What is a Book Club?
A group of people who meet regularly to discuss books they have all been reading. They range from a few friends to more organised groups set up in libraries and bookshops who advertise for members but wherever they are, they are relaxed and informal and above all fun.
Where and when?
Groups work best in an informal setting and with about six to eight people at most. This gives everyone a chance to have their say but enough people to get a wide range of views. Groups normally meet about every four to six weeks but it is really up to the group to deicide what is best for them.
What shall we read?
Obviously most people will want to read books with a Christian relevance but they do not have to be theological tomes. You could read anything from a bible commentary to a novel that explores moral issues. On the right you will find a possible list of books. This is my own list, made up of books I have read and books I have had recommended to me and includes history, fiction, religious essays, humour and others to show the wide variety available.
If you have any suggestions about books to read or comments on my list please let me know.
How do we start?
If you are interested in taking part, either just as a participant or as a host or leader, please contact Andrew, Fiona or myself (details at bottom of page). We are planning to start the groups just after Easter and although the what, when and how is really up to you we will provide you all with the information and help you need about how the groups can be run and led and also with suggested reading lists if you wish.
Contact
Gerry Stacey 01962 779369 gstacey@easynet.co.uk
Andrew or Fiona 01962 779832 itchenvalleyrectory@gmail.com
Buying Books!
We will shortly be setting up an on-line bookshop on the website through which you can buy all the books you want and have them delivered straight to your door. You will get them as cheaply as anywhere else (in most cases cheaper than the high street) and the Parish will earn a commission on all you spend. More soon!!
A suggested reading list
A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years -
Diarmaid MacCulloch
The most comprehensive and up to date single volume work in English, describes not only the main ideas and personalities of Christian history, its organisation and spirituality, but how it has changed politics, sex, and human society. This is the first truly global history of Christianity
Creation or Evolution: Do We Have to Choose? -
Denis Alexander
Dr Alexander is a biochemist who believes passionately in both the biblical doctrine of creation and the coherence of evolutionary theory. His book draws on the latest genetic research. What do we mean by creation and evolution? What are the common scientific objections to evolution?
Mere Christianity - C. S. Lewis
In 1943, when hope and the moral fabric of society in Britain were threatened by the inhumanity of global war, an Oxford don was invited to give a series of radio lectures addressing the central issues of Christianity. Over half a century after the original lectures, the topic retains its urgency
What It Means to be Palestinian - Dina Matar
'What It Means to be Palestinian' is a collection of personal stories, remembered feelings and reconstructed experiences by different Palestinians whose lives were changed and shaped by history. Their stories are told chronologically through particular phases of the Palestinian national struggle, providing a composite autobiography of Palestine as a landscape and as a people.
Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
In the shade of a banyan tree, a grizzled ferryman sits listening to the river. Some say he's a sage. He was once a wandering shramana and, briefly, like thousands of others, he followed Buddha, enraptured by his sermons. But this man, Siddhartha, has a good dose of European angst and stubborn individualism. His final epiphany challenges both the Buddhist and the Hindu ideals of enlightenment.
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore - Wayne Jacobsen
What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus’ original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That’s Jake’s dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him personally.
Summer of the Gods: Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion - Edward J. Larson
Pairing archival material from both the Bryan prosecution and the Darrow defence, this text provides an historical and legal analysis in its interpretation of a pivotal event in American history. The Scopes trial, in the summer of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, began an ensuing debate over science, religion and their place in public education.
The Case for God: What religion really means - Karen Armstrong
An essential book for our times: a thoughtful, cultured response to Richard Dawkins
The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions - David Berlinski
Militant atheism is on the rise. In recent years Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have produced a steady stream of best-selling books denigrating religious belief. In response, mathematician Berlinski delivers a biting defense of religious thought. The Devil’s Delusion is a brilliant, incisive, and funny book.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
Tells the tale of Eddie, the fairground maintenance man and his story begins on his 83rd birthday...his last day on earth. To help him put his lifetime into perspective he is met in heaven by 5 people from his past, some he knows - some he doesn't, but they all hold information that will help Eddie make sense of his life
The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
First published in the 1920s, this book attempts to provide the reader with a guide to living. Gibran lets his protagonist, called simply the prophet, deliver homilies on a variety of topics central to daily life: love marriage and children, work and play, possessions, beauty, truth, joy,sorrow and death.
The Radical Disciple - John Stott
Many of us avoid radical discipleship by being selective, choosing those areas in which commitment is appealing, and steering clear of areas where it will be costly. Because Jesus is Lord, we have no liberty to pick and choose.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Scepticism - Timothy Keller
As the pastor of an inner-city church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced ‘doubts’ sceptics bring to his church, as well as the most important reasons for faith. In THE REASON FOR GOD, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason.
The Shack - William Paul Young
Mackenzie Allen Philips' daughter has been abducted and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question, 'Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?'
The Vicar of Baghdad: Fighting for Peace in the Middle East - Andrew White
Andrew White is one of a tiny handful of people trusted by virtually every side in the complex Middle East. Political and military solutions are constantly put forward, and constantly fail. Andrew offers a different approach, speaking as a man of faith to men of faith His first-hand connections and profound insights make this a fascinating document.
Theology in the Context of Science - John Polkinghorne
Explores the ever popular debate of science in religion. Here, Polkinghorne examines how science, rather than debunking theological thoughts and ideals, can support and reinforce the Christian values we hold dear. Polkinghorne continues to insist that science and religion can be complementary
Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell
We know there's something more. We sense it, we feel it, and we want it. But how do we find it - a spirituality that stands up to the questions of an honest, searching mind? "This book is for those who need a fresh take on Jesus and what it means for us to live the kind of life he teaches us to live
What's So Amazing About Grace? - Philip Yancey
The biggest disease today is not leprosy or cancer. It's the feeling of being uncared for or unwanted, of being deserted and alone". ( Mother Theresa). This is exactly what author Phillip Yancey knows and he addresses the issue head on.