Books Your Priest or the Pastor Hope You Will Never Read

The average church-goer lives in an isolated world when it comes to religion. He/she is generally oblivious to the fact that over the past two decades well-respected scholars of the first order have published a wealth of books questioning our religious creeds and values. Most of these published works have been on the best-seller list at some point during this time. The fact that such books questioning our long-accepted traditional religious beliefs, doctrines, and creeds have become even more popular over the last five years suggests a trend: People are less likely to automatically accept without questioning as they once did claims of religious truth taught them by their church. That should not be surprising since our rapidly evolving technology in such fields as medicine, science, astro-physics, genetics, robotics etc. pre-conditions us to accept the fact that what may have been interpreted or understood as true or factual centuries, decades, or even months ago may no longer be valid. There is no reason such rational thinking should not also apply to religion.
Biblical and archaeological research is ongoing and new discoveries, interpretations etc. gleaned from painstaking study of ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic religious manuscripts have forced us to re-examine our long-treasured beliefs. The willingness of so many to be receptive and open to learning about these new discoveries is a hopeful sign. Such readers serve as a counter-balance to those who out of fear and insecurity cling to absolutist beliefs that need to be questioned and perhaps revised or even discarded. As one wise sage once said, “Religious beliefs that cannot withstand challenging examination should be readily discarded.” Sadly too many people are still unwilling to do this. Since the recent rise of an unyielding militant brand of Islamic fundamentalism and the ascendancy of a corresponding, equally harsh and uncompromising evangelical Christianity and their intolerance of each other, it is even more crucial now than ever before that all believers take a rational look at the validity of their religious beliefs.

Following is a partial list of recent publications that address religious issues and challenge current beliefs. The authors of the following books are learned Biblical scholars and highly regarded by their peers in the field of theological academia. The books by Dawkins and Harris have been on the best-seller list for the last few weeks. The others, especially the ones by Bishop Spong, have also been on best-seller lists at some point over the last couple of years.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, Bart Ehrman.

A New Christianity for a New World, Why Christianity Must Change or Die, The Sins of the Scriptures, Bishop John Shelby Spong (3 books)

The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, Sam Harris

Breaking the Spell: Religion As a Natural Phenomenon, Daniel C. Dennet

The Jesus Mysteries, Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy

The God I Never Knew, Marcus Borg



This is a short list and if the reader is interested in more works of a similar nature, please feel free to contact me at hepchat55923@yahoo.com.

Herb Panko
25 Mill House Lane S.W.
Chatfield, Mn 55923