Liberal/non-Mainstream Christian authors/books

I would like a list of authors/books that I can continually come back to so I can get them from the library, little by little.

I know Brian McLaren is usually recommended. Any books of his in particular that you might recommend?

I believe the Nicene and Apostles Creed, so I'm looking for authors who are more liberal in social issues or their view of the Bible as the Word of God.

Thanks

ETA: Just found a thread on books on page 100 of WWMC. I can't link it since I don't have enough posts. I would still like some suggestions.

I'm not sure what areas you're interested in. I like N T Wright on New Testament theology. His recent book on the Gospel would be particularly interesting to you I think. "How God Became King." A good summary of McLaren would be "A Generous Orthodoxy."

There's a problem in knowing what people mean by "liberal." In the US, the term evangelical has become attached to a conservative backlash against what was until the 1950s or 60s mainstream Protestant theology. But that backlash mostly didn't spread to Europe or the UK, except more recently. So "evangelical" in most of the world isn't very different from mainline in the US. That means that perfectly ordinary mainstream Protestant theology from outside the US is classified as "liberal" here. If people like McLaren and Wright are appropriate for you, you're not really looking for liberal and non-mainstream people. You're looking for mainstream evangelical theology, and so a variety of moderate English and continental authors would be interesting to you, as well as US mainline, "emergent", and even a newer liberal wing of the US evangelical movement (e.g. Rob Bell).

To recommend particular books I'd need to know what you're interested in. For me, Christianity is centered on Christ, and I look to the NT for that. That's why I find N T Wright particularly useful, as I think he captures Jesus' original meaning better than anyone else I've seen. Note that outside the US he is considered a conservative, evangelical author. But his ideas underlie the things that McLaren and others advocate. That's why I'd start there.

I happen to have a particular interest in Christology. Wright has some interesting ideas there as well, some of which you can see on his web page, N.T. Wright Page - An Unofficial Website Dedicated to Professor N. T. Wright, e.g. "Jesus and the Identity of God." An older book that I've still found really useful is D M Baillie's book "God was in Christ." It's out of print, but Amazon has a number of used copies. (However NT scholarship has advanced since it was written. Wright's work is based on knowledge of the 1st Cent Jewish context that wasn't available when this was written, and we also know more about what Theodore of Mopsuestia actually taught. It's not quite as radical as Baille thought. But neither of these things changes the merit of his overall approach.)

What else are you interested in? Do you want to know the historical background of the current theological situation? Knowing at least something about the Reformation would be critical, e.g. McGrath's "Reformation Thought". But really, the current situation is a result of the Enlightenment and how churches reacted to it, and I haven't seen a good critical review of that. There are three basic reactions to the criticism of traditional religion:

* Deny the evidence. American conservatism.
* Redefine the terms, so that Christianity is removed from an arena where it can be critiqued. Schleiermacher is the pioneer here, and his work still underlies much of the "liberal" church. The brief summary of "The Christian Faith" edited by Cross is an introduction. I'm repelled by this approach, but many liberals think it's the right way to go.
* Accept the tools of the enlightenment, but use them in the service of faith. This is what people like Wright do, but I haven't seen any insightful study of the approach. But this may be just that I haven't looked enough. Looking at Amazon, Amazon.com: Redeeming the Enlightenement: Christianity and the Liberal Virtues (Radical Traditions) (9780802807618): Bruce Ward: Books and Amazon.com: A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (9780061448713): Diana Butler Bass: Books both looking interesting. I don't know anything about the first. The author of the second is someone I know a bit about and would be inclined to trust.

In fact you might find other things by Diana Butler Bass interesting, such as http://www.amazon.com/Christianity-R...8044345&sr=1-2

Another book I've found really useful is a book by Harvey Cox, "when Jesus came to Harvard." Despite the title, it is a walk though the Gospels from a broad mainline perspective, looking not just at Christianity but other religious perspectives. It would be a good companion to Wright, in that it points more to how people react to Jesus.

[duplicate post]

I highly recommend Rob Bell, he's by far my favorite [post-] modern Christian author. I've read every book of his except Sex God which I plan to read soon, if you're interested I'd suggest just kicking things off with his first book titled Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, since it introduces you to his writing style and his theological approach. He co-authored a book with Don Golden titled Jesus Wants To Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile which largely addresses social issues and the church's role in such things—a very excellent book. Then, of course, there's the highly controversial Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. I thought this book was excellent, and that all of the negative criticisms are either coming from people who didn't quite grasp the book properly or hadn't read the book at all.

Some would argue that Bell's not mainstream and represents a minority view or something along those lines, but I think it's quite the opposite. I think the thoughts and ideas that Bell presents in his books echo the true beliefs of the church as they've been since the movement of the church first began. Obviously he drags those things into our 21st century post-modern culture, but their essence is still the same.

Hedrick also suggested NT Wright which I second, as he's a profound theologian and scholar. His book Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection and the Mission of the Church really reshaped my worldview and understanding of just how holistic the Christian faith and story is. I'm presently juggling a couple of other books of his: The Last Word and Simply Jesus.

IMHO, just between these two there's a wealth of theological material to broaden and deepen your understanding of Christ and the Christian experience.

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I second: "Love Wins" by Rob Bell

I also second: "Suprised by Hope" by N.T. Wright

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The scandal of the gospel isn't that God is Jesus, it's that God is like Jesus.

"The main lie of modern Evangelical Christianity is that the love of God will spare you from all pain, suffering, anxiety, and even death. Not only has this contributed to it's discreditation, it is flat out WRONG. Even God did not spare His own son from these things" -Randy Harris

I always find the work of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan to be interesting. I don't agree with all their conclusions but it is thought provoking.

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God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be.
~Brennan Manning

Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.
~Saint Catherine of Siena

I haven't read Borg yet but I have heard great things about his writing. I believe he's considered a "friendly rival" of NT Wright, in that their works often having opposing or conflicting points, but personally they're pretty good friends and occasionally engage in debates.

I could be wrong about that though.

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Anything by Lesslie Newbegin will stir your brain cells - profitably.

John
NZ

Well, they did publish a book together.



Click here for Amazon.

I read this and enjoyed. But it has been several years and I don't remember my impressions.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone

I'm reading (and should be finishing soon) A New Kind of Christianity by McLaren. I've really enjoyed it and it has helped me to fully embrace Christianity. I had a lot of doubts about the God of the OT (I posted awhile back on them) and McLaren's views made sense to me.

I'm mostly interested in the culture surrounding Biblical writings and authors who don't interpret the Bible literally. I take the Bible seriously, but not literally in all things. I am big on cultural context.