becoming

Essential theology books of the past 25 years

We posed this question to eight theologians: Suppose someone who hasn’t been keeping up with theology for the past 25 years now wants to read the most important books written during that time. What five titles would you suggest?

Here are their responses:

• Stanley Hauerwas
• Amos Yong
• Emilie M. Townes
• Lawrence S. Cunningham
• Sarah Coakley
• Kevin J. Vanhoozer
• George Hunsinger
• Willie James Jennings

[link: christiancentury.org]

The Golden Canon Leadership Book Awards

Two things in short supply for nearly every church leader—time and money. Unfortunately both are necessary if we hope to buy and read the numerous books intended to help us in our work. That is why Leadership created the Golden Canon, the ten books of 2009 most valuable for church leaders. The winners were selected by a diverse group of more than 100 pastors and leaders, including our contributing editors, who selected the best books in two categories: The Leader’s Outer Life, and The Leader’s Inner Life. We hope this list contributes to your development as a leader, and assists you in determining where to invest your finite hours and dollars.

The Leader’s Inner life
BEST OF THE BEST
Knowing Christ Today
Why we can trust spiritual knowledge
by Dallas Willard (HarperOne)

“Every leader from elder boards on down ought to be revolutionized by this book. Its correctives are timely, needed, and redemptive.” —Sarah Sumner

The Leader’s Outer life
BEST OF THE BEST
Deep Church
A third way beyond emerging and traditional
by Jim Belcher (IVP)

“Neither traditionalism nor emerging Christianity comes out unscathed. But Belcher’s analysis is fair and even. I hope all our future conversations about what divides us is done in the spirit of Deep Church, which reminds us at every turn what unites us: the gospel of Jesus Christ.” —Brandon O’Brien

Read the whole list here.

[link: leadershipjournal.net]

中日韓資深學者與出版人經數年討論，放下成見和糾結，用更寬闊視角看待東亞的歷史與未來，決定出版「東亞一百冊」，將所有作品譯為三國語言並各自出版，突破彼此隔閡。

… 一個多世紀以來東亞所走的路，原本是同一文化圈的夥伴盟友，戰爭、反目、對立，漢字文明圈解體，大家都不重視東亞，迫不及待地丟掉自己傳統的東西，向「西 方中心世界」靠攏。在近代化的過程中，日本走得最激進，「脫亞入歐」，改變最多。韓國是「東道西器」，中國提出最符合中國的一個叫作「中學為體，西學為 用」的口號，事實證明，多年來西方思想的影響，從技術層面上是有用的，但負面的東西也很多，現在也慢慢表現出來了。

…當這些資深出版人將這一不可能的任務化為實際行動時，也許就如東亞出版人大會會長金彥鎬所說：「人類間不可能沒有矛盾，但書可以給人們希望，和將這種希望予以實踐的可能性。我們在試圖重新發現書籍原本的意義。」

[閱讀全文：亞洲週刊]

東亞一百冊書目： [Read more]

若你有意接受神學訓練，但不知自己能否應付？
或是你有心深入了解跟基督信仰有關的研究，但在云云書海中，不知如何入手？

你可參考以下出自加神的書單。這是他們MDiv 的學科課本及延伸閱讀。絕大部份都是華文書（一些是中譯 ）  。

1. 一年中文書目
2. 二年中文書目
3. 三年中文書目

不要被這些長長的書單嚇怕。相反，視這些為神學院老師幫你精挑細選的好書。我常說，基督教出版質素的參差也是信徒靈命裹足不前的原因之一。今天你在書室亂買、亂讀，後果可能和你不買、不讀一樣嚴重。

重視這些書單，它會成為你生命中的好嚮導。

[link: Tyndale Library Blog]

校園福音團契五十週年，將推出一連串極具分量的西方基督教界觸目作品的中譯：

里程碑叢書評選基督徒作家於二十世紀出版的作品（1901∼2000年），評選標準為內容具有「開創新局」特質，足以引發新的研究路向者。 叢書規劃初期曾設定十六個領域，涵蓋文學、歷 史、倫理、社會、神學、聖經研究和自然科學等，列舉二十八本書籍，因人力物力之限，目前暫以十到二十本為規模。 二○○七年首批推出《擁抱神學》、《神學詮釋學》及《小人國的生物學》等三本。書出之際，適逢校園福音團契創立五十週年，謹以「里程碑」叢書作為獻禮，祝賀校園團契再開新局。

在他們網站中列出的書目包括：

1. 擁抱神學（Miroslav Volf的Exclusion and Embrace）
2. 神學詮釋學（Kevin J. Vanhoozer的Is There a Meaning in This Text ?）
3. 小人國的生物學（Michael Behe的Darwin’s Black Box）
4. 新約中的道德世界（Richard Hays的The Moral Vision of the New Testament）
5. 舊約中的倫理學（Christopher J. H. Wright的Old Testament Ethics for the People of God）
6. 新約與神的子民、耶穌與神的得勝、復活的上帝之子（N. T. Wright的3冊COQG ）
7. 路加─歷史學家與神學家（Howard Marshall的Luke: Historian and Theologian）
8. 傳奇的基督教教義（G. K. Chesterton的Orthodoxy）

嘩，校園，掂呀！

[里程碑]

基督教出版聯會主辦的第三屆金書獎得獎名單如下：

金書獎
金獎 《惟獨基督──戴德生生平與事工圖片紀念集》 (張陳一萍、戴紹曾、戴繼宗、吳望華、姚陳惠芬、余吳麗清著, 海外基督使團出版)
銀獎 《親愛的》 (小麥子著, 漢語聖經協會出版)

原創──神學及研經類
金獎 《啟示錄──萬主之主》 (孫寶玲著, 明道社出版)
銀獎 《經濟商業生活與基督教倫理》 (張國棟編, 學生福音團契出版社出版)

原創──生活及靈修類
金獎 《親愛的》 (小麥子著, 漢語聖經協會出版)
銀獎 《弟兄靈修》 (黎永明編, 環球聖經公會出版)
銅獎 《聖經──姊妹版》 (曾淑儀編, 漢語聖經協會出版)

原創──教會事工類
金獎 《惟獨基督──戴德生生平與事工圖片紀念集》 (張陳一萍、戴紹曾、戴繼宗、吳望華、姚陳惠芬、余吳麗清著, 海外基督使團出版)
銀獎 《柴米油鹽醬醋茶》 (王一平著, 迎欣出版社出版)
銅獎 《基督教教育在中國──劉廷芳宗教教育理念在中國之實踐》 (吳昶興著, 浸信會出版社出版)

原創──兒童、親子及青少年類
銀獎 《跳！跳！跳！動物嘉年華！》(陳芝瑛著, 基道出版社出版)
銅獎 《奇妙的耶穌》(眼核樹著, 明道社出版)

翻譯──神學及研經類
金獎 《統一與多元的基督教信仰》 (奧爾森（Roger E. Olson）著, 李金好譯, 基道出版社出版)
銀獎 《宗教改革運動思潮》(麥格夫（Alister E. McGrath）著, 蔡錦圖、陳佐人　譯, 基道出版社出版)
銅獎 《基督教三一論淺析》(奧爾森（Roger E. Olson）、霍爾（Christopher A. Hall）著, 蔡錦圖譯, 基道出版社出版)

翻譯──工具書類
銅獎 《普天頌讚──新修訂版旋律本》(基天頌讚新修訂版編輯委員會, 基督教文藝出版社出版)

翻譯──生活及靈修類
金獎 《寰宇主僕聲》 (貝絲摩爾等著, 熊黃惠玲、簡傑輝、竹君譯, 香港差傳事工聯會出版)
銀獎 《會晤孤靜》 (路徥芭彤（Ruth Haley Barton）著, 紀榮智譯, 天道書樓出版)

翻譯──教會事工類
金獎 《易構──牧養關顧的新方法》(甘東農著, 譚偉光譯, 基道出版社出版)
銀獎 《效法耶穌的服侍》(費蘭度著, 鄭名芝譯, 福音證主協會出版)
銅獎 《靈命雕塑師──建立青少年的屬靈操練》 (東尼．瓊斯著, 李捷寧、陳永財譯, 學生福音團契出版社出版)

翻譯──兒童、親子及青少年類
銅獎 《香辣島的祕密》 (潘雅思著, 葉楠譯, 海外基督使團出版)

書籍裝幀設計
金獎 《小麥子》 (陳敏兒、廖啟智著, Dick Lam 設計, Shine Concept 出版)
銀獎 《柴米油鹽醬醋茶》(王一平著, 鍾國愛設計, 迎欣出版社出版)
銅獎 《我的心願──給至愛的最後禮物》 (林偉廉著, 陳俊嘉設計, 基道出版社　出版)

[link]

Well, consider Jesus and the Eyewitnesses was received on Dec 1 of last year, it has been over 3 months since my last major book purchase. What am I getting this time? Take a look at the list below. And if you are smart enough, you might be able to guess what I am trying to do next!

1. Rob Bell, Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality And Spirituality
• I've read the pdf version of the first chapter, as well as the review from BW3. Seems like he is really going somewhere with this.
2. Craig A. Evans, Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies
• This is to further my study on Jesus as compare to other "Messiahs", "Sages" and "Teachers" in Second Temple Judaism. It is important to understand our Lord by compare and contrast with his contemporaries.
  
3. Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul
• As my Galatians class is drawing to a close, I feel more and more compel to do a full survey on Paul's Pneumatology. I think this is another MAJOR aspect of studies which is so unfortunately ignored by Chinese churches due of its Charismatic tendency.
4. Gordon D. Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study
• No need to explain. Just because it is a major publication!
  
5. Marc Weissbluth, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• Cc told me this book was recommended by Dr. Philemon Choi in one of his parenting workshops. It is something which we are hoping to help Jocelyn develop.

Enough about Mozart (and other stuff). Here is a list of books I recently purchased (and/or are reading):

• The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (New International Commentary on the New Testament)
  by Paul Barnett (A good alternative of Thrall’s ICC series, a bit more update than Furnish’s, and less technical than Harris’. The commentary argues for the unity of 2 Cor. with a pastoral focus.)
  
• The Theology of the Later Pauline Letters (New Testament Theology)
  by Andrew T. Lincoln (A good summary of Lincoln’s Word Commentary on Ephesians)
  
• Paul: In Fresh Perspective
  by N. T. Wright (A good preview of his forthcoming book on Paul in his COQG series)
• The Climax of the Covenant: Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology
  by N. T. Wright (A classic and a more technical discussions on 2nd Temple Judaism)
  
• The Conversion of the Imagination: Paul As Interpreter of Israel’s Scripture
  by Richard B. Hays (A discussion on his rationale behind Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (aka. the book everybody is quoting from in their thesis). A good read if you are tired of hearing those semi-learned accusing the NT writers quoting the OT with no respect to its context)