FOR EVERYONE
I Want To Learn More
Over the years First Church has found many books to be foundational to who we are and how we understand our work in the world. We encourage you to read from the following list if you are interested in diving deeper.
At First Church we are regularly asked what books and resources we recommend for people who want to learn more about our theological perspective and work. Listed below are some of the foundational books and resources that have helped us along the journey. We hope you’ll take the chance to read some (or all!) of these books to gain a deeper understanding of First Church.
Resources on Theology & Life
by Daniel Erlander
This brief exploration of the biblical story is the backbone to our theological perspective at First Church. Erlander’s work helps us explore the extravagant grace and never-ending love of God throughout the biblical narrative. To explore more of what Manna and Mercy has to offer, we encourage you to watch the videos from Alan Story at www.mannaandmercy.org that are based on Erlander’s book.
by Jonathan L Walton
Walton’s book helps Christians to read and interpret the Bible in context so that we might better understand what it means for our world. The text provides interpretive tools to help understand the context of different Scriptures in order to engage in the richness of the biblical text as we strive to live out the spirit of justice, compassion, and love.
by Richard Rohr
In this book Rohr attempts to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to demonstrate that often those who believe they have failed or “gone down” are actually the ones who understand what it means to move “up.” What looks like falling down can actually be experienced as “falling upward.”
by Sue Monk Kidd
In this memoir, Sue Monk Kidd walks the reader through her own awakening that led her on a journey toward a feminine spirituality. Through storytelling, Kidd shares the fear, anger, healing, and freedom she experienced on the path toward wholeness that many women have lost in the church today.
by Naomi Levy
In this book Rabbi Naomi Levy explores a letter that Albert Einstein wrote to a grieving father about the unity that underlies all existence. On this journey she reaffirms what she has come to believe about humanity: that we are all intimately connected to one another and that we are often blind to this reality. Levy helps take the reader on a journey to reclaiming their soul and seeing the oneness of all of life.
by Barbra Brown Taylor
Too often the world encourages us to move away from darkness. However, in this book Barbara Brown Taylor encourages us to embrace and explore what the dark has to teach us. It is often while we are in the dark that we grow the most. This book will challenge you to rethink your understanding of light and dark and the gift of moving beyond the binary.
Creation & Indigenous Belief
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
By drawing on her indigenous perspective, Kimmerer beautifully shares stories from nature and the gifts and lessons that they have to teach us. All of the plants and trees and animals are leading us back to remember the web of reciprocity within which we live and move daily. When we are able to understand the generosity of the earth we are able to learn to give away our own gifts in return.
by Angeles Arrien
By learning to embody the four archetypal paths that exist within each of us we are better able to be present and our full authentic selves as we move through the world. Arrien helps us to better understand and cultivate the paths of the warrior (or leader), teacher, healer, and visionary so that we might have a deeper understanding of ourselves and of one another.
LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
by Dave Barnhart
Written by Birmingham Methodist pastor Rev. Dave Barnhart, this book demonstrates the way that the modern church has forgotten about the early church’s favorite phrase of “God shows no partiality.” The reader must embrace the question of what might happen if the Church was to reclaim this slogan as a way to address racism, homophobia, and religious exclusivism.
by Matthew Vines
In this book Matthew Vines explores some of the clobber passages in the Bible used to exclude LGBTQIA+ persons. After years of research and study, Vines comes presents an argument that affirms a more orthodox perspective while also affirming sexual diversity. He shares more about what it means for him to be a faithful gay Christian.
Disability & the Church
by Nancy L Eiesland
Eiesland draws on the themes of the disability-rights movements to identify people with disabilities as members of a disadvantaged minority rather than individuals who need to adjust. This book helps to highlight the history of people with disabilities within society as a whole but within the church more particularly. Eiesland proclaims the freeing power of understanding the presence of a disabled God.
by Bethany McKinney Fox
This book considers the way that the healing stories of Jesus help to guide us toward mutual thriving. When shared with their original audiences, the stories of healing in the biblical text offered a meaning that we often miss today. Considering a variety of perspectives Fox offers practical steps forward for churches today and features the voices of Christians with disabilities.
Social Justice & Race
by Michelle Alexander
In her book, Michelle Alexander proposes that we have not ended racial injustice in America, we have simply redesigned it. By looking carefully at mass incarceration, Alexander demonstrates the way that black and brown people are disproportionately impacted by our laws.
by Bryan Stevenson
Telling the story of Walter McMillan, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit, Stevenson shares his own journey as a young lawyer trying to work through the different forces working against Walter through the policial and legal systems of this country. It is a beautiful and inspiring story that will change the way you view justice and compassion.
by Ibram X. Kendi
This book is intended for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism and take the next step to contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society. Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism and points us toward new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.
Methodism
by Richard Heirzenrater
If you are looking for a historical deep dive into the Wesleyan movement – this is your book. Heirzenrater shares the story of the many people who contributed to the theology, organization, and mission of Methodism.
by Will Willimon
In this book Willimon, a former Bishop in North Alabama, considers how United Methodism has informed and transformed his life experience. He shares about the importance of one man’s experience that grows into a worldwide movement.
by William J. Abraham
Abraham is one of the prominent Wesley scholars who aims to “make Wesley come alive for those who would truly love to become armchair theologians.” The book will walk you through the life and theology of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.
Blogs & Podcasts
by Jeremy Smith
What began as a United Methodist pastor’s blog has evolved into a clearinghouse for reflections on faith, geek theology, technology, and progressive commentary on the United Methodist Church.
by Michael Gungor, Science Mike, William Matthews, and Hillary McBride
Founded in 2014 and now in its seventh season, The Liturgists is an online community of people imagining and practicing new ways of being together without judgment or uniformity. It was originally created with the intention of curating spiritual technologies for the spiritually homeless or frustrated and today has a community of people across the globe who have found the Liturgists to be a source of heart-opening, scientifically informed, and radically inclusive content.
by Mike Cosper and Christianity Today
This podcast takes a look at Seattle’s Mars Hill Church which was poised to be an influential, undeniable force in evangelicalism until its spiraling collapse in 2014. The RIse and Fall of Mars Hill considers the church and its charismatic founder, Mark Driscoll, as it takes a look at the way that power, conflict, and Christian celebrity eventually eroded both the preacher and the church.
by Brene Brown
A podcast hosted by Brene Brown, famous for her research and study around courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Each episode features conversations with a change-catalysts, culture-shifters, and more than a few troublemakers who are innovating, creating, and daring to lead.
by Glennon Doyle
Spearheaded by Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed, this podcast drops all of the fake facades we hold up to talk honestly about the hard things in life. All of us are doing hard things every single day – things like loving and losing; caring for children and parents; forging and ending friendships; battling addiction, illness, and loneliness; struggling in our jobs, our marries, and our divorces; setting boundaries; and fighting for equality purpose, freedom, joy, and peace. This podcast will remind you that you are not in this alone world.
