Categories: uncategorized
Date: 29 November 2007 06:51:59
I am currently in a quandry. Our church is starting a church library and is asking for donations of Christian books which is great because I need to clear an ickle space on my bookshelves.
However, whilst I am finding some selections of what to throw in their direction quite easy because they are sound evangelical books (even though generally quite progressive) there are other books I am an ickle more dubious about offering. My doubts don't come from my personal view of the soundness of these books (I'm not offering the ones which contain theology I think is worrying or which I know would be likely to offend people) but rather from the fact they are books which come from a more liberal perspective than I believe the church I am part of holds to corporately.
My worries are compounded by the fact that the person running the bookstall is not the most conservative member of our congregation and I don't want to give her hassell off other people by putting in books which she may think are fine but which others may find "a step too far". Yet at the same time I know I have Christian books I am willing to share which would enable people to step outside their comfort zones and perhaps reassess and which I believe are biblically sound. Also I think Christians should be encouraged to see there are different opinions within the church.
At the moment I am considering giving the uncontroversial books now and then slipping in ones which might cause debate as the library grows. A few of the titles I am unsure of are as follows (to give you a flavour of what is causing me concern):
"The Lost Message of Jesus" by Steve Chalke (basically because I don't know where people stand in the debate)
"Reflections on Sexuality and Christianity" by Kathy Galloway
"Post-evangelical" by Dave Tomlinson
"Faith Beyond Resentment: fragments catholic and gay" by James Alison