So a chap named Davey visited the blog not quite 24 hours ago, and left this comment:
Hey, I’m new to all this. Can anyone please Recommend:
1) 3 must read books on EC
2) 3 names I should be familiar with re EC
3) 3 sites/blogs
4) a real, live place I can go see this! I live in north FL but can travel
Thanks!
Peace
I figure this is a great question, and one that probably comes up for more people than know a good place to ask it… so instead of answering in the comment thread where it appeared, I thought it’d be good to bump it up here for more visibility. I’ll provide some thoughts, and hopefully others can pick it up from there.
3 Books
1. A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren
2. Blue Like Jazz or Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
3. Something by Leonard Sweet
3 Blogs
…not counting mine? ;^)
1. Planet Emergent (EC Blog Aggregator)
2. Tall Skinny Kiwi (Andrew Jones) (Foremost EC Blogger?)
3. Jesus Creed (A recent addition, great thoughts from scholar, author, and prof Scot McKnight – insightful investigations and thoughts on EC from an apparent relative newcomer; see how this develops)
3 Names
Basically the ones mentioned above and below as authors or bloggers.
1 IRL EC
Doug Pagitt’s comes to mind, Solomon’s Porch but I’ve never been (though see discussion on Scot McKnight’s blog).
And in order to not get criticized for not mentioning Karen Ward, here you go. Davey, there are many others who should be on these lists — start by surfing to blogs linked by some of the blogs you like… you’ll find you start to recognize some of the names popping up multiple times. Of course, others can flesh this out or dispute what I’ve listed. It’s not hard to list a bunch, but it is hard to narrow it down. Anyone else care to try?
Oooh, Arlen! I’m proud of you! Identifying publicly with EC, and all! ;^)
Excellent picks, too – bonus points for getting an IRL EC in Florida. I know Mike Bishop’s name and blog, but I’m not necessarily aware of everyone’s geography offhand… the ones that are close by will stand out, but other than that it’s all the same to me, a few hops across the Internet and you’re there!
I wanted to put a Dallas Willard book in my list too, but I copped out a bit and just put down a few that are commonly people’s first introduction to EC. McLaren’s ANKOC is kind of a rite of passage, I think — and I know a lot of people who have first opened themselves up to new ways of thinking about spirituality by reading Don Miller, even though guys like Willard, Nouwen, and Merton are much “deeper” in that respect. Miller is kinda earthy, anyone can relate.
Maynard, don’t expect me to make a habit of it…. ;)
Oops.
I apparently suck at my tag writing. Sorry!
Robbymac,
Yes, I agree, Len Hjalmarson is an important voice. Curse my not mentioning him; I’m glad you did.
And Maynard? Though a relative newcomer, in my view he has indeed contributed significantly to the conversation.
Wow! Thanks everyone. That is so helpful. I’m going to start with the easiest– books and with the blogs. I hope others will chip in any other thoughts too.
Best,
Davey