praxistheologia.com

There is a recent meme running rampant in the blogosphere and the metasphere of conversation at the Divinity school under the title of “10 books.” The meme argues that in one can only grok the knowledge of ten books. These ten books however, become formational upon one’s life and work. Hence, one’s work is not wholly orriginal but based on a foundation of knowledge and with the bricks of those books’ teaching. The meme suggests that we should identify those books we believe to be our foundation, and the bricks we work with. Aside from the obvious problem that this meme leaves no room for growth, it provides an interesting exercise in self-discovery by trying to identify those books that have already formed us. As the rules seemingly go, multi-volume works count only as one book, and methodists are unable to list the scriptures. With that in mind, here’s my current list of 10 books:

1. Stanley Hauerwas – After Christendom
2. Sam Wells – Improvisation
3. Thomas Aquinas – Summa Theologia
4. Fiodor Dostoyevsky – The Idiot
5. David James Duncan – The Brothers K
6. John Howard Yoder – The Politics of Jesus
7. William Cavanaugh – Torture and Eucharist
8. Orson Scott Card – Ender Quartet
9. Sergovia and Tolbert (ed.) – Readings From This Place
10. Balthasar Hubmaier – Collected sermons and writings.