Five books that changed my thinking...

I like books. So that means I have a lot of books. My wife would say I have too many books and that I don't need to keep buying more every time I walk into a book store. I thought I would share with you five books that have made an impact in my life in the last couple of years.

1. Community in Mission by Phil Needham

I read this book when I did my undergrad but it really spoke to me when I was working on my MA thesis. I now use this as a basic text for the revitalization process we are leading our church through right now.

2. Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf

I read everything Volf writes; he has become my theological hero! This book deals with reconciliation and forgiveness - the opening of yourself to others. It is a must read.

3. The Open Secret by Leslie Newbigin

This was one of the first books I read when I was first looking into the Theology of Mission. Any Christian that is interested in what it means to be missional in society today should read Newbigin.

4. The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

I had breakfast with Alan Hirsch about 5 years ago at a church planting conference. It was just him and me and another guy (I don't remember his name) and he was talking about this book he was working on. I got my hands on it when it came out and it really opened my eyes to what missional and incarnational ministry is really all about. Of particular interest to me was the concept of liminality and communitas that Hirsch touches on.

5. Exiles by Michael Frost

Frost and Hirsch wrote a book together called, The Shaping of Things to Come, which is a great book as well. In Exiles, Frost explores what it means to live missionally in a post-Christian culture. His work challenges the status quo so many Christians have settled into.

Here are the five books that are on my desk right now...

The book I just finished is The Ritual Process by Victor Turner. The reason I picked this book up is because Alan Hirsch quotes it in The Forgotten Ways; Turner is an anthropologist who studied liminality and communitas in African Tribes. I am fascinated with the concept of liminality and communitas and I think my doctoral thesis will focus on this cultural phenomenon as it relates to training individuals for ministry in The Salvation Army.

I know what you are thinking, I am a party waiting to happen. But it is important that we expand our thinking by reading more than just books written by mega church pastors or "easy reading" books by people like Max Lucado. There is nothing wrong with reading these types of books and they can be excellent for a personal devotional time, but every so often you should jump outside your comfort zone and really be challenged to understand something you didn't know before you picked up the book.

Happy Reading!