FAVORITE BOOKS

For whatever it is worth, I want to share with you my top eleven books of theology as of today (though it is subject to change). It is these books that have formed and continue to form my faith and my thoughts. Although these ARE my top eleven, they are not in any particular order.

• THE NEW INTERPRETER'S STUDY BIBLE Walter J. Harrelson, editor


• HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE Wayne A. Meeks, editor


• THE PEOPLE'S NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY by Fred B. Craddock & M. Eugene Boring


• THE NEW CREATION: JOHN WESLEY'S THEOLOGY TODAY by Theodore Runyon


• THE POWERS THAT BE: THEOLOGY FOR A NEW MILLENIUM by Walter Wink


• MEETING JESUS AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME: THE HISTORICAL JESUS AND THE HEART OF CONTEMPORARY FAITH by Marcus J. Borg


• THE GOD WE NEVER KNEW: BEYOND DOGMATIC RELIGION TO A MORE AUTHENTIC CONTEMPORARY FAITH by Marcus J. Borg


• READING THE BIBLE AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME: TAKING THE BIBLE SERIOUSLY BUT NOT LITERALLY by Marcus J. Borg


• THE HEART OF CHRISTIANITY: REDISCOVERING A LIFE OF FAITH by Marcus J. Borg


• WALKING THE BIBLE: A JOURNEY BY LAND THROUGH THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES by Bruce Feiler
• THE WILL OF GOD by Leslie D. Weatherhead

If you like what I write, you will probably enjoy these. If you don't, you might or might not!

THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE?

As uniting as religion can be in a family, I also realize it can be very divisive; therefore, I have not shared much of my religious views with my family. Sometimes, someone will say something that I TOTALLY disagree with, and I just try to let it slide.

While spending part of Christmas Day, 2005 with my in-laws, the subject turned to religion. As usual, I tried to stay out of the conversation. Somehow, the subject turned to, "Who's right, and who's wrong?" The familiar passage, John 14:6, was brought up: "Jesus said to [Thomas], 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.'" (NRSV) I finally went out on a limb and professed my belief that I do not think Jesus, the human-being who lived 2,000 years ago, was the "only way" to know God.

I mentioned some of my reasons for believing this. For one, God is larger than any one religion or any vocabulary can possibly describe, so how can we say our religion is the only way of finding God? I noted that at the same time a reformation was going on in Catholicism (coinciding with the beginning of Protestantism in the early 1500s) reformation was going on in the eastern religions also, even though neither east or west knew what the other was doing. God must be working in BOTH areas through different religions. I noted that there really are unique similarities in all religions despite the differences. Yet, I made it clear that even though I believed Jesus was not the only way that I still believed ALL Christians should share with others the story of Jesus as it would help others get to understand God better. In addition, though, I acknowledged that this meant I ALSO needed to learn from other religions as well.

My brother-in-law, who recently graduated with a degree in philosophy AND psychology, brought up a very important point. We, as human-beings, need boundaries. We need something that gives us direction; thus, the fact that many religions (human-made entities) declare that they are the "only way" to God is just that religion's way of giving boundaries to its followers. That religion may not be the ONLY way to find God, but for the adherents to that religion, this may be the only way for THEM to find God. That particular religion provides boundaries that the person can live with.