What is your favorite piece of Christian literature aside from the Bible? / LJWorld.com

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Asked at Massachusetts Street on June 30, 2007

“‘Blue Like Jazz,’ by Donald Miller. He goes through the different aspects of Christian faith. He shies away from traditional conservative Christianity, which is kind of the appeal to it.”

— Ken Komiya, student teacher, Lawrence

“‘Till We Have Faces,’ by C.S. Lewis. He takes a story from Greek mythology and interweaves his grief over his wife’s death. I think it’s really creative, enthralling, deeply emotional and well written.”

— Hope Atchison, barista, Manhattan

“‘As Kingfishers Catch Fire, Dragonflies Draw Flame,’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins. He wrote a lot about nature and God, and the connection between the two.”

— Kit Fluker, circulation clerk, Lawrence

“Probably ‘Truth in Religious Belief,’ by Brendan Sweetman. It’s about a discussion among experts from various religious backgrounds on the big issues in religion.”

— Kelly Duty, sales associate, Newton

A good book

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jonas (anonymous) says…

"The Carpenter and the Comedian: The Lighter Side of the Messiah." It's a collection of rare and little known quips, jokes, humorous quotes and more physical comedy that Jesus at times felt the desire to indulge in. My personal favorites are his tap-dancing on water routine and his impressions of various current political figures. His Herod, in particular, was spot-on.
June 30, 2007 at 6:25 a.m.
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…

Harry Potter and the Pharaoh's Daughter
(hey, that rhymes, groovy 4 me)
June 30, 2007 at 9:48 a.m.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Ronaldo Ignacio) says…

"And Adam Knew Eve" by Ronald L. Ecker

Let thy fountain be blessed:
and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe;
let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;
and be thou ravished always with her love.
Proverbs 5:18-19
June 30, 2007 at 10:28 a.m.
sunshine_noise (anonymous) says…

And what's wrong with traditional conservative christian teachings? We cannot decide how to be a good christian by customizer it to our taste. The Bible teaches us to be one and if it is conservative then this is who God is. Or does society (or the liberals) want to change that too?
June 30, 2007 at 10:39 a.m.
blackwalnut (anonymous) says…

sunshine_noise (Anonymous) says:
And what's wrong with traditional conservative christian teachings? We cannot decide how to be a good christian by customizer it to our taste. The Bible teaches us to be one and if it is conservative then this is who God is. Or does society (or the liberals) want to change that too?

The Bible is filled with contradictions and ambiguities, and it's all a translation - all of which leads to great differences in understanding. If that were not true there would be only one Christian sect, not thousands.

(Nice slur on liberals. How very conservative of you, but was it Christian?)
June 30, 2007 at 11:04 a.m.
Speicher (Daniel Speicher) says…

Oddly enough, when we look at scripture, we see that Jesus was a huge political liberal. He ticked off every conservative in his time... The Pharisees, the Saduccees, the Roman Government... Every entity who wanted "status quo" (conservatism), Jesus blasted their views and even went as far as to call them "white washed sepulchers." Now, I'm not particularly saying Christ would be a liberal in today's context. However, I think there is a case to say that He certainly wouldn't be conservative. He's never been conservative... He's a progressive, ever-revealing God. Furthermore, He is a God who is concerned about the needy, concerned about life as it is here on earth for His creation. While the more conservative Christians can preach that the reason to get saved is because someday we will enter the Kingdom of God if we do so... I, and other "less conservative" Christians contest that the Kingdom of God is here and now, and He cares just as much about our lives now as He does about our eternal lives.

--Danny Speicher
June 30, 2007 at 11:27 a.m.
Jamesaust (anonymous) says…

"The Bible teaches us to be one and if it is conservative then this is who God is."

But of course the Bible teaches us the opposite.

The idea that Jesus was "conservative" is so transparently untrue that one wonders about the agenda of anyone would make such a statement.

Go back and re-read the Bible, this time remembering that YOU are Pharaoh, YOU are Pontius Pilate, YOU are the Pharisees.
June 30, 2007 at 11:57 a.m.
sgtwolverine (anonymous) says…

I enjoyed The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis).

Blue Like Jazz is worth reading, as long as the reader remembers that Miller is not a scholar. Blue Like Jazz works because Miller isn't trying to be a scholar; he's just trying to tell his own story, and that personal storytelling is his strength. His next book (Searching For God Knows What) struggled more because he wandered outside his strength.
June 30, 2007 at 11:58 a.m.
karensisson (anonymous) says…

Christians went down a wrong path when they allowed the neocon politicians to redefine them for their own political purposes.

The result was something as far away as possible from the values Christ taught.
June 30, 2007 at 12:06 p.m.
Pywacket (anonymous) says…

Oh, gee. There are so many options to choose from.

I guess we can interpret "Christian literature" as we see fit, so I will eschew any obvious heavy-handed ideological treatises for something much more personal.

I'll go with a stash of letters I received over the years from my best friend's mom (may she rest in peace). While a devout and observant Christian, she never felt the need to shove her views down anybody's throat. Her letters were always filled with expressive descriptive passages about the weather, her garden, wildlife, and whatever she happened to be doing at the time. Occasionally, a mild joke or a philosophical statement would creep in. But it was her simple, almost journal-like observations that made the deepest impression on me. She could make the mundane interesting. She lived into her late 80s and never lost her curiosity, her zest for life, or her ability to express that in her writing.

I'm sure she knew that I veered away from Christianity at a very early age, but her kind and loving relationship with me never wavered and she was never judgmental--always positive.

When she wrote about a snowy evening they were having, I could almost see those big flakes drifting down, and how they were illuminated in the streetlight outside their house. When she recounted a day of blueberry picking, the images of sandy ground under foot, the dusty warm berries, the hot sun, and the cool breeze from the lake came back to me from all the Julys when I went with their family to the U-pick farms.

The ability to conjure sharp images and impressions in a reader with a few well-chosen words is something most good writers share, whatever their (religious or other) background--and even if they don't have a shared background with their readers. If those conjured thoughts then lead the reader down paths of reflection or self-discovery--all the more credit to the writer.
June 30, 2007 at 12:12 p.m.
beatrice (anonymous) says…

"Interview with a Vampire." It mentions crosses.
June 30, 2007 at 12:15 p.m.
ljreader (anonymous) says…

Does "The Bartender's Bible" count?
June 30, 2007 at 1:13 p.m.
Jamesaust (anonymous) says…

"Christian literature is like Christian rock."

Haha! I'd never connect the question with South Park's "Christian Hard Rock" where the little fat kid makes a killing on singing "Christian" songs that are really just love songs substituting Jesus for the object.

"Don't ever leave me, Jesus. I couldn't stand to see you go.
My heart would simply snap, my Lord, if you walked on out that door.
I promise I'll be good to you, and keep you warm at night.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, why don't we just... shut off the lights."
June 30, 2007 at 1:32 p.m.
RKLOG (Mark Andrew) says…

Christian literature is an oxymoron.
June 30, 2007 at 1:39 p.m.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Ronaldo Ignacio) says…

Bea,
I would say Ayn Rand is a much better author than Anne Rice.
Wouldn't you agree?
June 30, 2007 at 1:55 p.m.
beatrice (anonymous) says…

RI, I think objectivism is overrated and that Any Rand wrote for self-centered, selfish types. For a better read, try something on the biography of Helen Keller.
June 30, 2007 at 2:34 p.m.
camper (anonymous) says…

Leo Tolstoy, "The Gospel In Brief" is excellent....as are all of his essays on Jesus' teachings. Tolstoy masterfully chronicles how we can apply these teachings to our lives which in turn can give more meaning to our existence. The writings are also very easy to read (he wished to write these essays in a way that could be understood by all ages and education levels....these writings are neither defensive nor condemning).

Christian music - I find that most of it is very bad. Secular artists seem to approach the subject with more sincerity and inspiration.
June 30, 2007 at 2:50 p.m.
erod0723 (anonymous) says…

RI,
I would agree with you on Ayn Rand. Her books can be a long and daunting read, but I have felt satisfaction at the end of each of her novels that I never did from reading much of the bible.
June 30, 2007 at 4:06 p.m.
DaveR (anonymous) says…

Myth & Ritual in Christianity, by Alan Watts. I chanced upon it many years ago at the KU bookstore. It was the first book I ever read on Christianity that actually explained it in its own terms. Among other things, it identifies Christ and Adam as the same individual. This was profound in many ways and became an anchor in my metaphysical studies.

The Bible as a whole is a ramble. Tiny extracts only are suitable for the general public. True study demands wide outside reading & a fair amount of life's own seasoning. For every obscenity (David counting out foreskins before Saul in I Samuel), there are unexpected gems to be found in such mundane tales as the Good Shepard and his Sheep. Or the horrifying consequences of a failed Aquarian Age in Genesis 19. With Nietzsche's best gloves to protect us, we return to the Bible again & again, each time learning anew.
June 30, 2007 at 4:44 p.m.
Jamesaust (anonymous) says…

Tiger -

or,

"I love you, Jesus. I want you to walk with me
I'll take good care of you baby. Call you my baby, baby!
You died for my sins, and you know that I would die for you, right?
What's the matter, baby? You tremble at Jesus, baby!
Your love is my life! You know when I'm without you, there's a black hole in my life! Oo-ohhh
I wanna believe. It's all right, 'cause I get lonely in the night and it's up to you to save me!
Jesus baby!"

I won't quote any more as I believe it violates LJWorld's policy terms for what's printable on a 'family' website.
June 30, 2007 at 5:15 p.m.
Tumaini33 (anonymous) says…

Sunshine_noise.... chill out. The Bible is the bread of life, but there's nothing wrong with come non-traditional teachings. Which, by the way, tend to be more "up to par" with moder society than some other things. God and his Son are not forgotten about in these books.
June 30, 2007 at 5:49 p.m.
Tumaini33 (anonymous) says…

Easy Tiger... you spelled Bataille wrong. P.S. Sounds from your comments like you need a big hug. Why not try being calm and loving in here... might make you feel a lot better about your own life. Poor you.
June 30, 2007 at 5:57 p.m.
Crossfire (anonymous) says…

How We Lost Weight and Kept It Off
by Jim Bakker and Tammy Bakker

Got this great piece of literature from a fat lady at a garage sale.
Don't think it worked for her, but she had the Tammy Fay makeup thing down.
June 30, 2007 at 7:23 p.m.
Stain (anonymous) says…

The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
June 30, 2007 at 8:54 p.m.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Ronaldo Ignacio) says…

Bea,
I have not read a biography of Helen Keller. But I have read her work "The Story Of My Life".
I liked Jay McInerney's "The Story Of My Life" much more.
June 30, 2007 at 10:11 p.m.
hitme (anonymous) says…

Marion, At least Christians aren't killing people in the name of their religious arrogance.

RI, It's OK that you never read a biography of Helen Keller....she...(I can't say it)
June 30, 2007 at 11:53 p.m.
Weezy_Jefferson (anonymous) says…

Are you kidding me, hitme?? Christians have been "killing people in the name of their religious arrogance" for centuries.
July 1, 2007 at 12:47 a.m.
jonas (anonymous) says…

Tiger: You have an. . . errr. . . .interesting post history.
July 1, 2007 at 2:50 a.m.
purplesage (anonymous) says…

C. S. Lewis: "The Chronicles of Narnia" are delightful and engaging. "Mere Christianity" is profound and thought provoking. His quotes are such that they dot most (conservative) Christian writing and preaching from the last 60 years.
July 1, 2007 at 8:03 a.m.
Oracle_of_Rhode (anonymous) says…

"I will pray for you"

translation: "i think you're going to hell."
July 1, 2007 at 9:09 a.m.
DaveR (anonymous) says…

In Narnia the lion memorably tells one of the girls that you can only know your own story. Never anyone else's. In other words, yours, but not your father's. There are wonderful insights everywhere you look, if you know how to look.
July 1, 2007 at 11:05 a.m.
purplesage (anonymous) says…

How did the question of a favorite piece of Christian literature become a spigot for the outlet of such anti-Chrisitan venom? Try to just answer the question: Aside from the Bible, what is your favorite piece of Christian literature? If you don't have one, just say so. If you want to offer a favorite religious writing from another tradition or faith, that's OK. But this is nuts.
July 1, 2007 at 9:22 p.m.
acg (anonymous) says…

I liked The Necronomicon (the book of spells, not the Lovecraft novel). Is that considered Christian? LOL. ; )
July 2, 2007 at 9:58 a.m.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…

Marion, give us a bit of help here, at least...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/...
July 2, 2007 at 11:02 a.m.
Jamesaust (anonymous) says…

What's interesting is that no one mentioned that loathsome "Left Behind" series.
July 2, 2007 at 11:15 p.m.