Spiritual Reflections:
Neumark, Heidi B. Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx. Beacon Press: Boston, 2003.
This book about one pastor's experience in urban minsitry is a touching and spiritually challenging string of stories that each have a message of their own but that all point to Pastor Neumark's deepest spiritual revelations from her time at Transfiguration Lutheran Church.
Talyor, Barbara Brown. Bread of Angels. Cowley Publications: Cambridge, MA, 1997.
This series of sermons reads easily, great for daily devotional time. The sermons may only take a half hour to read, but will give anyone something to think about for a whole day. Taylor is an Episcopal priets, widely recognized as a preacher and writer.
Theological Sources: Lowery, Richard H. Sabbath and Jubilee. Chalice Press: St. Louis , MO , 2000.
This is a book about the themes of Sabbath and Jubilee in the Christian scriptures. Though Lowery does not spell out the current applications of his theology for the reader, they are striking to anyone looking for the relevance of Scripture to modern life. For the reader who enjoys learning about the history and meanings of words and Biblical culture this text is both fascinating and an affirmation that it is vitally important for the spiritual and physical welfare of all people and the environment that we rest and recalibrate as individuals and as a society.
Meeks, Douglas M. God the Economist: The Doctrine of God and Political Economy . Fortress Press: Minneapolis , MN , 1989.
This is a somewhat dense theological work that makes the case for God's interest in our economic lives. It draws weighty evidence from the language and history of the Bible and offers an exciting vision of economic life, if you are the type of reader that doesn't need a fast paced narrative to keep your attention. This text is a useful source for anyone looking for evidence that one's faith and one's economic choices are deeply connected.
Rasmussen, Larry L. Earth Community Earth Ethics . Orbis Books: New York , 1997.
Rasmussen brings together theology and real-life story-telling to draw his readers' attention to the urgency of the conflicts between our environmental ethics and our religious beliefs. His well-referenced material demonstrates the need for immediate consideration of the environment for the sake of its own health and ours and for the sake of good theology.
Schneider, John R. The Good of Affluence: Seeking God in a Culture of Wealth . Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids , MI , 2002.
This book challenges the popular assertion that material wealth stands in the way of spiritual health. Schneider offers a vision of affluent living that is God's desire for humanity and of the United States as exemplary of the fulfillment of that desire. Schneider demands that we consider what is good about material enjoyment, even as we consider our obligations towards others. This text is fairly easy to read and offers a contrast to social criticism like that of Ronald Sider. Sider, Ronald J. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger . Word Publishing: Dallas , TX , 1990.
Sider gives one of the most well known apologies for liberation theology in its popularized form. He criticizes the damage done by the wealthy in developed nations, particularly the United States and he marshals evidence from the Bible that God commands our attention and resources be directed toward alleviating poverty, first and foremost. His book is geared towards the theologically inclined layperson and is fairly easy to read. This book is an interesting companion to The Good of Affluence .
Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus . Grand Rapids , MI : William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1972. Yoder analyzes in detail the Jesus presented in the Bible and reclaims his role as a political figure. If you think Jesus wasn't political, this readable work of theology will challenge at least a few of the conventional images of Jesus you grew up with. This work would be an interesting theological companion to God's Politics a much more recent and somewhat more secular work.
Statements from the Church:
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America “Social Statements” On-line. Accessed: 20 Oct. 2005 . Available: http://www.elca.org/socialstatements/ .
This is a great place to start if you are interested in what U.S. churches are saying as institutions about important issues in the world today. Well written, with the layperson in mind, these statements aremeant to inspire believers to take up the task of acting on these philosophies. I have occasionally been frustrated with the impracticality of these statements and how much they stand in conflict with the power structures of our society. They are however, inspiring to read. It is encouraging to know that the church is making an effort to engage with the most difficult problems of the world; it makes it a little bit easier to keep working for positive change ourselves.
National Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Economic justice for all: pastoral letter on Catholic social teaching and the U.S. economy.” Office of Publishing & Promotion Services, United States Catholic Conference: Washington , D.C. , 1986.
Similar to the above source, this is a wonderfully thorough document about economic justice. Workers' rights have been a concern of the Catholic Church for an admirably long time. Again, this is an encouraging document that outlines specific theological reasons that these issues are of concern to the church and should be.
I would encourage you to look up your own church body's statements as well, if they are not listed here. There are a wide variety of very socially engaged Christian traditions. One of the foundations of rich conversations within and across traditions is knowledge of those traditions. It's exciting to discover what your church is doing and saying. You might learn something new! Sociologic Sources:
Berry, Wendell. The Unsettling of America : Culture & Agriculture . San Francisco , CA : Sierra Club Books, 1997
Though this particular text is not about religion per se, it addresses some of the fundamentally unhealthy aspects of society in the U.S. and the developed world, in general. Berry is an impassioned advocate of sustainability and the interconnectedness of systems of health and well-being in human and non-human populations. The only way to be well is to be concerned with the wellness of all things, both people and the environment.
Wallis, Jim. God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. Harper Collins: New York , 2005.
By far the most fast-paced and entertaining read on this list. Jim Wallis, the editor of Sojourners magazine, writes about how politicians on all ends of the political spectrum fail to invoke religion for the right reasons at the right times. His theology is sometimes weak, and his assertions are not always thoroughly referenced. Overall, however, he paints a fairly accurate picture of the religio-political landscape in this society and diagnoses some of its most damaging dysfunctions. Read this book looking for a challenge to your own views. If you read it hoping the find proof that your point of view on any given issue is right, you may be vindicated, but you will lose the opportunity to be challenged and find the important common ground that religious citizens could use as a staging ground for healthier involvement in political life. |