A Postmodern Canon: Part 6 (26-30)

The list marches ever on. Over the last few months we've been publishing a collection of books we feel belong within a postmodern canon of sorts in 21st century North America. Our May edition of the collection takes us up to the final 10 books of the collection.

Every one of our "group of five" segments to this postmodern canon have shown some real diversity of authoriship and opinion- and this month's list is certainly no exception. This month's list includes classics like Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, anthologies like The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives, and historical treaties like Carl Raschke's Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity.

Postmodern Collection: (1-5) (6-10) (11-15) (16-20) (20-25)



Texts Under Negotiation: The Bible and Postmodern Imagination - Walter Bruggemann

Not only does Bruggemann's Texts Under Negotiation vividly trace modernist theology to figures such as Descartes but it also argues for the inherent opportunities that exist for Christian outreach in our contemporary, postmodern milieu. Story-telling and the sharing of experience is the name of the game in the 21st century. Bruggemann argues that the gospel re-coded serves as a helpful counterpoint to the nihilistic despair of alternative postmodern meta-narratives.

Beyond Foundationalism- Shaping Theolgy in a Postmodern Context - Grenz & Franke

"Theology is in a time of transition and ferment, partly as a result of the collapse of the categories and paradigms of the modern world...". Thus begins Grenz's and Franke's riveting discussion of the theolgy in a postmodern context. Beyond Foundationalism does a great job of retracing the historical event that was the "enlightenment project" and outlining how such a philosphy fails to fly in the new reality of the 21st century.







Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity - Carl Raschke

The matter at hand in this our 21st century canon is how Christian theology interacts with postmodern culture. Raschke's Next Refromation is a great introduction to postmodern thinkers such as Levinas, Derrida, and Baudrillard who are credited with spurning the movement that is so evident in the paradigm shift our culture is still undegoing today. Next Reformation also addresses ways postmodern thinking can take us beyond modernist underpinnings like biblical inerrancy.







Celebration of Discipline - Richard J. Foster

One celebrated aspect of the Emerging Church conversation that often goes unreported is its embrace not only of the future and of new expressions but also of ancient Christian traiditions and practices. The classis Christian disciplines are being embraced with new fervor by new generations of western Christians. And when it comes to the disciples no book is a better introduction to the subject than Richard Foster's classic, Celebration of Discipline.





The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives - Various Authors

This books chronicles five responses to the issue of how the Church should present itself in a contemporary North American society that is now more "spiritual" but less "religious" than it was in previous decades. Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren, Erwin Raphael McManus, Michael Horton, and Frederica Matthewes-Green all provide their perspectives and opinions regarding the issue at hand.