Last year I listed out the books I read in 2007. It was fun to look back over the year and see what books influenced me and shaped my thinking. You can see the list for 2007 here. This post is made of the books that relate to Theology and Church for 2008.

You can see the books of 2008 that relate to leadership here.

Believing in the Future (Christian mission and modern culture) – David Bosch
This little books packs a serious punch. It’s a great follow up and addition to his mega-book Transforming Mission (which, yes, I am still reading!). This is one of those books I should have underlined the things I didn’t want to remember because pretty much the whole book is one continuous underline. It’s a hard book to find since it is out of print but I found it cheaper than its listed right now but it would be worth every penny. It’s one of those books that a pastor should have in his/her library.

The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time – Tom Sine
This may very well have been my favorite book of the year. In fact, yes, it was my favorite book. It was inspiring and full of great research, advice and examples. I read this right as I got back from Africa so I was seriously ripe for its content. In fact, what I would consider some of my most significant thoughts of this year flowed from reading this book. Those thoughts are outlined in the first related post listed below about the Suburban Mob.

 
African Friends and Money Matters – David E. Maranz
I started reading this book before I went to Zambia this summer. It was really, really helpful as it gave me a glimpse to the culture there. The author gives 90 observations about how money is handled differently in Africa than the West. I’ll probably pick it back up again and try and finish it before I head back next summer.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation – Parker Palmer
This was surprisingly good book. I think the author hits on some seriously important things as we understand ourselves, vocation and calling. He named a lot of the stuff I’ve been working through personally and it gave me some good language to understand how to view myself (and others) in light of the gospel. Highly recommended.

The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God’s Call to Justice – Mark Labberton
I read this book in Zambia. Labberton lays out well how the church simply cannot ignore the poor and still call what they do worship. I gave this book to our worship pastor and he loved it as well.

Coffeehouse Theology: Reflecting on God in Everyday Life – Ed Cyzewski
My friend Ed sent me a copy of this book for review and I really enjoyed it. You can read the review I wrote here.

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible – Scot McKnight
I generally like everything that Scot writes. This was no exception. I think he handled this topic very, very well and would consider using this book in a book study small group. I think it would generate some great discussion on some important topics, namely reading the scriptures with a view of the entire narrative.

Practicing His Presence – Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach
I read most of this book. I was highly challenged by it and I keep coming back to its concept which is, what if we were constantly mindful of the fact that God is present? Like the journey the author takes in this book, its something that grows with time. But this little book was a significant help for me here.

The Multiplying Church: The New Math for Starting New Churches – Bob Roberts, JR
I really enjoyed this book. Very practical if you or your church is ever considering planting churches.