Take a look at each synopsis of the listed books, then pick your top two choices (make note of the item number of each). Then, at the bottom of the screen, you can vote (by number) on your top two choices.
1. MISQUOTING JESUS: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman (ISBN: 978-0060859510) The popular perception of the Bible as a divinely perfect book receives scant support from Ehrman, who sees in Holy Writ ample evidence of human fallibility and ecclesiastical politics. Though himself schooled in evangelical literalism, Ehrman has come to regard his earlier faith in the inerrant inspiration of the Bible as misguided, given that the original texts have disappeared and that the extant texts available do not agree with one another. Most of the textual discrepancies, Ehrman acknowledges, matter little, but some do profoundly affect religious doctrine. To assess how ignorant or theologically manipulative scribes may have changed the biblical text, modern scholars have developed procedures for comparing diverging texts. And in language accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman explains these procedures and their results. . . . [T]his is a useful overview for biblical history collections. (About $12)
2. A NEW REFORMATION: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity by Matthew Fox (ISBN: 978-1594771231) In 1517, Martin Luther, disgusted at the corruption then reigning in the Catholic Church, nailed on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, 95 theses calling for a Reformation. During Pentecost week 2005, former Dominican priest Matthew Fox nailed at that same church door a new set of 95 theses calling for a reawakening of the Christian spirit and a repudiation of the authoritarian, punitive tendencies that prevail in modern churches today. Fox says, “At this critical time in human and planetary history, when the earth is being ravaged by the violence of war, poverty, sexism, homophobia, and eco-destruction, we need to gather those who offer a future that is one of compassion, creativity, and justice to speak their conscience as never before. Religion ought to be part of the solution, not the problem.” His 95 theses call for a New Reformation, a radical transformation that will allow us to move once again from the hollow trappings of organized religion to genuine spirituality. (About $11)
3. A THEOLOGY OF GOD’S GRACE: Life, Faith, and Commitment by C. David Grant (ISBN: 978-0827202368) This introduction to theology, with questions at the end of each chapter for reflection or discussion, offers a contemporary and relevant theological understanding of what it means to live grounded in God’s grace. Grant argues that as humans, we need meaning in our lives. We fulfill this fundamental human need through faith. Drawing on the work of philosophical and religious figures such as William James, Friederich Schleiermacher, Wilfred Cantwell Smith, H. Richard Niebuhr, and Paul Tillich, Grant presents a constructive argument for understanding Christian faith as commitment to Gods’ grace. (About $13)
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by Walter Wink. 
by Brian D. McLaren. 
by Bart D. Ehrman. 
The 3rd Thursday St. Simeon group has concluded voting for their next book to begin in September. There was a tie, but the group will begin with A Theology of God’s Grace: Life, Faith, and Commitment by C. David Grant (a United Methodist Elder in the North Texas Annual Conference and Associate Professor of Religion at TCU). Thanks to a gift from one of the group’s members, the book will be FREE of charge.
The 3rd Thursday St. Simeon Group will be meeting on Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 7:00pm at the home of Jim & Sue Kincaid. They will be finishing up their study of the book, The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg.
The 1st Wednesday St. Simeon Group will be meeting:
, when they study Chapter 9.
, on Wednesday, May 13 (please note this is not 1st Wednesday – please attend “
