Best Books for Seminarians

Daily Feast (Feasting on the Word) by Kathleen Long Bostrom, Elizabeth F. Caldwell, Jana Riess

Feasting on the Word has quickly become the most popular lectionary commentary series in use today. Daily Feast is a new series of daily devotionals that draws from the wealth of writing in the commentaries to present inspirational reflections for each day of the lectionary year. Each day of the week contains Scripture passages for the coming Sunday from the Revised Common Lectionary

Making a Way Out of No Way: A Womanist Theology by Monica A. Coleman]

Monica A. Coleman articulates the African American expression of "making a way out of no way" for today's context of globalization

Book of Common Worship - Pastoral Edition

Prayers for the New Social Awakening: Inspired by the New Social Creed by Christian Iosso, Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty

Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf.

Life at the end of the twentieth century presents us with a disturbing reality. Otherness, the simple fact of being different in some way

Because "us against them" will never work for any of us, what if there is a third way? Ken Howard explores a third way, a new way, a way in Christ powered by the Holy Spirit..

Common Prayer Pocket Edition: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Common Prayer Pocket Edition helps individuals and today's diverse church pray together across traditions and denominations. With an ear to the particulars of various liturgical prayer traditions

This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers [Lillian Daniel, Martin B. Copenhaver, Peter Gomes]

This Odd and Wondrous Calling offers something different from most books available on ministry. Two people still pastoring reflect honestly here on both the joys and the challenges of their vocation. / Anecdotal and extremely readable

Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner

Daily meditations taken from the works of an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and preacher who has articulated what he sees with a freshness and clarity and energy that hails our stultified imaginations.

The Prophetic Imagination, 2nd Edition [Walter Brueggemann]

In this challenging and enlightening treatment, Brueggemann traces the lines from the radical vision of Moses to the solidification of royal power in Solomon to the prophetic critique of that power with a new vision of freedom in the prophets. Here he traces the broad sweep from Exodus to Kings to Jeremiah to Jesus. He highlights that the prophetic vision and not only embraces the pain of the people but creates an energy and amazement based on the new thing that God is doing. In this new edition

One of the best books out there on authentically preaching in the power of the foolishness of the Gospel.

The Definitive-ish Guide for Using Social Media in the Church by Bruce Reyes-Chow

The Girlfriends' Clergy Companion: Surviving and Thriving in Ministry by Melissa Lynn DeRosia, Marianne J. Grano, Amy Morgan, Amanda Adams Riley

Contains daily services, daily lectionary readings, prayers for specific events/crisis
An excellent resource for hospital and homebound visits as well as personal spiritual growth

Amazon.com. FREE super saver shipping on qualifying offers. Winner of the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion. This classic explains what feminist theology is and how can we rediscover the feminine God within the Christian tradition. A profound vision of Christian theology

Karen Marie Yust and Ron Anderson
Spiritual Practices and Education within and without the institution

Man's Search for Meaning [Viktor E. Frankl]

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith [Barbara Brown Taylor]

In this "reissue" of a critically acclaimed bestseller, maverick theologian Matthew Fox provides a daring view of historical Christianity and a theologically sound basis for personal discovery of spiritual liberation.

Rollins has already established himself as a major voice and an astute, generative force within the emergence Christianity. The Orthodox Hereticis his most accessible and engaging work to date." - Phyllis Tickle In this bold new book Peter Rollins presents a vision of faith that has little regard for the institutions of Christendom. His uncompromising critique of religion, while often unsettline, is infused with a deep and abiding love for what it means to genuinely follow Christ. Pete Rollins writes with clarity and compelling conviction." - Frank Schaeffer "I remember driving around Belfast with Pete, sitting in the front seat listening to him tell these parables that he'd written-thinking, 'Everybody needs to hear these.' And now you can." -Rob Bell, author of Jesus Wants to Save Christians

In "The Powers That Be" Walter Wink offers new ways of understanding our world in theological terms, by reformulating ancient concepts, such as God and the devil, heaven and hell, angels and demons, principalities and powers, as tangible parts of our modern day-to-day experience, rather than otherworldly mysteries. Every seminarian (indeed every clergy person) should read this book.

Envisioned by Coffin as a series of letters to a young college student over the course of an academic year, these letters offer questions, some answers, and the promise of great relationship-now and to come. One of the best "letters" books of the 2000's.

Friendship Unlimited: How You Can Help a Disabled Friend by Joni Eareckson Tada