Book Recommendations for Faith Formation

[Lydia Nelson]

Basically: What novels have you read, which has challenged, enlighted, or helped you grow in your faith, that you would recommend?

I'm reading The Posionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, which is an amazing take on family dynamics, cultural differences/tolerance, and how NOT to do mission in the church, all while taking place in post-colonial Congo in the 1950s.

[Erin Daubert]

Lydia- I began that book once long ago and never finished it. I have a hard time finished books most of the time. Is it worth the finish?

The book I have read that has most challenged and yet ultimately most strengthened my faith is the book "The Anthropology of Christianity" edited by Fenella Cannell. It is a collection of ethnographies exploring local Christianities around the world. The groups studied include: Catholics in India, the Philippines, and Bolivia, and Seventh-Day Adventists in Madagascar; the Swedish branch of Word of Life, a charismatic church based in the United States; and Protestants in Amazonia, Melanesia, and Indonesia.

The authors show the wide variation of what it means to be Christian, and how vastly different understandings and valuations of conversion, orthodoxy, Scripture, the inspired word, ritual, gifts, and the concept of heaven can be. In the process they bring to light how local Christian practices and beliefs are affected by encounters with colonialism and modernity, by the opposition between Catholicism and Protestantism, and by the proximity of other religions and belief systems.

Through seeing the wide variance in what it means to be "Christian"and how often it seems that other groups from the around the world understand a Christianity so different that I wouldn't even consider them to be Christian, I began to question my entire faith. I literally had a break-down and began to cry while reading this book because it seemed that everything I had been taught through the Lutheran church and my own interpretation of the scripture could merely be my culture affecting the religion and not be at all Christian. Through the critiques of the other Christian cultures from around the world, I began to question what Christianity really is and it's validity.

After struggling through the book, though, I found that my faith had grown stronger. I still battle with many uncertainties, but I know that my faith in God is strong and that I am able to read the scripture and interpret it as well as go to others for help when I need to. I recommend that everyone read a book or two that truly challenges everything they have ever learned. If your faith can get through that, it can get through anything!

[Robert]

I just read Mitch Albom's "Have a Little Faith." It is not a book filled with "overt religion" but instead is a simpler take on a faith-based story. It did not overwhelm me with elaborate symbolism or shallow religious fluff. It simply tells the story of three men: one Jewish rabbi who is on the verge of death; a New York criminal who received a second chance and now is a pastor; and a bestselling author who is captivated by two men of different faiths. It isn't a tale that led me to a final conclusion but instead one that highlights one man’s reflection on his own faith while he deals with preconceptions about another one. Albom masterfully handles class, religious, and economical differences without passing final judgment. I found this book to be a light, refreshing addition to my faith journey.