Inside the Pastor’s Study: Book Recommendations from Immanuel’s Clergy [Godbooks]
What are your pastors reading right now? From fiction to theology, summer reading to spirituality, take a look at some of Immanuel’s pastors’ favorite reads from our Godbook recommendations. Click here to search the Immanuel library! Click here to recommend a book yourself!
Calvin for Armchair Theologians by Christopher Elwood. Recommended by Pastor Katie. Rating: 10/10. I can’t describe this book better than Carter Lindberg, Professor of Church History at Boston University School of Theology: “To paraphrase Tertullian, what do Dr. Suess, Dale Carnegie, Bruce Springsteen, and Thomas Jefferson have to do with John Calvin? In Elwood’s deft and lively account of Calvin’s life and theology, they are the humorous means of communicating the relevance of Calvin. The title nonetheless is too modest, for the book will be of interest to all theologians of any age, regardless of their chairs.” Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Books about Presbyterianism
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr. Recommended by Pastor Aaron. Rating: 10/10. Father Richard Rohr lays out what he calls “a roadside assistance program” for growing spirituality amidst life’s inevitable failures and losses. In fact, he maintains that the heartbreaks and disappointments of life are actually stepping stones to the spiritual joys that can come with the second-half of life. As one who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, I found this particularly relevant. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Books about Spirituality
When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions by Sue Monk Kidd. Recommended by Pastor Aaron. Rating: 10/10. The author of The Secret Life of Bees speaks of how we can move from various false selves to our true self through the practice of spiritual disciplines. One of my very favorite books on spiritual growth. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Books about Spirituality
Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABCs and Whistling in the Dark: A Doubter’s Dictionary by Frederick Buechner. Recommended by Pastor Aaron. Rating 10/10. These are two wonderful books filled with reflections from a Presbyterian novelist and pastor on the meaning and implications of various common theological and spiritual terms. When I’m trying to bring a word to life in preaching or teaching, I often look to find them in Buechner’s books. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Books about Spirituality
Sabbath as Resistance: Saying NO to the Culture of NOW by Walter Brueggemann. Recommended by Pastor Katie. Rating: 10/10. As one description says, “Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society.” Sabbath is central to my life of faith, and it took years of intentional formation for me to personally discover the spiritual impact of honoring a true, weekly Sabbath day. I encourage everyone to take the leap into regular Sabbath practice, especially within our hustle and bustle culture, and that can begin with the grounding offered in this book! Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Self Help Books, Books About Jesus, Books About Prayer, Books about the Bible, Books About Spirituality, Books About Society and Ethics
God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Recommended by Pastor Susan. Rating 8/10. Beautiful saga of a young Indian woman and her family. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Summer Reading, Fiction Books, Books About Suffering, Interfaith and World Religion Books
Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth. Recommended by Pastor Susan. Rating: 8/10. Beautifully written book on how to bring our relationship with food and eating in line with our spiritual beliefs. It is written with women in mind, but I think all genders could find it helpful. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Summer Reading, Self Help Books, Books About Love, Books About Discipleship
Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler. Recommended by Pastor Susan. Rating 10/10. A family drama, set in Baltimore. It chronicles the life of a young man who makes a terrible mistake and then spends his life trying to atone. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Summer Reading, Fiction Books, Books About Love, Books About Spirituality, Books About Suffering
To Soften the Blow by Lynnie Vessels. Recommended by Pastor Susan. Rating: 9/10. The true saga of how a Kentucky woman dealt with and healed from a childhood riddled with domestic abuse and family wounds. Purchase on Cokesbury, ThoughtfulChristian, or Amazon.
Summer Reading, Fiction Books, Books About Spirituality, Books About Suffering
Featured image by Stewart Butterfield. License available here.