This is a short list of some books and other resources shared at a workshop called “What is happening in Europe?“ No attempt is made to cover these trends in great detail, but rather some starting points for exploration. Enjoy the journey!
The trends are clustered as follows: 1 Liturgical Revival, 2 Intercultural Churches, 3 Intentional Communities, 4 De-Secularisation, 5 Paganism – Retro & Neo, 6 Freedom of Religion and Belief, 7 Nature vs Culture, 8 Glocalism, 9 Screen World, 10 Alternative Learning.
1 Liturgical Revival
- C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image, An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature
- Hans Boersma, Heavenly Participation: the weaving of a sacramental tapestry
- Timothy G. Patitsas, The Ethics of Beauty
- Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World. Sacraments and Orthodoxy
2 Intercultural Churches
- Vista Journal, special issue about multicultural churches in Europe (2017): https://vistajournal.online/latest-articles/category/Vista+26
- Andrew F. Walls, The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith
3 Intentional Communities
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian in Community
- Henri Nouwen, Community
- Elizabeth Oldfiled, Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times
- Paul Gutacker, Practising Life Together. A Common rule for Christian Growth
4 De-Secularisation
- Charles Taylor, A Secular Age
- James K.A. Smith, How (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor
5 Paganism – Retro & Neo
- Martin Shaw, jaw bone (podcast on YouTube)
6 Freedom of Religion and Belief
- Observatory www.intoleranceagainstchristians.eu
7 Nature vs Culture
- Bruno Latour, We Have Never Been Modern
- Martin Heidegger, The Question Concerning Technology, and Other Essays
- Paul Kingsnorth, Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist and Other Essays
- John Moriarty, Nostos, An Autobiography
8 Glocalism
- David Goodhart, The Road to Somewhere The New Tribes Shaping British Politics
9 Screen World
- Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
- Paul Kingsnorth, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity
- Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
- Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism
- Jaron Lanier, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
10 Alternative Learning
- Zena Hitz, Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life
- Alan Jacobs, Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader’s Guide to a More Tranquil Mind
- Kyle R. Hughes, Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age
How to use this list? Select 1 to 3 books that pique your interest, ask 3 friends, and read together.
