December 12, 2024
Each year, I tell you all about ten books I have read this year that have shaped my faith. It’s not that I agree with every word of these books (people who think you must only read books you already agree with are no fun). These are books that caused me to think or reflect in some new way this year. Last week I told you about the first five of these books, this week here are the second five:
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- A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly
First published in 1941, A Testament of Devotion is written by the renowned Quaker teacher Thomas Kelly. It is written in a way that is both plainspoken and theologically engaging. Kelly writes about the calling for us to orient our lives around God and how difficult it can be to do that in the modern world. Though he was writing eighty years ago, this small work in incredibly relevant. He urges his readers to embrace the joy of following Christ despite what others may say: “I’d rather be jolly Saint Francis hymning his canticle to the sun than a dour old sobersides Quaker whose diet would appear to have been spiritual persimmons.”
- My Favorite Book on Faith I Read in 2024: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology by Eugene H. Peterson
If it is possible to be mentored by someone solely through their writings, then Eugene Peterson is a mentor. However, “hero” might be the more appropriate word. His brilliance, humility, humor, and kindness have always been aspirations for me as a pastor and also just simply as a human being. In this beautiful book, Peterson lays out a theology of spiritual formation. The title of the book comes from a Gerald Manley Hopkins poem about the presence of Christ surrounding us in varied, mysterious ways. In this book, Peterson says that Christ is present in creation, in history, and in community. If you are looking for inspiration on ways to make your faith real in your everyday life, I highly recommend this book.
- Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human by Cole Arthur Riley
Cole Arthur Riley is an author and poet who writes with raw honesty and authenticity. This collection of flowing prayers is a beautiful reflection of an honest and raw faith. She does not hold back her doubts or questions, but sees God in the midst of the struggle. She also writes about what it means to be a Black Christian in America. As a white American man, it is important that I attempt to see the world through the eyes of others in our world with a difficult experience than my own. But the beauty in Riley’s work is that she taps into the common humanity we all share.
- Ancient Paths: Discover Christian Formation the Benedictine Way by David G. Robinson
We Baptists (and really we Protestants in general) tend to eschew approaches to faith that feel too rigid or ritualistic. I certainly understand, resonate, and appreciate that reticence. But I often think we ignore the wisdom of other traditions to our detriment. In this book, pastor David Robinson applies some of the ancient wisdom from The Rule of St. Benedict (written in the 500s) and applies to spiritual formation in a modern church. There is a lot of great practical advice in this book for how to apply your faith to multiple areas of your life and how we, as a church, can imagine a new way of being Christianity community together.
- My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman
When he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Yale poetry professor Christian Wiman did a strange thing in our modern world: he started going to church! This book is a series of reflections on a faith that is raw, honest, questioning, sturdy, authentic, and real. He writes with conviction about how we view God in the midst of our pain and he defends faith as a source of strength when we face trials.
Thanks for reading, friends. I want to know: What books have you read in 2024 that have shaped your faith?
