Further Study
This is a collection of resources to help you engage current theological conversations and find new inspiration for personal study.
These resources are divided into two sections. The first part offers suggestions for personal study and worship from fellow congregants. This is a great place to check if you’re looking for something new to read or listen to. These resources will be updated periodically so check back regularly.
The second group of resources provide theological discussion to help you grapple with issues that are part of current conversations. The current areas of conversation being highlighted are around the church and LGBTQ+ inclusion and anti-racism.
Recommendations for Personal Study
What We're Reading
Preacher Woman by Katie Lauve-Moon – Book
Everything Happens For a Reason by Kate Bowler – Book
Living a Life of Abundance Starts With Community by Liuan Huska – Article
What We're Hearing
Center for Action and Contemplation Podcasts
Surprised by Grief with Daniel Harrell and Clarissa Moll – Podcast
It’s Only Mother’s Nature by Teresa Fry Brown – Sermon
Eastertide Playlist – Music
What We're Saying
Letters To My Daughters by Elizabeth Sands Wise – Book
Longing For Tradition by Derek Hatch – Article
Holding Hope Devotionals by Chuck Bugg – Video Series
Beach Cats by Jawanna Herd – Children’s Book
What We're Doing
Spiritual Practices Resource Guide
A guide to common spiritual practices we distributed during Lent.
Self Guided Retreat
A self guided retreat for individuals or families called “Listening to God”.
Implicit Bias Training
A free 3 part NIH course on what bias is, how to recognize it, and how to minimize it’s impact.
Have a Recommendation?
Is there a resource you’ve found helpful and would like to share with the congregation? Let us know the name, author, type of media, and a link if there is one for your recommendation and we might add it to this page.
The Church and people in the LGBTQ community
Books
Homosexuality in the Church: Both Sides of the Debate
Torn by Justin Lee
Lee, a gay man and devout Christian, attempts to bridge the gaps between his faith and sexuality.
Changing Our Mind by David Gushee
Gushee, for much of his career, was celibacy affirming, but has experienced a shift in his thinking and is now affirming of monogamous same-sex marriages. This book chronicles his journey with the issue of same-sex marriage.
This I Know: A Simple Biblical Defense for LGBTQ Christians by Jim Dant
Dant is a Baptist pastor who provides a brief introduction to common arguments for same-sex marriage in the church.
Blog Posts
The American Psychological Association produced this brochure to answer questions about sexual orientation from a phychological research perspective.
Chris Conley shares the three reasons why he thinks the church should bless loving same-sex marriages in this article at Baptist News.
United Methodist Bishop Richard Wilke’s uses this blog to quickly tell his story and examine the scriptures often associated with this conversation.
Matthew Vines and Caleb Kaltenbach offer different interpretations of the Bible passages often associated with the same-sex marriage debate.
Respectful Conversation Site. This collection of posts would eventually be processed into Respectful LGBT Conversations.
Video
Adam Hamilton offers the keynote at a conference seeking to keep the United Methodist Church united despite different views on same-sex marriage. In
William Reilly provides his discernment journey and how he came to the conclusion he did in this sermon preached at Faith Baptist Church August 15, 2021
Bryan Langlands shares his journey with LGBTQ inclusion and the church in this talk at Faith Baptist Wednesday Night Dinner on September 8, 2021.
Anit-Racism and the Church
Books
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
A systematic theologian explores the paradoxical relationship between Jesus’ death on the cross and the atrocious history of the lynchings of blacks; a memoir on the painful experience of being both a Christian and a black man in America.
The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby
Exploring the American Christian church’s historic complicity in racism.
I’m Still Here: Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
An illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God’s ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness—if we let it—can save us all.
>> For more church-related suggestions, check out the CBF Advocacy Racial Justice Reading List.
Podcasts
“Brene with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist” (Unlocking Us with Brené Brown) –a discussion of racial disparities, policy, and equality with a focus on How to Be an Antiracist, a groundbreaking approach to understanding uprooting racism and inequality in our society and in ourselves
“White Women’s Toxic Tears, with Lisa Sharon Harper” (For the Love with Jen Hatmaker) – a raw, honest, informative, solidarity-building conversation about the historical and cultural roots and current-day patterns of white women’s betrayals of people of color
1619 (New York Times) – audio series examining the long shadow of American slavery
Code Switch (NPR) – presents contemporary news viewed through the lens of race and identity
Miscellaneous
Web Portal
Talking about Race by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture – online portal designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these forces shape every aspect of American culture
Video Series
“Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho – YouTube video series created by Acho, a sports analyst and former NFL linebacker, as an educational tool for white people who are looking to help but might not necessarily understand how or where to start
Article
“Justice Too Long Delayed” by Timothy Dalrymple (Christianity Today) – a look at the church’s participation in racial injustice and how to make restitution for that sin
For Families
Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race
book list broken up by age, plus helpful info about where to start
We’re Different, We’re the Same (Sesame Street) by Bobbi Kates
An easy, enjoyable way to learn that we may all look different on the outside, but, deep down, we are all very much alike.
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
This children’s picture book shows us that people can be anything they want to be and makes us question where and when racist thoughts begin as well as who teaches us them.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
A “remix” of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped, the book takes us on a journey from 1415 to the present day, showing the history of racist ideology in the U.S. and what we can do to actively stamp out these deep-rooted ideas (Ages 12+).