Asking the clergy: What 5 books should be on everyone's reading list?
Pastor Steven Schilling, Blue Point Bible Church:
The Bible (any version) because within its pages are words which can change a life. It defines our existence, gives answers to life's questions and shows us God's plans for our lives.
Carlos Eire's "Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy,"(Free Press, 2004, $15): Tells the story of a boy who grew up in Cuba during the 1950s, how his world changed when Fidel Castro took over the country, and his airlift in 1962 to the United States.
David McCullough's "1776" (Simon & Schuster, 2005, $23.95): Brings readers of today into the struggles of 1776 and gives us a real appreciation for what our Founding Fathers faced.
John Grisham's "The Testament" (Doubleday, 1999, $30): Tells of one man's redemption.
William J. Bennett's "The Book of Virtues"(Simon & Schuster, 1993, $29.95): A collection of moral stories which promote virtues.
Pastor Eric Tilstra, Beacon, Water Mill:
Frances Chan's "Crazy Love" (David C. Cook, 2008, $14.95): Shows the difference between the church in the book of Acts and how we are today.
Timothy Keller's "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" (Riverhead Trade, 2009, $16): Explains how the belief in a Christian God is a sound and rational one.
John Piper's "The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die"(Crossway Books, 2004, $22.95): Probably my favorite author and speaker. I have never heard anyone who speaks or write with more conviction. With every fiber of his being, he is compelled to tell the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. You can hear it in his voice that he cares about your soul.
Pete Wilson's "Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?" (Thomas Nelson, 2010, $14.95)
The Bible, because it is inspired by God. Good versions are the English Standard Version, the New International Version and The Message. It is the most exciting book ever written. The Bible is not boring; the movie "Avatar" is boring.
Pastor Jesse Pettengill, West Islip Church of Christ:
I will limit my answer to books that have had significant impact on my own life. This list assumes a prior reading of one's primary religious text.
H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds,"(1898): My father's suggestion - it created a love for science fiction, and an appreciation for the ability of "story" to offer social commentary (much like good narrative preaching).
"The Confessions" by Saint Augustine of Hippo: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, O Lord." The autobiographical work outlines his youthful indiscretions and eventual conversion to Christianity.
Richard J. Foster's "Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth" (Joanna Cotler Books, May 1979, $60-$600): Foster's spiritual classic offers a healing balm for the frenetic Long Islander. This study of the classic spiritual disciplines includes meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance and celebration.
C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed": Lewis reflects on his grief brought on by the death of his wife Joy. The book awakened me to the power of lament.
"The Cost of Discipleship" (by German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45): This is the biography of a man who refused to compromise his beliefs to save his life.
Cantor Guy Bonne, Temple Tikvah, New Hyde Park:
I'm very interested in what was going on with the mentality of the people of Germany and the decadence of Europe before World War I and into World War II. These books speak to these various times and the mindsets during these times. These books cover a broad period of times that relates eventually to the establishment of Israel.
Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" (Vintage Books, 1996, $19): The protagonist, Hans Castorp, is captured spiritually by this place he travels to in the Swiss Alps. It is inspiring and exciting the way Thomas Mann revives his characters, while portraying the degenerating Europe (below the mountains) at the end of the 19th century while dealing with life's major philosophical issues.
Amos Elon's "The Pity of It All: A Portrait of Jews In Germany 1743- 1933"(Picador, 2003, $17): It depicts the desires and achievements of the Jews of Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime and their burning desire to be accepted as equals and their disappointments, time after time.
Ian Kershaw's "Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris" and "Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis"(W.W. Norton and Co., 2000, $21.95): Kershaw explains that as a part of Hitler's inheritance to humanity, it is our obligation to strive to understand how Hitler was possible.
Michael Bar-Zohar's "Ben Gurion: The Armed Prophet," (Pentice-Hall, 1968): Despite the many failures and disappointments Ben Gurion encountered through the years, he fulfilled the dream: a state for the Jewish people in the land of Israel.
David Grossman's "Until the End of the Land" (Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2008): This novel brilliantly portrays Israel in our current time. The character Orah, whose son serves in the Israel Defense Forces, is certain her son will be killed in a military operation. Symbolically, as if to prevent any message to be delivered, Orah is running away from everything by going on a hiking trip.
