Book List for RS 117: The Emergence of the Church, 1st and 21st Centuries
REQUIRED READING:
The Acts of the Apostles. In a modern translation (not a paraphrase).
Patzia, A. The Emergence of the Church: Context, Growth, Leadership, Worship.
IVP, 2001. Patzia shows how many of the elements which characterized the 1st Century church, were adaptations of the gospel message to the culture of the day. The book provides a rich resource of the context in which the early church evolved.
Sweet, Leonard (ed.) The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives.
Zondervan, 2003. A ‘Post-modern’ conversation between four commentators on the development of the contemporary church. Each unique perspective is integrated with comments and questions from the others. The book explores some of the key strengths and weaknesses of Emergent Church themes.
FOCUSED READING:
Jenkins, Philip. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity.
Oxford, 2002. The blockbuster study that startled the Western Church when it was published. Jenkins shows that the “Southern Church” (his word for Christianity in the developing world) has major differences in emphases from the Wes=tern world that gave it birth.
Jones, Stanton L. & Yarhouse, Mark A. Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church’s Moral Debate.
Inter Varsity, 2000. In the debate of ‘Nurture or Nature’ for the origin of gay orientation, these Evangelical writers attempt to soberly address and correct new studies they believe unfairly try to provide definitive conclusions.
Rogers, Jack Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.
Westminster/ John Knox, 2006. A Presbyterian scholar looks at the major biblical passages used to restrict gay rights and judge the gay lifestyle. His conclusions from the study profoundly changed his way of looking at the matter.
West, Cornel. Race Matters.
Random House (Vintage Books), 2001. This highly-respected academic discusses the issue of race from his own African-American heritage and his position in the Evangelical community.
Best, Harold O. Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspective on Worship and the Arts.
IVP, 2003. A dedicated musician and professor, Best attempts to capture the ‘ancient-future’ coalescence which now is part of the contemporary church’s search for authentic worship forms and theology.
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