Skip to main content

Reading for Spiritual Formation 2022-23

It's the summer holidays, and I have finished my spiritual formation reading list for the year! I've really enjoyed the process of reading and reflecting, even though I haven't found every book helpful. Of course, one book leads to another, so I was barely halfway through this year before I'd started making a list of what to read next. I've ended up with five books, but last year I managed to fit Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations in as an extra, so I think it will be doable.

 

Interestingly, my list this year has skewed towards British women (Evelyn Underhill, Penelope Wilcock, Chine McDonald) and Catholics (Stephen Bevans, Oscar Romero, Evelyn Underhill). They are also all 20th-21st century authors - Underhill, who was born in 1875, is the earliest. None of that was intentional.

So it's not quite as balanced a list as my previous one. But I'm looking forward to reading them so much that I had a hard time deciding which order to put them in. I wanted to read all of them first! 

Here's the list.

Concerning the Inner Life with The House of the Soul by Evelyn Underhill


On my recent retreat at Launde Abbey, I was browsing the bookshelves and noticed several books by Evelyn Underhill. I'd vaguely heard of her as a 20th century mystic, so I took one of the old-fashioned, blue-bound volumes with her name on and dipped in. I was immediately taken by her practical but profound thoughts on caring for your own soul - and those of others. When I got home, I ordered my own copy; it's got a snazzy new cover, but I'm pretty sure the interior is a facsimile of the 1947 edition I picked up at Launde. It's actually two books in one - hence the odd title - but they're very short.


Equality is Biblical: Lifting the Curse of Eve by Penelope Wilcock

 

OK, I confess I have read this one already. Each chapter finished with some interesting and thought-provoking questions. I wanted to have time to think about those and answer them properly, and the best way to do that was to make this one of my spiritual formation books. So I did.

 

Models of Contextual Theology by Stephen B. Bevans


This wasn't meant to be a spiritual formation book. I bought it for something else. When it arrived, I opened it at random, read two sentences, and went, "Ohhh! Richard Rohr has an anthropological model of theology! (pause) I definitely don't. I wonder what model of theology I have?" Well, I had to read a bit more to find that out, and also to realise that the book isn't really about your personal theological preference (I was so sure there would be an online quiz for that, but I couldn't find one). It's very much about mission, and how culture and faith intersect. I decided that was quite relevant for spiritual formation, so... on to the list it went.

 

God is Not a White Man and Other Revelations by Chine McDonald

 

I can't quite remember how I came across this one, but I was pleased to have it recommended by a friend recently. It was also featured on the wonderful Beer Christianity podcast. So I expect good things. Plus it sounds like it's partly a memoir, which should be a nice change after Bevans' scholarly monograph.

 

The Scandal of Redemption by Oscar Romero


 

Archbishop Oscar Romero is certainly a voice worth hearing from. He was a Catholic priest in El Salvador who stood up for the poor and spoke out against the corrupt government. In 1980, while he was celebrating mass, he was shot dead by an assassin. This book is a collection of excerpts from his letters, sermons, and radio broadcasts.

 

So that's my five books to read between September and July. I'll let you know my thoughts as I go along - and you're most welcome to read with me, or borrow a book afterwards.


Stained glass image by Marybeth from Pixabay
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A baker's dozen of beautiful moments in 2025

2025 certainly had its times of difficulty, sadness - it seemed like lots of people died - and frustration. But as I read back through my diary, I noticed many moments of beauty and joy, too. I was going to pick twelve, one for each month. But after all, I am a baker: you've ended up with an extra moment tucked into the top of the bag for free. photo: Pixabay 1. Birthday cake in the snow I'd invited some friends to join us for a snowy walk near Cromford just before my birthday in January. At the top of the hill, my friend Jane produced a birthday cake, candles and all! That was a very special surprise.   2. Barn owl and beautiful music It was just a regular drive back from my Thursday Bible study meeting, until a barn owl flew across the road in front of me. I slowed down and watched it soar out of sight. As it disappeared, the haunting strains of Peter Maxwell Davies' Farewell to Stromness came on the radio. The ten-minute car journey had become extraordinary. 3. Songs an...
Post a Comment
Read more

St Editha's Way, Day 1

St Editha was a Mercian saint who was Abbess of Polesworth in Warwickshire in the 10th century. Mercia was one of the old kingdoms and a powerful one; it covered much of the central part of the country before England was united under Æthelstan in 927. St Editha's family tree is unclear, but she may have been Æthelstan's sister. After a brief marriage, she was widowed, and took monastic vows. There are several churches dedicated to her in the Tamworth and Polesworth area. modern statue of St Editha And now, there is a new pilgrimage route connecting St Editha's churches and going onwards to Lichfield Cathedral. Early on a Sunday morning, I set out to walk it. The logistics had taken a bit of working out. I drove to Tamworth (free parking on Sundays!) and caught the 748 bus to Polesworth. It was my private chariot for the first half of the journey, clattering loudly over the speed bumps, although a couple of other people got on before I alighted. Abbey Green Park in Poleswor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Portway: Bramcote Hills to Stanton-by-Dale

I parked in the free car park at Bramcote Hills Park and set off, naturally enough, in the direction of where I'd last been. Up some steps through the woods, along the edge with marvellous views northwards, and down past a school to pick up Moor Lane again. At that point I realised I was supposed to be walking this route in the opposite direction. Oops. Well, it didn't make much difference. It just meant that the Hemlock Stone would come at the end rather than the start. Also, I was doing a figure of eight, so I could switch paths in the middle. That sorted, I pressed on along the disused Nottingham Canal. This had varying amounts of water in it. There were good views back up to the double hump of the Bramcote Hills. Nottingham Canal Also Nottingham Canal Just before I got to Trowell garden centre, I crossed a bridge and walked across a green space to a partly built housing estate. The Boundary Brook had been aggressively re-wiggled. I'm sure it will look better in a year...
Post a Comment
Read more