Pandemic

Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical Reflections in a Time of Loss, Grief, and Anxiety   Walter Brueggemann

“… the summons that Walter Brueggemann hears in the devastation caused by the Covid-19 virus is the same summons that all prophets hear in the midst of calamity: the call into right relationship with Living Presence, a call into deeper, more caring, and mutually beneficial relationship with all that is… The devastating effects of the virus summon us to renew our covenantal relationship with God and to renew our responsibilities within that relationship.”

 

God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and its Aftermath N.T. Wright

In this book, “N.T. Wright uses both the Old and New Testaments to help Christians think through their reactions and responses to the pandemic. Offering spiritual guidance during a time of crisis, Wright helps readers reflect on scripture, prayer, and teachings from Jesus’ life in order to think differently about disaster and how to react to it.”

 

Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic – and Beyond  Matthew Fox (Forward by Mirabai Starr)

“Matthew Fox’s ‘Julian’ is the answer to the spiritual and emotional meaning of a pandemic. It turns both the frustration and the fear of Covid-19 into a period of new insight into the spiritual life.”

 

Baptism

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE: Baptism, A Model for Christian Life by William Willimon 

"Author William H. Willimon explores the significance of this sacrament in day-to-day living and provides a model for living a Christian life. ......Baptism is used as the foundation for a larger study of the Christian faith." The book includes an educational guide for small group study.

 

Discipleship

 In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership Henri J.M. Nouwen &

Based on a series of talks on Christian leadership in the 21st Century, Henri Nouwen describes four key changes in perspective that lead us deeper into life in Christ. Each one includes a discipline that will help lead us there.

 

LIFE TOGETHER: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community  by Deitrich Bonhoeffer  &  4

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, renowned Christian minister, professor, and author of The Cost of Discipleship recounts his unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years in Germany. Giving practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups, Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship. (Goodreads) 

 

Liturgy

THE LITURGICAL YEAR: the spiraling adventure of the spiritual life  by Joan Chittister &

There is hunger in every human heart for connection, primitive and raw, to God.' In this highly acclaimed book Joan Chittister:

  • Follows the liturgical year to help meld our lives with the life of Christ
  • Identifies the role that asceticism plays in liturgy
  • Identifies the various kinds of celebrations throughout the liturgical year
  • Identifies the importance of worship, even (perhaps especially) beyond such celebrations as Christmas and Easter

She makes the point that liturgical life is not a relic of the past. Rather, "It is the resounding reality of life in the present lived out of an ancient but living faith." St. Peter's Worship Planning Team studied this book so that much of our worship planning is motivated by its insights and wisdom.

  

Church Life 

COLLABORATION: UNITING OUR GIFTS IN MINISTRY Loughlan Sofield, S.T. Carroll Juliano, S.H.C.J.  &

Despite the focus on collaborative ministry in several church documents and pastoral letters in recent years, two frequently asked questions still persist: "What is it?" and "How do we make it work?" In Collaboration: Uniting Our Gifts in Ministry, the authors provide answers to these questions based on their work with thousands of Christians actively working to give birth to a ministry that calls on all Christians to share their baptismal gifts. (Ave Maria Press)

 

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen  &

We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. It is a guide for anyone wishing to better understand how to engage in difficult conversations according to Jesus’ commandment to love one another.

 
Bible Study

MAKING SENSE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH by David J. Lose  &  4

Using the format of a conversation between himself and a person curious about the faith, David Lose explores seven major theological doctrines of Christianity "in the order of the biblical story". His intention is to provide the reader with a better grasp both of the Bible and the Christian faith.

 

MAKING SENSE OF SCRIPTURE: Big Questions about the Book of Faith by David J. Lose & 4

"Making Sense of Scripture, I should be clear, is not a book on the Bible, in the sense that it attempts to give you the major plot line of the Bible, or to cover all the individual books or parts within it....... Rather, it is a book about the Bible, explaining enough of the Bible's history and nature to make it more accessible to you. Even more, Making Sense of Scripture is a book on how to read the Bible in the first place, and I hope and intend that it will give you confidence to explore the actual content and claims of the Bible on your own or in study with others."  (Introduction)

 

MAKING SENSE OF THE CROSS by David Lose &  4

This third book in the Making Sense Series, delves into open and candid conversation about the meaning of the Cross of Christ, and reflects thoughtfully the impact of the Cross for each of us. "True to the promise of its title, Making Sense of the Cross makes sense of what is one of the most difficult questions presently troubling the waters of 21stcentury Christian conversation. Lose’s clarity of thought, his humility in presentation, and his easy skill as a writer are a singular combination, and they give to this very accessible and significant work an added grace and appeal that will delight as well as instruct his readers." Phyllis Tickle, author, The Great Emergence

 

Indigenous Studies

 We encourage you to check out the Reconciliation Toolkit from the Anglican Church of Canada for suggested books and other resources. 

 

Creation Care

CLIMATE CHURCH, CLIMATE WORLD: How People of Faith Must Work for Change Jim Antal

Climate Church, Climate World argues that climate change is the greatest moral challenge humanity has ever faced. Hunger, refugees, poverty, inequality, deadly viruses, war—climate change multiplies all forms of global social injustice. Environmental leader Reverend Jim Antal presents a compelling case that it’s time for the church to meet this moral challenge, just as the church addressed previous moral challenges. Antal calls for the church to embrace a new vocation so that future generations might live in harmony with God’s creation.

 

  

&  This book was studied as part of St. Peter's adult Christian education

4  This book can be found in St. Peter's library