This should be easy, but it it is NOT!!! Still, I have managed to narrow it down to 3 books which should be new to most people, but I think are phenomenal!
The first is...The Lost Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules
by Carolyn Custis James.
This book opens with the question: Is God good for women? It's a question I think any reasonable female has to ask if the Bible is read and considered at all. I first saw this book at a conference. It was a promotional copy they were using to entice buyers into ordering from a catalog. There were no copies for sale. I am not a person who remembers to order from catalogs. Plus, I felt inexorably drawn to the book and I wanted it in hand before I left. Therefore, I took that lone promotional copy up to the checkout place, laid the book so the title was prominent and asked, "So, do you love God enough?" They did. They broke the rules and I left with a real gem. I think men and women should read this book as it not only deals with gender roles and identity, it approaches and handles the biblical text with refreshing honesty. It helped me learn to read Bible stories with a view to discover something more than information.
Second: Claiming God Reclaiming Dignity: African American Pastoral Care
by Edward P. Wimberly
This book gave me the powerful understanding of what it means to "privilege God conversation." The theory is that we are all participating in and internalizing conversations which when retold enough times shape how we understand who we are. Only in privileging God's conversation and putting it at the forefront of all others will we beome holy. It's about allowing God's voice to reign supreme. Funny story about this book is that I photocopied a section for use in a class I taught in India. When I brought it out, I saw that others were embarrassed for me, but I was confused as to why. Later, someone took "the American" (me) aside and politely informed me that India was in Asia. I still didn't totally get it until I realized they thought I thought I was in Africa!!! So, by way of explanation, the subtitle of African American Pastoral Care is only referencing the community that already best exemplifies a practice we all should embrace whether in Africa, Asia or North America!
Lastly, The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry with Theological Praxis
by Ray S. Anderson
If the mark of love is continually re-buying a book because you are afraid you lost it, then you can know for sure I love this book. Another indicator might be on my page 171 where I have written "I" at the top, a big heart encompasses the page and "Ray" is written at the bottom. This book radically transforms the way I believe I need to exist. Some are turned off by the technical components to the words he uses, but I adore those who value precise use of langauage. I can know what he means because he does not keep using the same words to mean different things, even with shades of nuance. I am at a loss to try to write about this book pretty much because Ray says everything better than I could dream of. If you want to live, think and be more like Christ then you should read this book. Here's a random quote:
"Love from God can be worn on the back, put on the table and set down beside you; it is human as well as divine, tangible as well as spiritual. It is Jesus."
Sigh!
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