Ten Books that have Transformed my Faith

1. Strength to Love/A Testament of Hope by Martin Luther King, Jr. A Testament of Hope is probably the best one volume collection of MLK’s writings and speeches. Strength to Love is a collection of MLK’s sermons that was published during his life. King’s thinking about nonviolence, civil disobedience, the interconnectedness of humanity, love and justice has greatly influenced me. Also, his understanding of “the beloved community” as the way in which the kingdom of God can manifest itself within a society has shaped my understanding of Christian participation in politics.

2. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I first read this book after high school and before I went to college while I was working at the shipyard. It challenged me to look at the life I was living and to seek “more” from my faith. My years in ministry and school are owed in great part to this book.

Bonhoeffer refused to leave Germany during WWII, resisted the Nazi government and its corrupted version of Christianity by being a leader in the Confessing Church and was eventually killed for his resistance and assasination attempt of Hitler. His understanding of the un-Christianess of “cheap grace” and the necessity of “costly discipleship” transformed my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

3. Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi. I first read this book before spending a summer in India serving in orphanages and leper colonies. This book changed me as much as that experience did. Gandhi’s critique of Christianity, but reverence for Jesus, challenged me to my core in my understanding of what it means to be a Christian. Also, his ability to take seriously Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, which he said was as great a religious text as there was, forever changed my interpretation of that portion of scripture and my understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit. How could a Hindu live that teaching better than any Christians I knew? (Louis Fischer’s biography of Gandhi is more accessible than Gandhi’s autobiography, but I think it is powerful to read his story in his own words. Either way, I highly recommend you read one of them.)

4. The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder. This is the book that introduced me to Yoder’s work. He is one of the best at showing the biblical foundation for Christian pacifism/nonviolence and his understanding of the church as an alternative community has had a powerful influence in my thinking. Also, his exegesis of Romans 12-13 in this book has continued to shape my understanding of this passage.

5. The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann. I first read this book in a ministry class at Pepperdine. It introduced me to the role of the prophetic in the Christian life and ministry and I haven’t been the same since. I never really understood what being “prophetic” means until I read this book. Also, Brueggemann is one of the best Old Testament scholars at making his work relevant to the church.

6. Good News and Good Works: A Theology for the Whole Gospel and Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider. Good News and Good Works was my first real introduction to the theology of the kingdom of God and to the concept of “holistic ministry.” Before reading this book I had a very “spiritualized” understanding of Christianity, ministry and the life of faith. After reading this book, and the rest of my experience in an urban ministry class, my faith was transformed into one of service to and solidarity with the “least of these.” My faith and ministry have never been the same. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger challenged me to my core as it was the first time I was confronted with the resposibility western Christians have to the poor around the world by virtue of our wealth. It opened my eyes for the first time to how “rich” I really am. In the era of globalization it makes us really look at what following Jesus really means.

7. God Has a Dream: A Vision Of Hope for Our Time by Desmond Tutu. In reality, it has been all of my research into the life and thought of Tutu for my masters thesis that has transformed my faith, but I think this little book is by far the most accessible piece of his that brings out most of the major parts of his thinking. I have especially been influenced by his creation of “ubuntu theology,” transfiguration/resurrection in all people and reconciliation as lived out in South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

8. The Moral Vision of the New Testament by Richard B. Hays. This book has guided my interpretation of the New Testament ever since I first read it. Hays argues that the NT’s “moral vision” or “ethics” is guided by the three themes of community, cross and new creation. He says all of NT ethics falls under these three broad categories. He proceeds through each significant NT writer or section and demonstrates the ways these themes arise in them and then applies them to certain contemporary ethical issues. I have been especially influenced by him regarding the concept of “new creation” as part of God’s work in the world and the Christian task.

9. A Simple Path by Mother Teresa. This book opened my eyes to Mother Teresa’s revolutionary understanding of love and service. Her life of compassion is one we can all emulate, but she also has a robust theology of the presence of God in the earth’s “lowest” people and places that calls us to love God by loving the least. Her spirituality of service has influenced me in understanding all that I do, not just prayer and worship, as a spiritual practice.

10. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Written by a monk several centuries ago who spent his days cooking and washing dishes for his community this book has now become a spiritual classic. In the form of letters Brother Lawrence explores how one can “pray constantly” as Paul encourages us to do. His exploration of living life as a prayer had an early influence on me. I read this while still in high school and it still rings in my head and comes up in my conversations. I found the way he saw washing dishes for those he lived with as a form of prayer deeply insightful and have tried to live my life, more unsuccessful than successful, since trying to emulate that spirit.

So, are there any I haven’t listed that have transformed your faith? Are there any you think I must read? Please let me know. I’m always on the lookout for a great read!