Divinity United

I just had a question from a student about recommended books and authors that I think most believers should read. It got me thinking about summer reading and just the joy of learning for the sake of learning and for the sake of reading. I have plenty of reading that I need to do this summer for course preparation for next year and for research, but I have just been daydreaming about other books I would like to have stashed away on this table or in that corner just to pick up and read in those small instances that I have opportunity. In the course of my response, I was reminded of Christianity Today's list of the top 100 books of the 20th century. Thankfully, they have posted it online because I am not sure where I have placed my copy of that list, especially considering that list came out 13 years ago now! Here is their list. Agree or disagree, it is a great starting point. Happy reading!

The cover story of Christianity Today's  March 2012 is an article by Perry L. Glanzer entitled: "The Missing Factor in Higher Education: How Christian Universities are Unique, and How They Can Stay That Way."  Glanzer makes an excellent case for the Christian university and it is a reminder for those of us working in Christian higher education about what makes us different and why what we do is valuable. Glanzer argues that teaching morals, wisdom, and character development are often what is missing at secular or research universities. The focus in larger, research universities is on the transfer of knowledge or the content of subjects. The smaller, Christian liberal arts universities have placed emphasis on the pursuit of truth and wisdom, along with the development of the entire individual rather than on purely emphasizing expertise in a specific subject area He warns that Christian universities could lose this strength by focusing on expertise versus on pursuing w...

The cover story for this month's (October 2011) Christianity Today is an article by J. Todd Billings entitled "How to Read the Bible: New strategies for interpreting Scripture turn out to be not so new--and deepen our life in Christ" . The article introduces some of the main themes and scholars in the field of theological interpretation of Scripture. Billings makes some excellent points and is challenging about the place of a theological hermeneutic in relation to historical-critical exegesis and also in relation to the Church's engagement of Scripture in the context of worship and devotion. One quick quote (for now), pp. 25-26: "Instead of providing a detailed blueprint, a theological reading [of Scripture] brings a map for a journey. Our map does not give all the answers about a particular text. Instead, our reading sends us on a journey in which God in Scripture encounters us again and again, both with comforting signs of his presence and surprises that conf...