Garrett,

Thanks for bringing your suggestions to the table. I welcome them.

I published a long reading list a couple of years ago. I am reworking it and should appear on the website sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Blue Like Jazz. I love Donald Miller. Danielle and I heard him at the Catalyst Conference over a year ago. I started BLJ but had to put it down. Reason? It was going to draw me in quickly and I could not commit to it yet. It is on my “short” list.

Speaking of the Catalyst Conference, I’d like for a group of Sojourners to plan to hit the conference together this fall. http://www.catalystspace.com/events/conference.aspx. They have a pretty good podcast too.

Rob Bell intrigues me. A couple of days ago I borrowed some Nooma videos he produced. I saw one a couple of years ago and was impressed. Bell has gotten some criticism because of some comments he has made about the Virgin Birth. I will save offering any until I do more research.

The Divine Conspiracy comes highly recommended. I’ll put that book down for one of these upcoming months. Then we can discuss it. :)

Peace and word smiths,

David

David Thew
Sojourn Pastor
Thewblog

David -

Thanks for letting me chime in here.

Count me in for Catalyst in Atlanta. Actually, I’d drive to Atlanta to see Don Miller even if that was the only part of the show. There’s a conference, too? Sign me up!

Different note: I know what you mean as far as Rob’s comments on the virgin birth. They were some weird comments that (to me) seemed to come out of left field in a chapter that seemed - other than that - pretty much orthodox. After going back and reading it again, I think that what Rob is saying is that he doesn’t think the virgin birth belongs in the basket of essentials, but still - it was kind of a disturbing comment, and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt to interpret it that way.

Still, weird comments aside, Rob Bell seems to me to be lots closer to the theology of Driscoll than he does to some of the folks in the emergent (as opposed to emerging) church.

- garrett

- garrett (golfsierra.org/blog)

I thought I would Jump in the mix. Here are a few books that have completely changed my life!!!

Both of Driscoll’s books
Grace Walk - Steve McVey
Grace Rules - Steve McVey
All Don Miller’s books!!!
Divine Nobodies “Shedding Religion to Find God” - Jim Palmer - Jim lives in Nashville and has an POWERFUL story. HONEST and TRANSPARENT. His blog is http://www.divinenobodies.com/

I have not read Piper’s stuff yet. Looking forward to digging into it.

Eric M. (ericgmorgan.com)

Rob Bell’s second book hits the shelves next month, and given how Rob is, I’m not particularly surprised by the title: Sex God.

I’m looking forward to picking this up. It seems as if the topic - the connection between sexuality and spirituality - would fit well some of the discussions that are already going on around here.

You can preorder it if you wish by clicking here … and then doing some other stuff.

- garrett

- garrett (golfsierra.org/blog)