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First, an important word about the way I approach reading assignments
for courses: I always assign more than I think it's reasonable to
expect any one student to read in their entirety. I do this for
a variety of reasons, but two are important. I think that you should
learn how to make choices for yourself about what is a priority
for your own learning at any given time. I also think that I should
put in front of you reading that is substantial enough that you
will want to return to it at a later date. So although at this point
in time you may simply skim some of the reading, I sincerely hope
that you will return to it later on in your career.
Throughout our time together I will provide reading guides that
I hope will alert you to specific pieces I'd like you to glean from
the readings in any one period. I hope, however, that you will always
approach the reading with an eye towards how it informs the rest
of the work that you are doing at Luther, and how the rest of your
degree program informs your reading of these books.
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To Know as We are Known
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| Read for the week of February 17. Reading
guide . This is an elegant little book, so you might set aside
meditative time for reading it. |
Fashion Me a People
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| Read for the week of February 17. Reading
guide . This is another short book, full of pragmatic exercises.
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Educating in Faith
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| Read for the week of February 24. Reading
guide . This is perhaps the most difficult book we'll read together,
which is why I've structured small groups for this text in the way
that I have. |
Nurturing Faith
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| Read for the week of March 3. Reading
guide . This is a tiny little resource book, full of reproducible
handouts. Since this is also our "mid" course week, I thought
you might need some extra time -- I hope you will use this break from
"book" reading to catch up on something else you need to
work on in this course. |
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Practicing Our Faith
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| Read for the week of March 10. Reading
guide . This is a very accessible book that looks at practices
of Christian faith that are daily and ordinary, and not explicitly
liturgical or doctrinal. It is also a lovely book to use for adult
faith study, which is one of the topics we'll consider this week. |
Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals
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| Read for the week of March 17. Reading
guide . This is one of the most important books I've read lately.
It makes a very cogent and coherent argument about the interwoven
nature of narrative and ritual, and is written by a Lutheran and a
Catholic who have enormous experience in pastoral care and liturgical
studies. I know this is our last week together and you're probably
tired, but I think this book might energize you! |
Additional reading...
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How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way
We Work
Kids, Parents and Power Struggles
These are both books that are excellent and pragmatic resources
for engaging the day to day dynamics of life in a congregation.
The first one looks at conflict, in particular, and the second is
an excellent resource on discipline and behavior issues. I can't
require them, but I hope you'll return to them at some point and
find them useful.
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