Summer Reading

As usual, Diocesan Convention was a good occasion for compiling a short list of interesting summer reading. First up, an essay by J. Robert Wright, (Professor of Ecclesiastical History at General Theological Seminary) in the June 15 edition of Time entitled “Decoding God's Changing Moods.” You can read it here.

Wright sets out to explain the seemingly contradictory emphases on tolerance and intolerance of one's enemies in both the Bible and the Koran by examining the historical circumstances in which various portions of each were written.

While that's not a new approach, Wright goes on to suggest that during periods in which leaders saw relations with other nations as a “zero-sum” game, tolerance for other religions waned. On the other hand, when leaders saw opportunities for “win-win” scenarios, where each side could gain, in international or inter-tribal relationships, then tolerance increased. It's interesting stuff, and there's more in Wright's new book, The Evolution of God, which has just been published.

Another book that makes the list is Phyllis Tickle's The Great Emergence, The: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. The author makes the case that Christianity undergoes an upheaval every 500 years or so that results in a newer, more vital religion. She postulates that such an upheaval is currently underway, aided in no small part by new communication technologies. Several folks have recommended this one to your editor, and Bishop Baxter quoted from her in his address to the convention. It's available from Amazon here.

We hope you'll find these a starting point for this summer's reading. If you have picks of your own that you'd like to add to our list, please let us know by commenting on this blog.

We'll have more on the recent convention soon.