the most influential thinkers in my life
People often ask me what are the best books I have read. Its a darn good question and we should all be able to give a few. My problem is that I can’t name them in actual books (the top three is too hard), but prefer to name the most influential writers in my life. Putting aside the obvious role and influence of the Scriptures, they would be:
- Soren Kierkegaard: I am amazed at the incredible insights into existence, human nature, discipleship, passion, subjectivity, etc. that Kierkegaard seems to possess. Also, (to Celtic Son’s great horror) I am more than happy to be called a Christian existentialist in the line of SK. But old SK is hard to read and, when you understand him, hard medicine to take. My suggestion is that you should start with at least two good introductions to his thinking before tackling him directly.
- Martin Buber: If SK cuts, Buber heals. And I have to confess that probably it is Buber who has most influenced me of all three listed here. This man is in my opinion one of the greatest thinkers of all time. His insights into the nature of interpersonal relations has never been matched by anyone. Read his studies on Hasidism, Judaism, the Eclipse of God, etc. REad everything by Buber!
- C.S. Lewis: One of the sweetest intellects in the history of the church. It was once remarked about Lewis that if you are goig up a road to explore something, he always meets you on the way but he is coming back down the road. I LOVE Lewis. Can’t get enough
To these I would add Helmut Theilicke, whose The Evangelical Faith saved me from Calvinism (no offense intended to my Reformed friends 
) and whose capacity to ‘preach’ even complex theology captivated me. His collections of sermons are the best sermons of the 20th Century–no-one even gets close. Abraham Heschel is nothing short of magisterial. His God in Search of Man is worth its weight in diamonds, as is his vol 2 of The Prophets. Also his collection os essays Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity is brilliant. David Bosch and Leslie Newbiggin feature in shaping my missional thinking, as they have done for millions of others.
Feel free to give me your list the three most influential thinkers in your life.
Comments
32 Responses to “the most influential thinkers in my life”
Leave a Reply
The Books
COMING SOON!
Affiliates
Recent Blog Entries
Recent Comments
-
The Problem of institutions (Part I)
- Eleanor Burne-Jones said: Surely we can't create...
- Alan Hirsch said: They come and go all too...
- Andrew said: Just noticed a wording...
- Andrew said: Didn't notice the word ...
- Alan Hirsch said: By the way, if it is not...
- Andrew said: A postscript to my last...
- Andrew said: I don’t know whether you...
- alan hirsch said: Agent B sounds very...
- Agent B said: No fair. You can write...
- Michael McAleer said: I think there are two...
…Saved From Calvinism…could be your next book!
C S Lewis is a definitive leader of the pack for me.
Greg Boyd’s works (God at War and Satan and the Problem of Evil) are what pulled me out of my despair and gave me hope in the face of evil, darkness, and injustice.
This is a great question. At different stages in my life I had key influences that popped in just when I was hitting the end of the road, so I suppose it’s hard for me to say three. But since I have to.
John Wesley is one. His emphasis on holiness, evangelism, and good works brought this fundamentalist raised fellow back to the whole Gospel.
John Cassian. Absolute devotion with a huge, huge emphasis on discernment and fluidity in the spiritual life. Plus he opened me up to reading more of the eastern monastics.
Philip Yancey. In college I hit a huge dark night of the soul that lasted my last two years. No one was around who told me that’s what it was. I was on the verge of losing my faith because I couldn’t see God in that silence and darkness (which encompassed every area of my life). His Disappointment with God reshaped my whole perspective and gave me hope and understanding. Then his The Jesus I Never Knew pushed me back to meeting Jesus as a man.
Other huge influences: the early church fathers gave me a sense of the depth of the faith. Eugene Peterson. More recently, I’ve gotten very into reading Moltmann. Read through all his stuff, have interacted with it a lot, but I think I’m still in the middle of seeing how he shapes me.
Newbiggin was huge too, though I think reading his stuff was more influential than I realize. I read his works before I was really thinking ministry stuff, then went through seminary with his thoughts echoing all around.
Alan, I’ve got K.’s Works on Love lying about on a bookshelf around here. I started it then got distracted. Is that a fair place to jump in or is there a better text? Which reminds me, James Loder’s book on Faith and Human Development was huge for me too. He based a lot of his stuff on Kierkegaard.
My route would look something like this:
Calvin - for helping me formulate and systematise a tight Christianity.
Francis Schaeffer - in helping me see God at work in and connected in history and
Brian McLaren for infusing a theology of hope back into my understanding of how God is at work and connected with the world.
PS- whats with the obsession Kierkegaard had with falling tiles?
Alan,
I was asked this question…I replied thus:
This is an impossible task for someone who loves to read a wide variety of literature. I have listed my three favorite authors in just five genres. I have a collection of titles from each of these authors, which I read again and again; they have all provided me with unique and foundational insights that have been key in my spiritual formation over the past 30 years.
Myth, Fantasy and Imagination
J.R.R. Tolkien – a lover of words and their power to create languages, people and cultures that tell epic stories.
C.S. Lewis – a lover of great literature inspired to use words to kindle the hearts of people to think clearly and respond boldly.
Madeline L’Engle – a lover of science and mystery as a way to encounter God, the Creator.
Inspirational
Corrie ten Boom – Being involved in her ministry and reading her many books continues to inspire me today – “no pit is so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”
Philip Yancey – He asks the hard questions and makes their answers inspiring and approachable while calling for deep contemplation and clear thinking.
Dr. Phil McGraw – I have read many of his books and have been inspired to know myself better so that I can teach others to treat me better, which helps me know others better and treat them better, as well. He is a straight talking truth-speaker.
Theological
Vernard Eller – This man is a breath of fresh air in the often confusing thin air of highly educated theologians. He makes everything he teaches understandable. You may not agree with him, but he gets you to think out of the box. He is also a great speaker!
J.B. Phillips – More than just in his wonderfully fresh translation of the New Testament, he is a wonderful scholar/pastor who brings clarity to the fuzzy. His short books go straight to the heart of the matter.
Harry Emerson Fosdick – truly a man ahead of his time. His books on prayer alone would put him on my list, but his many others works are equally spectacular.
Apologetical
C.S. Lewis – is so good, he’s on my list in two completely different genre!
Robert Banks – has an amazing grip of Paul’s context for community and is a must-read concerning house churches and practical Christian living.
Mont W. Smith – fueled my passion and focused my vision for ministry by bringing the concept of hesed (covenant keeping) back to the church in his book What The Bible Says About Covenant. This concept is the essence of my spiritual DNA and what I consider the primary context for understanding God, the Bible and the Christian life.
Psychological/Counseling
M. Scott Peck – helped me learn to think critically, among so many other things, and brought the critical components and amazing possibilities of a dynamic community of all leaders into focus.
Lewis B. Smedes – is the pastor of my heart. He is the most humble and profound and gentle and merciful of men; and also a tremendous speaker.
Gary Chapman – his revolutionary classification and descriptions of the five love languages was the missing piece to effective lifestyle evangelism for me.
Of course, since I’ve starting working on CovenantClusters, I’ve been introduced to many new authors/books…and, of course, Alan Hirsch and Neil Cole and John Stackhouse and Philip Johnson and John Morehead and Scot McKnight and Eugene Peterson are among the new guys…but they have each been able to build on two to four decades of foundation laid by these others.
Yes, it is a great question!
Is no one throwing out Augustine?
I mean I don’t agree with Augustine on some stuff, but Confessions and De Doctrina both effected me in profound ways.
Sadhu Singh maybe? I don’t think I spelled that right. But, getting an eastern take on Christianity really opens up a lot.
I gotta go with Foucault, I know it is cliche. But, Foucault “awoke me from my dogmatic slumber”, to quote some other obscure Philosopher.
I agree with one of the comments above: “SAved from Calvinism” sounds like a good book to me!
Can’t wait to meet you face to face when you come to the states…I’m trying to arrange my schedule to join you and Frosty in Denver. We’ll see…
Robin
Wow, everybody is helping me fill out my library! Several very influential books in my life include Gudin’s collection on ‘Missional Church’, Kenneth C. Ulmer’s book ‘Spiritually Fit to Run the Race’ on personal holiness, and Kennisens’ ‘Life on the Vine.’ These each detailed areas in my own life that were lacking clarity or even form at a point where I much needed the touch of God to push me in the right direction. Okay, I cannot resist, J. Oswald Sanders’ book on ‘Spiritual Leadership’ also came at a critical time in my life.
All of the ones everyone has mentioned sound great!
Blessings
Henri Nouwen - spiritual and pastoral theology
Parker Palmer - education and spirituality
Margaret Wheatley - leadership and spirituality
Walter Brueggemann - theopoetics
Eugene Peterson - spiritual and pastoral theology
oops, that’s five
For real thinkers I think my list will not be ready in a few years. I think I’ve been introduced to more thinkers via the TFW than in all my life before
I can only remember one book that influenced me deeply on reading it (apart from the Bible of course), and that is the ‘Heavenly Man’ by Paul Hattaway (and also it’s semi-sequel ‘Back to Jerusalem’). It shows to me how important obedience is, and what God can do through somebody who is obedient. And also it really gave me hope for the Western Church. If they can we can!
Interesting you raise this question - I’ve been exploring ‘Books That Changed My Life’ on my blog in recent days. I won’t repeat all the lists here, but so far I’ve had to divide it up into three posts: one on Gospel and Culture, a second on Church, Mission and Ministry, and a third on Spirituality.
One thing I’ve noticed about this side of the emergent church movement…. It seems less of an embrace of postmodernism (which many people feel scared, confused, angry and upset by) and more of reclaiming Soren Kierkegaard from the sometimes_anti-god postmodern movement (and continental philosophy in general) for christianity.
A question for Alan: Have you heard of the french philosopher Gabriel Marcel? He’s a christian existentialist as welll….
Isaiah, yes I have read some of Marcel’s work. Its good, but not as seminal for me. SK lies at the root of all existentialisms, even the non-Christian ones. But he was so solidly Christian. Has no-one here read or been influenced by Buber? Not just I and Thou which he is well known for, but his other work?
I was SO thrilled to see Thielicke on your list, Alan. His book, “The Trouble With the Church” was dead on for where we find ourselves right now, at least in North America. His sermons are unbelievable in their simplistic communication of doctrine and theology. The man was fearless.
I also love to read some Fosdick, not so much for his theology, but for his incredible sermonic craftsmanship and word choice.
Other influential authors for me are Brennan Manning, Philip Yancey, Darrell Bock, Dallas Willard, and Eugene Peterson.
I’m new to this site, and so glad I found it!
Eugene Peterson
Oswald Chambers
Henry Blackaby
Alan,
I promise you that I will get to reading Martin Buber, brother! What order would you suggest for the reading of his various works?
Have been praying for you and Deb and Ruby today as you travel…
Blessings–and welcome!
Hullo-o-o…
my beef with Alan’s beloved Kierkegaard, is basically a difference of place on a scale between rationalism and mysticism. What I have read of SK, which to be fair is limited (since what I read didn’t appeal to me I didn’t pursue it)it led me to conclude that his philosophical basis pointed to the necessity of a mystical encounter with God, at the same time as his writing appeared to be denying that kind of experience. As I’m way further towards the mystics on the scale, SK’s thinking irritates me somewhat… Having said that, the greatest influences in life are not necessarily those we agree with, but at times can be those whose irritating opposition forces us to get to root arguments and explore the facts for ourselves.
We are all, at least in part, a product of our environment… My teens and twenties, as an anarchist anti-Christian, beginning in the late seventies in the UK, were filled with angst and loathing. Punk was a timely movement and contributed much to my already inherent appreciation of alternative realities! I prefer abstract artforms to order and realism, and was caught up in the maelstrom and mayhem of “abstract philosophy.” Of course there is much pretentiousness about it, which I’m sure Mr Kierkegaard would find horrific
James Thwaites “The church beyond the congregation”
A number of years ago, as I was in the throws of launching into planting a church with a missional focus, a good friend Glen Powell invited me to lunch with James Thwaites. I didn’t have a lot of time with him, but it was enough to inspire me to get a copy of his book “The church beyond the congregation.” His description of the malady of the church, his insistent Hebrew worldview, his experience as a practitioner and the interwoven story all served to make it an influential text. It came at a time when I had been reading some Trinitarian thinkers (this would be the spot for name-dropping all the heavyweights I’ve explored!)and it brought a holistic focus that has been significant ever since.
Eugene Petersen
In beginning the journey of “shepherding” I found Eugene Peterson’s works brought great insight. “Five smooth stones,” “Working the Angles” and his study in the Psalms of Ascent “A long walk in the same direction” are great studies in the principles of living a peace-filled life as a follower of Jesus.
Stanley Grenz
As a contemporary Trinitarian theologian, I really appreciate Stan Grenz’s thinking. “Rediscovering the Triune God” and “Created for Community” bring together aspects of the Godhead and humanity in a beautiful synthesis…
All three of those voices, that have been infuential to me, stand in a history and heritage of great thinkers. In their works they each point back to the earlier thinkers whose thoughts influenced them, which has led me to explore some of the source material they’ve referred to…
Each of these writers has provoked me to thought, and pointed me to many others, all with varying thoughts and opinions. Of course another major avenue is actually discussing thoughts with peers and inclusion on blogs like this.
Slainte
A Celtic Son
I am a little late to the party but here i go:
Pastoral / Leadership:
Euguene Peterson - he’s a great checkup for me to see how faithful i am being to my calling
Kennon Callahan - When it come to the practical side of pastoral leadership, nothing beats Ken. He just get’s people. (info at: http://www.missionleadersnetwork.com)
Joe Myers - his stuff on community and leadreship have been amzing for our church. Plus, Ken Callahan is his mentor so that helps. (www.languageofbelonging.com)
Ecclesiology:
Lesslie Newbigin, David Bosch, Darrell Guder, Alan Roxburgh - All these guys have transformed my view of the Church and its mission. I am so indebted to them for a ton of my thought.
Theology:
Karl Barth - i have read no where near all his stuff (is that possible!?) but have read portions of his dogmatics that have been a great encouragement and challange to my faith.
Scot McKnight - his stuff is just good. plain and simple. (www.jesuscreed.org)
Oh, and Alan Hirsch has single handedly changed my life forever! Ha! I’d actually like to see who would win in a fight, him or Mike Frost. That would be a must see You Tube video!
I count “influential” as “how many times I go back to that author’s book(s) to find out exactly where something was said”. Earlier in my life it was
Francis Schaeffer and CS Lewis.
For the last few years it has been Dallas Willard (”Divine Conspiracy”) and, more than anyone else ever, NT Wright. Honorable mention goes to Lesslie Newbigin, Brian McLaren, Kathleen Norris and Naomi Wolf (Naomi put words on my life experiences as a female in “Fire with Fire” like no one else I have read.) I’ve found Thomas Cahill’s books very helpful too.
Alan, my book group read “God in Search of Man” a couple of years ago and we all loved it, and Heschel’s heart for God. I’m (sort of) working my way through “The Prophets” right now.
Dana
You know, I am stretching to think of Christian books that “deeply” influenced me. More than a little of my understanding was arrived at through grappling with diametrically opposed authors simultaneously and working out a third approach in the midst of that, in the absence of appropriate reading material. This makes it hard to attribute things to singular authors who I might only have half agreed with.
I remember for instance pitting John Dominic Crossan and Paul Barnett against each other early on and arriving at a position not unlike N T Wright on many matters. When I finally discovered N T Wright there was instant recognition of course, and I have obviously learned from him since then, but I’d already figured out what he has to say on apocalyptic for myself.
And of course Phil Johnson has influenced me greatly as you know, but much more through personal instruction than what he has officially published.
I suppose I would put down the Mennonite John Howard Yoder as one influence, particularly his book “The Politics of Jesus”. Paul Heibert is another influence in terms of my missiology. And I am a fan of John Stackhouse and others of course but that’s somewhat different.
Oh, you know I should mention Frosty too. I read his “Jesus the Fool” only months after becoming a Christian (back in the mid 90s) and remember breathing a sigh of relief that there were some sane Christians out there. Actually, it was after hearing him speak at a Black Stump Festival come to think of it. Again it was more of an identification thing than a paradigm shift but it certainly helped me locate where I fit within the Christian world.
Most of my paradigm shifts happened in the New Age Movement to be honest. Now Fritjof Capra and Shunryu Suzuki, they were real influences.
Good grief. I’m impressed.
Most influential books… hmmm…
Philosophy… Winnie the Pooh. A.A. Milne
Modern feminism… Bridget Jones diary. Helen Fielding
Theology… The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass. Adrian Plass.
Relationships… the advice column of “New Idea” and “The Australian Women’s Weekly”.
Men and Women… “Men are from Mars” John Gray
Wisdom for Living… “Everything I needed to know I learned at Kindergarten” poster.
Organisational politics… “The Games” (John Clarke, book and TV series) and “The Office”. (ditto)
Current Affairs.. “The Chasers War on Everything” (TV satire)
I think I’ve just worked out why I’m sometimes out of my depth on this blog. I pronounce Kierkegaard officially unreadable by mere mortals.
No, no, Janet…you can hang with me, girl
Janet, nothing wrong with The Chaser. I’m a fan myself.
As I move into a postmodern stance with a missional world view I find those who influenced me in the past no longer hold true.
Before my house fire I gave all my old hero books away. The hero’s I kept were consumed!
This is a great post, Alan! I need to ponder on this one.
You know you’ll be in the mix along the way with Neil Cole.
By the way, have you ever Googled Alan Hirsch?
Thanks Penny and Matt!
I’ll attempt to redeem my previous post (alright, I have read and been influenced by SOME serious authors, but all my faves had already been named by the time I got here, so I thought I’d have a bit of fun).
Seriously though… I think I (and probably all of us) actually are formed by pop culture… it’s the “sea in which we swim”. That may not be a bad thing… it relates back to the idea of “cultural distance”. Christians who participate in pop culture seem more “normal” than those who avoid all “worldliness” (books, movies, vaguely fashionable clothes)… so it may be a bit easier to make friends with “not yet Christians”, and to interpret the gospel message in a culturally appropriate way.
Provided we understand the kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ and the redeeming impulse of the Spirit of course!
When I was immersed in youth ministry, I was encouraged to make the effort to read the magazines, listen to the music, and watch the TV of youth, at least sometimes… in order to understand that world. And perhaps we need to do likewise… sometimes… with pop culture of whatever group we’re working with.
Although… it’s very likely I’m just justifying my lowbrow tastes!
Well, since Dana nailed my top 3 writers (Wright, Lewis, Willard), and most of the other usual suspects have already been given their props, I’ll give 3 specific books that I read in my early twenties (which was a long time ago) that actually changed the trajectory of my life:
Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliott, inspired me to live dangerously for God.
Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman, encouraged me to make disciples in the way of Jesus, and to do it with intentionality.
Desiring God. John Piper’s radical invitation into Christian Hedonism reminded me (and keeps reminding me) to keep first things first.
Uncle,
I have heard about Kierkegaard about 20 times in the last month, and i studied him a little last year. So today, before reading this, i went to Word and ask them about it.
I said to them “Do you have a section on philosophy?” they lady said to me “Philosphy? Is that the same as theology?” I just laughed. Then i realized she was she was serious. So i just asked her if she had a book by Kierkegaard and they never heard of him and they couldn’t find it.
So it was funny to read this tonight after that today.
Now i just got to find somewhere that his his books/study guides
Ash
Using the term ‘writer’ with a fair bit of artistic licence…
Eugene Peterson
Walter Brueggemann
Jack Kerouac
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tim Winton
Jimi Hendrix
Joe Strummer
howdy, all. just dropped in to check out, now that i’ve relocated and am gradually reviving from transplantation shock …
top three writers who have kept my spirit alive in a dry and weary land over the past three decades are: Francis Schaeffer, Irina Ratushinskaya (especially *Grey is the Color of Hope*), and JRR Tolkien. these are the ones who help me know i’m not crazy … if such is possible.
top three writers who have shaped my missiology and ecclesiology long term, and whom i’ve read and re-read since the 1970s: Roland Allen, Robert Webber, and Elizabeth O’Connor (especially *Journey Inward, Journey Outward*).
meanwhile, i am still on a “fast” from works of theology in search of stimulating ideas, as i have traveled for a time the rich multidisciplinary lands of thinkers elsewhere. when i surface for theological air again, i suspect Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky will be on my list, and in the meantime the otherwise wanna-read list includes: Charles Alexander on systems, all the rest of Jane Austen’s novels, and Gerard O’Neill on *Colonies in Space.*
… systemic eclecticity may still be the best route to spiritual electricity, eh? …
1)Bill Hicks
2)Bob Dylan/BruceCockburn
3)Ron Sider