Recommended Reading

Benedictine Spirituality

  • Rule of Saint Benedict – The original rule written by St. Benedict holds up well over time. It’s a 1500 year old classic.

  • Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal – This is a wonderful introduction and inspiring overview of the Benedictine approach to following Christ.

  • Monk Habits for Everyday People – by Rev. Dr. Dennis Okholm. Doc Ok, as his students call him, provides a highly readable introduction to the relevance of monastic spirituality for ordinary folk. Fr. Dennis is a priest in the ACNA (C4SO)

Overview of Christian Faith, Christian Spirituality

  • The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware. Written by a leading Orthodox Church thinker and writer, this volume is a wonderful and deeply thoughtful resource about the classic approach to understanding and knowing God. One of its best qualities is how readable and accessible it is.

  • Anglican Catechism (To be a Christian) – The newly written overview of Anglican faith and practice is clearly laid out and useful for understanding what it means to be a Christian in the Anglican way.

  • The Anglican Way by Thomas McKenzie – This is a great overview of the Anglican way of being Christian. It is clear, generous-spirited, and a helpful introduction to the Anglican tradition.

Ecclesiology (study of the church), Liturgy, Worship, and Sacraments

  • For the Life of the World by Alexander Schmemann – a brilliant introduction to a sacramental understanding of the world and its implications for worship, mission, and everyday life. Accessible and profound.

  • Liturgical Theology by Simon Chan – This is a very good exploration of the meaning of the Church and its relationship to sacraments, mission, worship, and spiritual formation. Reading level = intermediate (you’ll likely need some theological background)

  • Desiring the Kingdom by James K. A. Smith – This book is a great introduction to why liturgy matters. It explores the anthropological basis of Christian spiritual formation. It’s very well-written and generally accessible. For a slightly simpler presentation of similar material, see Jamie’s You Are What You Love.

  • Being As Communion by John Zizioulas – This mind-blowingly good but incredibly dense volume is not for the faint of heart. It’s very good but requires a big commitment for the average person to make it through the theological vocabulary! Zizioulas is a leading Orthodox theologian. Reading level = difficult.

History of Christianity

  • The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider. Harvard trained historian Dr. Alan Kreider offers an accessible and fascinating overview of the rise of the early church from the disciples to the time of Constantine. His analysis of how the Church operated in a “pre-Christian” era is highly relevant to our current “post-Christian” era. Also, check out our podcast discussion of this book.

  • The Spirit of Early Christian Thought by Robert Lewis Wilken. This is a wonderfully written, accessible book is both faith-inspiring and illuminating about how early Christianity approached God.

  • Great website outlining the historical shape of the Catechumenate.

How the Church Intersects with the World (Political Theology), Secularism and Christianity

  • Migrations of the Holy by William T. Cavanaugh – a fantastic exploration of the meaning of secularism, the nation state and more.

  • Theopolitical Imagination by William T. Cavanaugh – a very insightful exploration of the nation state and its emergence in reference to the Church.

  • Being Consumed by William T. Cavanaugh – Understanding the dynamics of consumerism in relationship to Christianity.

  • Field Hospital by William T. Cavanaugh – a brilliant set of essays exploring various facets of secular life in relationship to Christianity.

  • How (Not) To Be Secular by James K. A. Smith – Calvin College philosopher Jamie Smith takes us on a tour of philosopher Charles Taylor’s tome “A Secular Age.” This book attempts to make sense of the world we live in. It is profound and quite accessible. Highly recommended.

Biblical Theology

  • Anything by N.T. Wright – N.T. Wright is one of the leading biblical theologians in the world. He’s also spent his life invested in serving the local church.

  • For Old Testament backgrounds, Dr. John Walton is solid – see especially his material on Genesis and origins.

  • Hermeneutics – A great article about how to read the Bible by Kallistos Ware