, moral value-system in a pluralistic society, Pronk enters a critical dialogue with Christian ethicists, in terms of political and social morality, ethical rights and concepts of value in regard to male, homosexual persons. Highly recommended reading.

 

Sexuality, Faith and Spirituality

Boswell, John, Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980)

Perhaps still the single most important scholarly work on homosexuality and early Christianity.  Boswell ejects the idea that homosexual subcultures are a recent development and proposes that prior to the 13th Century, homosexual persons experienced a degree of acceptance. Criticized by gay radicals for letting the Church off the hook.  Boswell's work is controversial  and virtually all of Boswell's specific conclusions have been called into question. The book is significant for the debate that it has precipitated. See http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/index-bos.html for critics.

 

Boswell, John, Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe, (New York: Villard, 1994)

Boswell's thesis is that while premodern Christian culture knew nothing of gay marriage and had no concept of the homosexual person and condemned same-sex acts, institutionalized relationships and other recognized same sex relationships provided scope for what we would now regard as homosexual relationships.

 

Brooten, Bernardette J, Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism, (Chicago and London,     University of Chicago Press, 1996)

Arguably the most important book on the classical and early Christian history of Lesbianism.  Brooten attacks the constructionist idea that there was no general idea of "homosexuality" in these periods. She criticizes Boswell for avoiding discussion of women, and taking classical acceptance of some forms of male homosexuality as applying to homosexual relations between women as well.

 

Countryman, L. William, Dirt, Sex and Greed: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today, (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983).

Countryman is professor of NT at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.  Examines first-century Roman, Middle-Eastern and early church ethics and the philosophies behind those ethics and shows how they carry into biblical expressions.  He uses Boswell extensively, and attacks some of Boswell's critics - especially Richard Hays. [See Hays, Richard B., "Relations Natural and Unnatural: Responses to John Boswell's Exegesis of Romans 1." Journal of Religious Ethics 1986, 14, 184 - 215.]

 

Dutney, Andrew, Food, Sex and Death: A Personal Account of Christianity. Uniting Church press, Melbourne, 1993.

Highly sensitive and thought provoking. Learn to do theology as a life skill by engaging Christian thinking and experience about life, suffering and faith.

 

Heyward, Carter, Touching Our Strength: The Erotic as Power and the Love of God. Harper & Row, San Francisco, 1989.

Examines the theology, sociology and politics of right relation: re-imaging love and "godding",  in ways that are mutually empowering, relationally just and whole.

 

Hunt, Mary, Fierce Tenderness: A Feminist Theology of Friendship. Crossroad, New York, 1991.

Outlines the theology and sociology of friendship.

 

Nissenen, M., Homoeroticism in the Roman World: an Historical Perspective.  Translated by Kirsi Stjerna. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 1998.

At the time of publication, Nissen was Reader of NT Studies, University of Helsinki and Senior researcher of the Finnish Academy.  The book provides a background for contextualising Biblical references in reference to same-sex relationships and custom.  It examines homoeroticism as part of gender identity and is thorough in its breadth and depth, scholarly and easy to read.  There is a very useful Appendix: Creation, Nature, and Gender Identity, that discusses problems with the terms 'nature', 'ceation' and attempts to conflate them.  This awarded book is very highly recommended for reading.

 

Spong, John Shelby, Here I Stand: My Struggle for a Christianity of Integrity, Love & Equality. HarperCollins, New York, 2000.

A bishop shares his life, thoughts and aspirations for the church and humanity: compassionate, challenging and insightful as it wrestles with what it means to be faithfully Christian in a post-modern age.

 

Trible, Phyllis, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality. Fortress Press, Philadelphia, 1978.

Reclaiming the voices of biblical eroticism from Genesis to the Song of Songs: engaging, instructive, insightful and redemptive.

Vasey, Michael, Strangers and Friends: a new exploration of homosexuality and the Bible.  Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1995.

Written from an evangelical position, the writer explores biblical traditions in historical context and also evaluates recent studies into the history and sociology of homosexuality.  Ends with an invitation to join "Jesus the outsider", pointing to gay people and their experience of exclusion as being among those who share Jesus' position "outside the gate" (Heb. 13:13-14).

Fox, Matthew, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality Presented in Four Paths, Twenty-Six Themes, and Two Questions. (Bear Publishing, Santa Fe, 1983.)

Fox at his best: creative, warm, powerful, evocative and reverent, presenting his creation-centred spirituality, reclaiming Christian mystical traditions and faith for our times.  A book full of hope that guides one to rejoice and celebrate the uniqueness of human existence.

 

Mollencott, Virginia, Sensuous Spirituality. (Crossroads, New York, 1992).

Mollencott presents the connection between sensuality and spirituality in ways that are self-affirming and move beyond body denial.

 

Riddell, Michael,  Alt.sprit@Metro.M3: Alternative Spirituality for the Third Millenium. (Lion, 1997)

The title says it all: provocative an inspiring with progressive insight into modern spirituality and issues of faith.

 

Smith, Huston,  Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief. (HarperCollins, New York, 2000).

A compelling, social critique that examines popular trends in religious expression as symptoms of a deeper disease.  Traces the roots of spiritual crisis inherent in traditional, modern, and postmodern Christianity, challenging the ethics implicit within  materialism, consumerism, educational elitism, government and legal systems that stiffle the human spirit.