Whether you are part of conservative renewal groups within your denomination, or are a fan of Spong and the like, we can keep you posted on resources you would appreciate. (In this area, particularly, we put our tongue firmly in cheek and tell folks our motto is "Something to offend everyone.")

We actually do stock most of the work of publishers who are affiliated with the major denominations: Abingdon, Augsburg-Fortress, Morehouse, Judson,Chalice, Pilgrim and Westminster/John Knox Press; unlike most bookstores, we stock ecumenical publishers like Friendship Press (NCC), WCC, the Alban Institute, Orbis, R.E.P., CSS and Eerdmans.

Numerous Roman Catholic publishers have much to offer and, for instance, we stock most of what Liturgy Training Publications puts out. In fact, the renewal of liturgy is a recent trend in publishing and is seen in writers as diverse as Lutheran Gordon Lathrop (his book Holy Things: Liturgical Theology may before long be considered a classic, which is now out in paperback), to a hero of mine I recently had the pleasure of meeting, Barbara Brown Taylor (whose story of her call to the Episcopal ministry, The Preaching Life, ought to be on everyone's must-read list as should her brand new publication of the Yale Beecher lectures, The Silence of God) to the poetic reflections of Presbyterian Anne Weems, to Maren Tirabassi and Kathy Eddy whose books like the wonderful Gifts of Many Cultures: Worship Resources for the Global Community make the act of developing liturgy a true joy.

Other authors you may know well: Ruth Duck, Lavon Bayler and Glenn Rainsley are all Pilgrim Press authors that we routinely--should we say religiously?--recommend to mainline folk looking to enhance their liturgical work. These are resources that most small Christian bookstores simply do not carry and we are delighted to offer them here on the web. Call us or send an e-mail message and we can consult with you about your worship planning needs. If you, like many of our customers, sometimes are frustrated with the fundamentalist gift shops or the big denominationally-directed chains, perhaps we can serve you in a way which honors your own tradition and offers truly ecumenical resources for the new century.

Just a few titles, then, to whet your appetite, and to share some of our interests:

Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down: A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture by Maria Dawn. Let us speak plainly: I’d read this woman’s laundry list if she published it. (She has written on children, sexuality, worship, sabbath, Isaiah, a commentary on Revelation; she has translated early essays of Jacques Ellul and has a brand new book out on the Psalms!) Surprisingly,, I am not totally happy with this book and recommend the exchange in The Christian Century about an article she had there last summer where her subsequent critics, I thought, carried the day.

Still, Reaching Out... is simply the definitive book about contemporary worship and one cannot engage in thoughtful debate without having read it. Since I find it a bit highbrow and elitist; I recommend the thoughtful and irenic critique of it that appears as an appendix to Contemporary Worship Music: A Biblical Defense by Reformed theologian John Frame. (Frame’s other book on worship, Worship in Spirit and Truth, is also well worth reading.)

Another nice resource on these matters is the 8-book series of booklets edited by the aforementioned Gordon Lathrop, from the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. The first is What Are the Essentials of Christian Worship? and another is What is Contemporary Christian Worship?. Like Marva Dawn, Lathrop is generous, creative and yet still very rooted in classical liturgical structure. His works tend to be suspicious of evangelical goofiness and he uses too many Latin words. Still, it is very useful for most folk in mainline churches and my guess is that many denominational pastors will be glad for the good, solid teaching in such brief, usable form. Supplement the discussion with The New Worship by Barry Liesch, an evangelical from Biola who has connections with Richard Foster, which argues in a modern way for both traditional and contemporary music. Robert Webber’s study books on "blended worship" may come in handy here.

You might also want to buy the very modern, CD-Rom enhanced paperback by Michael Slaughter, Out on the Edge: A Wake-Up Call for Church Leaders on the Edge of the Media Reformation which was recently published by Abingdon. (Even if one doesn't want to go the whole way with Slaughter, Easum, Willow Creek, Community of Joy and the like, this CD-Rom really does include some fascinating ideas on the process of worship team planning and how their media-savvy worship leaders work together each week to create innovative services.)

Now that we’re in the thick of the debate--I trust this is helpful to somebody out there!---let me point out that Lyle Schaller has recently said that the Bill Easum book, Growing Spiritual Redwoods, which makes the case that seeker sensitive worship is not dumbing it down to become mere entertainment sans worship, may be [and I quote] " the most significant study book for congregational leaders published this century."

Whew. Okay, let’s assume Lyle is wrong by half. The most important church-growth type book in 50 years?! How about this quote by our friend Len Sweet, who calls Growing Spiritual Redwoods "epoch-marking if not epoch-making." Wow. Are these esteemed writers over stating it a bit? You be the judge. Order Growing Spiritual Redwoods and then let us know through e-mail if it is as good as they say.

Several good books have been written offering critique to this line of thinking, though, and I highly recommend Selling Out The Church: The Dangers of Church Marketing by Philip Kenneson and James Street. (Stan Hauerwas gives the forward, so be forewarned.) Os Guinness has a brilliant little book called Dining With the Devil: The Church Growth Movement Flirts With Modernity (although his critics say he is unfair to lump all the church growth churches together so simply) and, perhaps the most fair and generous of the critiques, Willow Creek Seeker Services: Evaluating a New Way of Doing Church by G. A. Pritchard. I think folks should be aware of what Willow Creek is actually about, so that the discussions can go on intelligently and fairly. Feel free to call us if you are interested in sorting out the ever-growing literature on the subject. Hopefully, we can keep you well-informed on what is critical to read and which books just rehash the same old issues...

We were speaking of the incredible Leonard Sweet. Len has two new books out (and one of the best web sites around.) Check out his excellent Wesylan perspective on church growth (even if your not Wesylan) oddly entitled 11 Genetic Gateways to Spiritual Awakening which is sort of a sequel to his fascinating book faithQuakes. He is amazingly well-read and a tremendously fun communicator of some pretty complex ideas. His other new book, a hardcover published by Broadman-Holman, is called A Cup of Coffee At the SoulCafe and is his creative invitation to quiet your heart and discover a more authentic and intimate spirituality and lifestyle

. I love this man and highly recommend any of his work. By all means, call us today if you’ve never heard of him. If you have, by the way, you may want to know that his famous speech--"Manifesto for an Out of Control Believer"--is finally in print, appearing at the end of SoulCafe. Forgive the cliche if I say that this alone is worth the price of the book.

Although we won’t list them here yet, we hope to include a section on our web page about Christian education resources. The quality and sophistication of resources for church schools, children’s ministry and youth worker stuff is better than ever. We can hook you up with good curriculum, craft ideas, games, service-learning projects, Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory applied to Sunday School (see, for instance, 7 Ways to Teach the Bible to Children by Barbara Bruce.) A quick mention goes to Debbie Trafton O’Neal for her excellent More Than Glue & Glitter, which is a great classroom guide for volunteer teachers. Something special is the new series put out by "Living the Good News" (a very classy division of Morehouse Group) including Parent-Child Retreats: Spiritual Experiences for Children 7-10 and Their Parents.

If you need any sorts of kid‘s stuff, preaching for children, children’s sermons or resources for alternative children’s worship (I know, that’s a hot issue for many of us)we can consult with you. We think our store has one of the best children’s book selections of any Christian bookstore we’ve seen (carrying as we do lot’s of general market titles--how can a bookstore not carry Tomie dePaolo, Peter Spier, Eric Carle, Chris Van Allsburg or Dr. Seuss? Eventually, we’ll offer our favorites to be ordered here on the web. In the mean time, e-mail us with your needs or order over the phone.

Let me close with just a few very special selections, particularly for pastors or church leaders.

There is no doubt that Philip Yancey is one of the finest writers within the contemporary church and his small book, The Church: Why Bother? makes the case for the church with quotes from Flannery O’Connor and Orthodox priests and homeless folk and a whole array of novelists and churchgoers that only Yancey would think to put on the same page together.

Much of this reports his own love-hate journey towards fidelity to the institutional church and it says much of what many of us want said about our commitment to doing and being church in these days. If this doesn’t make you find fresh resolve for your work in the local parish, I’ll give you your money back! E-mail us and we’ll send it right out! (And when you call, ask about Yancey’s numerous other books.)

Eugene Peterson has become, for many, the thoughtful pastor’s pastor, the wise one who honors the nuances and complexities of the job yet calls for the classic disciplines to undergird the pastoral vocation. His trilogy on pastoral holiness, Working the Angles, Under the Unpredictable Plant and Five Smooth Stones should be in the hands of every parish pastor. (And, if you can, share them with some of your people, so they know what you are to be about.)

We cannot tell you how much he and his wife have meant to us (The first book I read of his was A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, which I recognized as a Nietzsche quote, and we later got to meet with them occasionally when they lived in the area.) We are honored to commend any and all his books to you (including, maybe especially, his listings of essential books, entitled, Take and Read.)

His recent collection, Subversive Spirituality is a fantastic gathering of various essays, poems, interviews, sermons and stuff that wouldn’t fit anywhere else. Not at all a throw-away, many think that some of his best work is found here. I know I have dipped into it repeatedly and have been blessed immeasurably

Do you know the fine work of Flora Slosson Wuellner? While she has written largely on inner healing and spiritual formation, we wanted to offer one of the best books for hurting pastors, so we share her new one with you here. Feed My Shepherds: Spiritual Healing and Renewal for Those in Christian Leadership is a lovely book, offering comfort and nourishment for those on the edge of burnout. A book of deep spirituality, based on the post-Resurrection encounters with Christ, this may be useful to anyone who needs a renewed sense of God’s care and presence. If this strikes a chord, feel free to call and we can tell you of several other, similar titles designed specifically for clergy self-care.

Lastly, Brueggemann. This summer I am privileged to teach a week long course on Brueggemann and have been pouring over his books, articles, videos and the like. I have loved his work for decades and am wading through the magisterial Old Testament Theology (say you saw it here and we’ll give you a 20% discount!)

The Brueggemann title I want to mention now, though, is his recent book on preaching, provocatively called Cadences of Home, which is all about preaching the exile texts. The first chapter literally moved me to tears and I cannot understate how much I think he is on to something here. Everyone knows we are displaced and things aren’t what they used to be (even Truth, as in the Walsh & Middleton book I review elsewhere on our website, "is stranger than it used to be.") To come home--shades of Buechner here--is what it is all about. (Didn’t C.S. Lewis also talk about that sense of homesickness?) Lo and behold, it takes liberal Bible professor Brueggemann to tell us that what novelists and poets were articulating was actually in the Bible all along. The exile literature is powerful material and Brueggemann calls us to attend to it, along with all the pains and pressures of the postmodern world. If you are a pastor reading this, may I encourage you to get his book. We’d sincerely love to hear how it goes...