Best Books on Postmodern Ministry
Best Books on Postmodernity and Ministry. I have been asked again for my recommendations, this time by a Seminary in Switzerland. So here they are for everyone. I have listed them in a chronological order, the order in which I read them. Hope it is helpful.
1. The Condition of Postmodernity:An Inquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change, David Harvey, 1990. My first ‘real’ book on postmodernity, that I scored from a San Francisco garage sale for only 50 cents. Marxist David Harvey nails the postmodern argument as a differing experience of time and space. He then takes the reader on a fabulous journey through geography, power struggles, and postmodern movies like Wim Wender’s “Wings of Desire” (Himmel Ober Berlin).
2. Playing the Future:How Kids Culture Can Teach Us How to Thrive in an Age of Chaos, by Douglas Ruskoff, HarperCollins, 1996 The best book on postmodernity in the 1990’s. Period. Rushkoff weaves together channel surfing, snowboarding and fantasy games with a firm grasp of fractals, chaos theory and postmodernism. Totally accessible. Absolutely worth buying and giving away, despite being 6 years old.
3. Church on the Other Side, by Brian McLaren, Zondervan, 2000. My version was called “Reinventing the Church”, a title that Brian never liked. This was my first “Christian Postmodern book” and a great introduction to how Christians were dealing with the transition. Brian covers the delicate issues of the postmodern transition with a warm and soft handed approach that did much to heal the drift that was evident in the late 90’s. This is still one of the best books out there and a helpful gift for ministers.
4. Postmodern Youth Ministry, by Tony Jones, 2001, Youth Specialties. Tony brings the postmodern conversation into contemporary youth ministry and comes out with some relevant ways of doing ministry among youth and probably everybody else. He also mentions me in his book in a positive way and that automatically qualifies his book to sit squarely and securely on my list for a very long time.
5. The Postmodern Bible Reader, edited by David Jobling, et al, Blackell, 2001. This is the most comprehensive sampling of postmodern philosophy in relation to theology that I have come across. I say philosophy, because the Reader does not deal so much with postmodern physics, architecture, art, or music but rather hangs out in the world of cognitive philosophy from a Western world perspective. However, it does it very well and introduces its readers to a great sampling of thinkers who have impacted and are currently impacting the postmodern conversation as it relates to reading the Scriptures. There are thoughts from Judith Kristiva (feminism), Walter Benjamin (history), Umberto Eco (linguistics) as well as Derrida, and other all-time pomo favourites. This book was my introduction to Zizek, and my first reading of Michel Serres who is becoming my favourite postmodern writer.
6. Transforming Mission:Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, by David Bosch, 1991, Orbis. Postmodernism is not the main theme of the book but his treatment of posmodernity in relation to missiology is worth the price of the book, which unfortunately is a whole lot of cash.
7. The End of the World . . . As We Know It, Chuck Smith Jr, Waterbrook Press, 2001
Chuck jumps into the same conversation, tackling many of the difficult issues, but he brings something to the table that no writer had - a personal dimension, the emotional center of living under modern fundamentalism and the freedom of doing ministry in a postmodern world. Chuck successfully takes the arguement out of the cognitive and into his living room. This time its personal.
8. In Search of Authentic Faith: How Emerging Generations Are Transforming The Church, by Steve Rabey, Waterbrook Press, 2001. A look at the first wave of postmodern ministries in USA and how the gospel is being communicated to people in a postmodern world.
9. Godspace 4 The New Edge, by Brad Sargent, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, 1997. A 2 volume examination of ministry in a postmodern setting, a ministry that I was involved in. Includes postmodern subcultures, an examination of neo-Celtic spirituality, monastic structures, and Brad's ideas of ministry to "Trans-virtual Urban Tribes". Available at Unplugged Resources
10. The Church Beyond the Congregation: The Strategic Role of the Church in the Postmodern Era. By James Thwaites, Paternoster Press, 1999. About time someone suggested a way forward. Australian “Jim” Thwaites is one of the first writers to tackle the issue of being not just in a postmodern shift but also, and perhaps more importantly, in a post-western transition. His suggestions for ministering in the post-modern, post-western world, such as adopting a more holistic worldview and adequate cosmology, are much needed in our current captivity of Greek thinking. My English friends think very highly of this book.
11. Carpe Manana, by Leonard Sweet, Zondervan, 2001. I enjoyed this book more than Len's "SoulTsnami" (which is larger and has more numbers, appealing to accountants but not so much to artists). Carpe Manana is directional rather than just informational. It is a purposeful look into our current world to find help in making the transition from modern to postmodern. It is a book about how to LIVE in our emerging culture. And everyone should buy at least one Len Sweet book.
12. Introducing Postmodernism, by Richard Appignesi and Chris Garratt, 1995, Totem Books. Part of a series of fun-to-read books that give a guided tour of the issues of postmodernism, including cool pictures. Broad sweep of ideas and vocabulary.
1. The Condition of Postmodernity:An Inquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change, David Harvey, 1990. My first ‘real’ book on postmodernity, that I scored from a San Francisco garage sale for only 50 cents. Marxist David Harvey nails the postmodern argument as a differing experience of time and space. He then takes the reader on a fabulous journey through geography, power struggles, and postmodern movies like Wim Wender’s “Wings of Desire” (Himmel Ober Berlin).
2. Playing the Future:How Kids Culture Can Teach Us How to Thrive in an Age of Chaos, by Douglas Ruskoff, HarperCollins, 1996 The best book on postmodernity in the 1990’s. Period. Rushkoff weaves together channel surfing, snowboarding and fantasy games with a firm grasp of fractals, chaos theory and postmodernism. Totally accessible. Absolutely worth buying and giving away, despite being 6 years old.
3. Church on the Other Side, by Brian McLaren, Zondervan, 2000. My version was called “Reinventing the Church”, a title that Brian never liked. This was my first “Christian Postmodern book” and a great introduction to how Christians were dealing with the transition. Brian covers the delicate issues of the postmodern transition with a warm and soft handed approach that did much to heal the drift that was evident in the late 90’s. This is still one of the best books out there and a helpful gift for ministers.
4. Postmodern Youth Ministry, by Tony Jones, 2001, Youth Specialties. Tony brings the postmodern conversation into contemporary youth ministry and comes out with some relevant ways of doing ministry among youth and probably everybody else. He also mentions me in his book in a positive way and that automatically qualifies his book to sit squarely and securely on my list for a very long time.
5. The Postmodern Bible Reader, edited by David Jobling, et al, Blackell, 2001. This is the most comprehensive sampling of postmodern philosophy in relation to theology that I have come across. I say philosophy, because the Reader does not deal so much with postmodern physics, architecture, art, or music but rather hangs out in the world of cognitive philosophy from a Western world perspective. However, it does it very well and introduces its readers to a great sampling of thinkers who have impacted and are currently impacting the postmodern conversation as it relates to reading the Scriptures. There are thoughts from Judith Kristiva (feminism), Walter Benjamin (history), Umberto Eco (linguistics) as well as Derrida, and other all-time pomo favourites. This book was my introduction to Zizek, and my first reading of Michel Serres who is becoming my favourite postmodern writer.
6. Transforming Mission:Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, by David Bosch, 1991, Orbis. Postmodernism is not the main theme of the book but his treatment of posmodernity in relation to missiology is worth the price of the book, which unfortunately is a whole lot of cash.
7. The End of the World . . . As We Know It, Chuck Smith Jr, Waterbrook Press, 2001
Chuck jumps into the same conversation, tackling many of the difficult issues, but he brings something to the table that no writer had - a personal dimension, the emotional center of living under modern fundamentalism and the freedom of doing ministry in a postmodern world. Chuck successfully takes the arguement out of the cognitive and into his living room. This time its personal.
8. In Search of Authentic Faith: How Emerging Generations Are Transforming The Church, by Steve Rabey, Waterbrook Press, 2001. A look at the first wave of postmodern ministries in USA and how the gospel is being communicated to people in a postmodern world.
9. Godspace 4 The New Edge, by Brad Sargent, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, 1997. A 2 volume examination of ministry in a postmodern setting, a ministry that I was involved in. Includes postmodern subcultures, an examination of neo-Celtic spirituality, monastic structures, and Brad's ideas of ministry to "Trans-virtual Urban Tribes". Available at Unplugged Resources
10. The Church Beyond the Congregation: The Strategic Role of the Church in the Postmodern Era. By James Thwaites, Paternoster Press, 1999. About time someone suggested a way forward. Australian “Jim” Thwaites is one of the first writers to tackle the issue of being not just in a postmodern shift but also, and perhaps more importantly, in a post-western transition. His suggestions for ministering in the post-modern, post-western world, such as adopting a more holistic worldview and adequate cosmology, are much needed in our current captivity of Greek thinking. My English friends think very highly of this book.
11. Carpe Manana, by Leonard Sweet, Zondervan, 2001. I enjoyed this book more than Len's "SoulTsnami" (which is larger and has more numbers, appealing to accountants but not so much to artists). Carpe Manana is directional rather than just informational. It is a purposeful look into our current world to find help in making the transition from modern to postmodern. It is a book about how to LIVE in our emerging culture. And everyone should buy at least one Len Sweet book.
12. Introducing Postmodernism, by Richard Appignesi and Chris Garratt, 1995, Totem Books. Part of a series of fun-to-read books that give a guided tour of the issues of postmodernism, including cool pictures. Broad sweep of ideas and vocabulary.
