The following is an introduction and part 1 of a bibliography for an 8-week course that will be taught this fall called “Practicing Christian Commmunity.” The library’s own network coordinator, and this blog’s most frequent contributor, Rafael Ubico, will be teaching the second section of the course — “Practicing Christian Community Outside the Church” — following section one — “Practicing Christian Community Within the Church” — taught by Ross Loomis. Section one meets Wednesdays October 14 through November 4. Section two meets November 10, 17, 24, and December 1. 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
Introduction
The Northern Colorado Faith Library at FUMC offers a good selection of books on the practice of Christian community. These books can help us understand the state of community life in contemporary society, learn from life as practiced in communities of faith, carry a sense of Christian community into the world, and envision our place within the unity of all creation. They range from 20th century classics by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Buber, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to more recent works by such important contemporary religious writers as Thomas Berry, Wendell Berry, Jurgen Moltmann, Parker Palmer, M. Scott Peck, Jean Vanier, and William Willimon.
A list of suggested books currently held in the NCFL on practicing Christian community is presented below. Some brief comments are offered on the general subject coverage they provide. Any of these books afford useful background reading in preparation for the classes to be given on this subject at FUMC this Fall. (Note: One book is identified as a holding of the NCFL partner library at Blessed John XXIII University Parish. FUMC readers are welcome to check out books from this library.)
Part 1: The Current State of Community Life in Society
This group of books deals with the loss of community life in society and the obstacles that need to be overcome for its recovery. The two Wendell Berry novels depict the breakdown of rural community life in the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. Between Man and Man presents five classic Martin Buber essays on the existential struggle to maintain I-Thou relationships among people in contemporary society. Two chapters in Parker Palmer’s book deal respectively with the paradoxes that community life presents and with the risks, myths and forms of modern community life. In The Different Drum, Scott Peck explores the characteristics and awards of true community life and shows how such communities can still emerge in today’s conflicted world and contribute to personal wholeness.
Berry, Wendell. Hannah Coulter: A Novel, Shoemaker & Hoard, 2004.
Berry, Wendell. Jayber Crow: A Novel, Counterpoint, 2000.
Buber, Martin. Between Man and Man, Macmillan, 1965.
Palmer, Parker J. The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life, Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2008 (chaps. 3 &4).
Peck, M. Scott. The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
1 Comment
28 October 2009 at 7:32 pm
[...] Christian Community: An Annotated Bibliography (Part 4) Jump to Comments Click for Part 1, Part 2, or Part [...]