Recommended Books

Scripture and the Authority of God by N.T. Wright

Bishop Wright (formerly, Bishop of Durham, England) is probably the best known New Testament scholar in the world, across all denominations. He did his undergraduate and doctoral work all at Oxford and is currently a professor at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, having recently moved from a professorship at St. Mary’s
School of Theology, St. Andrew’s University (Scotland). I’ve attended a few
lectures by Wright over the years, and read five or six of his books; he has an
inspiring intellect, and yet an ability to communicate in a way that can be
understood by those at every level of education. Some of his books can be a bit
dense to wade through (e.g., Jesus and the Victory of God, The New Testament
in its World), this book is not. In this book Wright gives a very brief overview of
the way Scripture has functioned both in Israel and the Church; challenges the
ways in which it has been misread; and, offers two “case studies” that illustrate
how it can be read more faithfully. Biblical hermeneutics (interpretation) is so
important in a world where Scripture is either taken too literally (leading to a
concept of a vengeful God, and the justification of hatred toward others), or too
figuratively (leading to the dismissal of any real “truth” in the Resurrection of
Jesus). In this book Wright seeks an intelligent balance.

Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the
Culture of Contempt by Arthur Brooks.

The author was President of the American Enterprise Institute at the time of the writing of this book, and is now on the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School. We used this book in a book study in 2024, and found it enormously encouraging. Brooks, a Christian, is simply using the Gospel to call those who are followers of the Gospel to engage people with whom we disagree with the love and kindness of Jesus. This is a timely book and worthy of our
consideration. The book puts before us poignant examples of divisiveness in
our culture, and calls us (especially Christians) to be vessels of humility and
peace. I found the book to be non-partisan and challenging in the best way! It

was encouraging for me to discover that when the parish was studying the
book, those in the classroom, a great mix of Democrats, Republicans, and
Independents, were able to be honest about their differences of opinion, but
did so with respect and with an acute awareness of the Common Ground we
share in Christ.

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The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an age
of extremism By Tim Alberta

The author is a writer for The Atlantic magazine, and grew up with a father who was a Presbyterian clergyman in a large parish in the mid-west. I read this book while we, as a parish, were studying the book, “Love Your Enemies” by Authur Brooks, and the combination was helpful. Alberta is basically raising a flag of caution to evangelical churches in America who have become too wrapped up in American politics, taking on a brand of nationalism that undermines the Christian Gospel. Alberta attends all sorts of evangelical churches, interviews their lead clerics, and attends a number of conferences put together by large evangelical groups. What he finds is indeed worthy of concern! Alberta is not someone trying to tear down the Church in America, but a Christian who is calling the Church to make the Gospel the centerpiece of its life, standing above partisan politics.

The Power of a Humble Life: Quiet Strength in an Age of Arrogance by
Richard E. Simmons III.

The author is the Director of The Center for Executive Leadership, a faith-based ministry out of Birmingham, Alabama. The parish studied this book in 2023, and WOW, was it ever effective! Every Christian living on earth should read this book as it confronts us in the most unambiguous way with the humility to which all followers of Jesus are called. I found the book to be a greatly needed kick in the butt! The examples used, and the Scriptures fleshed out, made clear that Pride really is the foundation of all sin and the thing that leads to divisiveness in culture, hatred of those different from ourselves, arrogance on the part of God’s Church, brokenness in families, disregard for the poor, and pretty much all the evils you can think to name.

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HOLY ENVY: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
We used this book this past Spring as a supplement to a class I taught on World
Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam). While I don’t agree with
everything Barbara has to say, I think she pushes us to a place of greater
humility and loving- kindness toward those who believe differently. She seems
to think that perhaps we actually ought to take Jesus as the model for how we
deal with those who are different (He showed mercy and respect toward the
Samaritan woman, the Roman soldier, the Syro-Phonecian woman, the Woman
caught in adultery, etc.) I’ve read a number of Barbara’s books, attended several
lectures she has given, and always walk away feeling that my nose has been put
out of joint, and discover upon reflection that it needed to be put out of joint!

Surprised by Meaning: Science, Faith, and How We Make Sense of Things
by Alister E. McGrath

McGrath is a remarkable intellectual and a faithful Christian. He got a doctorate in molecular biophysics at Oxford, took another doctorate in theology from Oxford, and just for the fun of it took a third doctorate in intellectual history (Classics) also at Oxford. He is currently a professor of Science and Religion at Oxford, and an Anglican priest. I’ve read a number of Dr. McGrath’s books, and attended lectures of his in several summer school programs in which I’ve participated at Oxford. He is brilliant, down-to- earth, straightforward. He is a modern C.S. Lewis, but with greater breadth of learning, and, I think, more insightful application of theology to modern challenges of faith. This particular book is a short introduction to his general understanding of faith and science. The book is especially meaningful coming from one who has a foot in both camps: science and religion.

THE WIDENING OF GOD’S MERCY: Sexuality within the Biblical Story by
Christiopher B. Hays, and Richard B. Hays

I had Richard Hays as a professor at Yale Divinity School and found him to be not only the clearest teacher of New Testament theology I’d ever encountered, but a professor who very obviously lived out his faith. Richard was close friends with a gay man who died of AIDS, and struggled openly with that loss; that loss had an impact on his theology, because he was a man of mercy and grace (Richard died in January of ’25) After Richard moved to Duke I continued an ongoing relationship with him and brought him down to Tallahassee on several occasions to teach. His son,
Christopher, is a well-respected professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological
Seminary. I have found it both fascinating and challenging to read their book, a
reflection both on how the “widening of God’s mercy” is visible throughout
Scripture, but also on how the realities of sexuality and the love of God push to
stretch our vision in this current moment.