A Postmodern Canon: Part 4 (16-20)

A This month marks the fourth installment of our 21st century postmodern canon. This month includes, as usual, a rather diverse group of authors. Recently published books include Jim Wallis' "God's Politics" and Brian McLaren's "The Church on the Other Side". But we also have a couple classics in the mix; both G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy" and Francis Shaeffer's "A Christian Manifesto" fit that label.

The authors of this particular assortment of books certainly don't agree about every topic. In fact, some have some decidedly different perspectives on how Christianity should interact with culture. But that's why we included them- because they see things differently. In our mind each has something important and unique to contribute to the conversation. The truth, being a dynamic tension, probably lies somewhere in between.

Postmodern Collection: (1-5) (6-10) (11-15) (16-20)

Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation - Miroslav Volf

Miroslav Volf is a Croatian theologian who's had first-hand experience with the forces of exclusion, hatred, and personified evil. In this much needed book Volf talks about how Jesus' command to love one's enemies is not only important- but essential in an era of ethnic cleansing tied loosely to religious affiliation. Exclusion and Embrace offers insight on how we can practically hope to fulfill this commandment in contemporary, real world situations.

The Church on the Other Side- Brian McLaren

Brian McLaren is no stranger to anyone even half famiiar with the movement known as the Emerging Church. McLaren's work is arguably the most influential in a decade. In "The Church on the Other Side" McLaren helps us imagine what our ecclesial setting might look like is we were to move beyond the pre-suppositions of the modern era. McLaren imagines communities of faith that can simultaneously offer something dynamic and refreshing to the surrounding culture- while being able to move and breath within it.






Who's Afraid of Postmodernism: Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church - James K.A. Smith

Postmodernism is a phenomena that has roots in the writing of philosophers such as Derrida, Foucalt and Lyotard. While many a western evangelical Christian may respond to such thinking with reactions that include: fear, frustration, and anger, this book actually does an excellent job of demonstrating that postmodernism isn’t necessarily the enemy of all things Christian that its cracked out to be. Smith helps to remind us that freedom and new territory - friendly to the Christian cause - lies beyond the borders of modern thought, with its constant appeal to “objective knowledge”.




God's Politics: How the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It - Jim Wallis

In the bizarre partisan state of the nation in America of recent years, a book such as Wallis' "God's Politics" has been direly needed. Wallis' sub-title, "How the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It" hints at the book's main thrust. With this book Wallis clearly aims to make both secular liberals and religious conservatives uncomfortable. Wallis not only accomplishes this but also does well to provoke important dialogue about the interaction of faith and social justice.






Searching For God Knows What - Donald Miller

If there is one thing that stands out about Don Miller’s writing, is its pure approachability. Unlike so many other books on the market, Miller’s writing can be enjoyed by scholar and layperson alike. In Searching For God Knows What Miller appeals to a more relational, less propositional understanding of the gospel. Through a series of vignettes Miller makes a strong case, both emotionally and logically, for an understanding of faith apart from modernistic formulas.