Books for this Week (at least)

I was culling through my "to be read" stack of books in my study between a baptism and a funeral yesterday. I selected three of them to accompany me through this week's work:

1. On Aquinas by Herbert McCabe -- McCabe was a Dominican friar with a keen mind and a sharp wit. This text is actually a series of lectures on common themes from the work of Thomas Aquinas, the Scholastic theologian par excellence. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with McCabe's writing and getting a bit more familiar with the way in which Thomas went about the theological task. I've got a translation of key passages from Aquinas waiting in the wings, but I fear right now I would have difficulty following some of his carefully nuanced arguments -- hoping McCabe can help!

2. Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture by Vincent J. Miller -- I've been fascinated for a long time by the way in which congregations often position themselves as being about "meeting people's needs". I've wondered about the intersection between appropriate support of the baptized in the journey of faith and plain, old pandering to the customer, er, I mean, "congregant" by providing maximum religious programming for minimum pledge dollar prices. I'm hoping this book will shed some light on my conundrum.

3. The Gifting God: A Trinitarian Ethics of Excess by Stephen H. Webb -- In an time when most of us are thinking about belt-tightening, shrinking budgets, and the feeling that there is less and less time for ourselves, our family and our community, the notion that God could actually be excessive is intriguing. I'm wondering if the author will actually posit a theology of abundance, which goes beyond mere dollars and cents...wouldn't that be refreshing?

I don't know if I'll complete all of these before next Sunday, but I'm certain they will give me plenty of food for thought...and maybe a thought or two about blog posts!