All The Books

            Greetings faithful readers, I just wanted to update you all on my latest book, Seeing with the Mind, Hearing with the Heart, make sure you all know the wide variety of books I’ve written that are available for purchase, and let you know the directions I’m hoping to go with future books.

            Seeingwith the Mind, Hearing with the Heart: A Thematic Bible Study on Luke by aYoung Pastor and a Not So Young Parishioner is a collaboration with one of my parishioners, Linda Nietman. I taught a 7-week bible study on the portions of Luke only found in the Gospel of Luke, and she suggested I turn it into a book. I agreed, on one condition, that she become my co-author. Linda and I alternate chapters, mine focus on what the text says, the bible study end of things, and Linda’s chapters focus on what the texts mean for you, a more devotional reading. In seven chapters we tackle a variety of themes, including Women, Wealth, Samaritans, Social Status, Persistent Prayer, and Repentance.

            Previous to this I published Silicon Soul, which is a Dystopian Sci-Fi novel set in a future where AI is out of control, Ayn Rand and her ideas are in ascendancy, and the Gospel must be read with its back against the wall (to borrow a phrase from Thurman). It was my contribution to National Novel Writing Month.

            Additionally, I gathered sermons from my Seminary classmates and stuck them into a little book titled Nine Sermons from the Lutheran Theological Seminary atPhiladelphia Class of 2011.

            Previous to that I compiled a Minister’s Prayer Book-esque Prayer Book entitled Read,Reflect, Pray: A Lutheran Prayer Book that focused on the seven central things of worship. I wrote it in response to my experience of becoming an Ordained person, you no longer get to lose yourself in worship.

            Finally, I published an expanded version of my M. Phil. Thesis about re-tellings of Genesis 22. Its title is An Uncomfortable Bit of Rope and Other Essays onthe Binding of Isaac.

            So, those are all the books I currently have out. Keep tabs on my Author’s Page.

            Now that my big summer projects are behind me, teaching a theology course for young people Smart People, Wise Faith, a Bible course Hidden Books and Heresies, and thinking through my sermon series 8 question from the pews, I’m starting to think through my next writing projects. (Drumroll please).

Christopher’s Medium Catechism—Every now and again I do an Ember Day like Luther did, where I preach on Luther’s Small and Large Catechism. What results is a medium length re-reading of those documents. So, once I’ve preached on the whole Catechism perhaps I’ll work them into a more formal thing in book or blog form.

The Bible We Don’t Read—A while back I defaced one of my bibles, cutting out all the pieces that are in the lectionary to see what’s left… there is a lot. So, I intend to carefully read through all the portions of scripture left out of the Revised Common Lectionary and write about the kind of faith found in those portions of the Bible.

A Project on Revelation—I’ve often thought, what did the book of Revelation sound like to its original readers? Did it sound like a 5^th Gospel or a horror show? This will be a work that covers similar ground as The Rapture Exposed and Joy in Our Weakness but with more of a creative eye. So, perhaps a mainline response to the Left Behind series.

A Speculative Fiction Trilogy—Back in college I outlined a Speculative Fiction trilogy that covered some of the same ground as Silicon Soul. My plan is to write one of these for each of the next 3 National Novel Writing Months.