In Search of Christian Freedom by Raymond Franz; Atlanta: Commentary Press, 1991 – Written by an excommunicated member of the central authoritative governing body of a well-known religious group, this 700+ page volume discusses the freedoms initially enjoyed by first century Christians and how such freedoms gradually became trampled upon and the scriptures misapplied to give the few great power over the many. Discusses the consequences and rewards of divorcing one’s self from spiritual restraints imposed by men.
Catechism of the Catholic Church by The Holy See; United States Catholic Conference, 1994 – For a person whose religious heritage was one disposed to ignorantly criticizing and denouncing traditional and historic Christian doctrine, this text was a real eye-opener. Several canned “arguments” given to me by my religious leaders against certain teachings such as the trinity and hellfire were proven to be fallacious in nature. I found myself correcting the elders during ministry school meetings, which is a big no-no! No, I didn’t convert to Catholicism, but I gained much admiration and appreciation for what Catholics really do believe (or at least are supposed to believe!).
The Jewish New Testament translated by David H. Stern; Clarksville MD: JNT Publications, Inc. 1995 – A version of the New Testament different from all others. It retains and expresses the Jewishness of the original authors of the NT, and frees the NT from standard Gentile-Christian linguistics, culture, and theology. “Jesus, son of Joseph” becomes “Yeshua ben Yosef,” “John” becomes “Yochanan,” “Paul” becomes “Sha’ul,” and so forth. Even the “Holy Spirit” becomes “Ru-ach-Ha Ko-desh.” More than simply emphasizing the original Hebrew terms, however, this version attempts to focus on forgotten aspects of NT teachings in harmony with the Torah – did Messiah bring the Torah to an end, is the Torah legalistic in nature (the works vs. faith issue), the import of the Land of Israel in the New Covenant, etc.
The Christian Agnostic by Leslie D. Weatherhead; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1965 – A liberal viewpoint of Jesus’ life and ministry, intended for, well, allow me to let Weatherhead explain: “I am writing for the ‘Christian agnostic,’ by which I mean a person who… though he is sure of many Christian truths, feels that he cannot honestly and conscientiously ‘sign on the dotted line’ that he believes certain theological ideas about what some branches of the Church dogmatize.”
Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism by Bishop John Shelby Spong; New York: HarperCollins, 1991 – Along the lines of Weatherhead’s book, Spong discusses many alleged teachings and miracles attributed to Jesus, how the Bible’s unscientific nature clashes with twentieth-century knowledge, who St. Paul was and the reasons for his conversion and anti-homosexual stance, and so forth, and an in-depth examination of the gospels under the light of healthy skepticism. The only problem I had with Spong’s work was that by the end I wondered why the heck he was still a Christian!
Honest to God by John A. T. Robinson; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1963 – Often spoken of as the predecessor to men like Spong, Robinson takes a critical look at traditional concepts of God as the “invisible man in the sky out there somewhere” from the rather unique position and authority of Bishop of Woolwich in the Anglican Church. Robinson has in fact written many such books, discussing the his perception of the real New Testament hope (he doesn’t accept the teaching of the immortal soul as inherently biblical), the relationship of Christ to God, and our identification of “being” both naturally and supra-naturally.. I once had the privilege of spending a weekend with his cousin, Sir Anthony Buzzard, also an author on such topics.
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine; Secaucus NJ: Carol Publishing Group, 1997 – Initially published in 1794, this text is still very relevant when discussing the infallibility and inspiration of the Bible, its authorship, and its definition of God. Paine rejected Christianity, but was not an atheist. He subscribed to the religion of Deism, commonly shared by many of the foremost intellectuals in America and Europe in his time. In my estimation, Paine was one of the greatest thinkers of all time.
Why People Believe Weird Things (abridged) by Michael Shermer; Los Angeles: Audio Renaissance, 1998 – Shermer is the director of the Skeptics Society, which promotes the scientific method of examination of life’s events. In this book he attempts to demonstrate why it is that so many people find themselves attracted to supernaturalism, conspiracy theories, religious cults, and unconventional, even controversial ideologies. Exposes the misgivings of pseudoscience, occultism, history revisionism, and so forth.
Billions and Billions – by Carl Sagan; New York; Random House, 1997 – Sagan’s final hurrah, his first measure of business is to explain that it was Johnny Carson, and not he himself, who uttered the famous unending phrase “billions, and billions, and billions…” One has to read this book with a tear in his eye realizing that Carl is gone, and that he wrote the book knowing that his time on earth was short. He applies his vast knowledge of science to matters of everyday life in a manner that only he could – open, inviting, and easy to comprehend.
Atlas Shrugged – by Ayn Rand, 1957 – Unfortunately, I haven’t finished this gargantuan conceptual piece of non-fiction, and since I’ve lost the damn thing I can’t tell you who published it either! But since I’m about 5/8 of the way through it, I can tell you that it is a masterpiece of dialogue and explicit detail, more so than any other piece of non-fiction I’ve experienced. Rand’s ideology of sheer, uncontested capitalism and unmerciful objectivism hits you like a 12 lb. sledge square between the eyes. The characters in the story are well defined and engagingly charismatic. Even if you are a commie-pinko-fagg*t you will still appreciate this book.
The Meaning of Anxiety – by Rollo May; New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997 – May considers the concepts espoused by men like Spinoza and Pascal, analyzes the causes and reasons for human anxiety, distinguishes between fear and anxiety through socio-psychological interpretations, and concludes that anxiety is a healthful and even necessary aspect of life, challenging the contemporary notions that living free from anxiety leads to greater happiness.
The Tao of Pooh - by Benjamin Hoff, 1982 - For the searching spiritualist who is just starting out on the long road to self-understanding, this may well be the most important book ever written! Hoof explains the tenets of Taoism using the lovable character Winnie-the-Pooh. If you've been stifled by an oppressive organized religion, eastern thought will be a welcome change for you, and will change your views on life! Learn how to "just be".
Revelation – It’s Grand Climax at Hand! by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; Brooklyn, NY: WBTS of NY Inc., International Bible Students Association, 1988 – For a hilarious application of the Apocalypse fashioned after the growing pains of an Adventist sect soon to become the world’s largest publishing agency of religious material, get ahold of this 320 page book of rants, raves, and denunciations against everything from Christendom to the United Nations. Fully pictorialized with some of the most disturbing images you’ve seen since Dante’s Inferno was illustrated!
