The following are books I’m in to at the moment. If you want to purchase them, click on the title.
I actually read Gangs of America about a year ago, but it is now completely relevant. Nace covers the historical evolution of the American response to corporate power. He begins at the founding of the country in which there is universal scorn and fear for not only what unregulated corporate influence could do in the abstract, but based on recent memory of the East India Company’s brutal track record with England’s sanction. It also demonstrates what would amount to a race to the bottom, as states lobby against one another to further erode safety. If you are paying any attention to #OccupyWallStreet, and you should, this is worth checking out.
The Church is Flat
by Tony Jones
The first academic look at the Emerging Church Movement. It feels really important. Published only as an eBook to get it out quickly, it is a timely and relevant resource for the church.
Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta
by Ina May Gaskin
This is an excellent description about why we should treat childbirth as something that matters. Our temptation is to see it as an inconvenient way to get us children rather than natural and important for how we understand the process of growth, motherhood, and relationships. This book is truly amazing, as is its author.
Almost Christian
by Kenda Creasy Dean
Using the best survey of youth spirituality ever conducted, Dean takes apart the important revelations about youth spirituality in the church and makes the natural connection that it isn’t youth spirituality that should concern us, but the adult spirituality we’re passing on. A shocking and humbling read, it is both challenging and hopeful. An essential read for anyone who cares about the church in any way.