The President’s Reading List

Suggestions for Summer Reading

I have already given you a list of some of my all-time favorite books. From now on, I will add to that list some recommended readings that I have encountered since the last installment of President's Perspective; it remains to be seen whether any of these books will make it to the all-time favorite list!

N.T. Wright's The Last Word draws the reader into practical reflection on the importance and relevance of the scriptures for our lives today. Like his recent Simply Christian, this book about the scriptures casts a refreshing light on long-standing orthodoxies that we can come to take for granted—and must not!

Eugene Peterson always has very good things to say. I have recently read both Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and The Jesus Way. We are invited in these writings to think deeply about what it means to bear witness in our lives and in our theology to God's sovereignty over creation and history. He challenges us to reckon honestly and creatively with the complexities of following the Way of the Cross in our success-oriented society of instant gratification.

If you are interested in the current state of relations between church and state in American society, you may want to read Martha Nussbaum's Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality. While she is writing from the perspective of a person of the Jewish faith, takes great care to explain and to argue for the provisions in our constitution that guard religious freedom for all members of our society, regardless of their particular position. Whether or not you find her position persuasive, the clarity of her writing will push you to think more clearly about your own position on these matters.

If you are interested in church history, you may want to pick up Mary Beth Ingham's Scotus for Dunces: An Introduction to the Subtle Doctor. In this very accessible account of Duns Scotus's theology, we are invited to consider the work of God as artist and the role of beauty in God's creative and redemptive activity in the world.

Finally, I would highly recommend the writings of Paul Wadell on friendship. (He has done several books on this topic.) He challenges us to realize more fully the gift that God gives us through our friends and the critical role of friendship in God's work in our lives. Wadell takes C. S. Lewis's chapter on friendship in The Four Loves to a whole new level.

That is all for now!

See President Mullen's All-Time Favorite Books.