What Are You Reading?

Last week brought the news that Lyle Schaller died at the age of 91. Lyle was particularly prolific in his writings on church organization and programs. One could have called Lyle the “Mr. Fixit” of the Church. I think at one point I had read about two-thirds of his fifty-five books. I was intent on reading a lot about church organization and programs to make the church more efficient and effective. In retrospect I see now that Lyle was writing for the church of the 1950’s, and those of us who we reading him and trying to implement his “fixits” were already behind the times as the Church had already entered a metamorphosis of no longer being what it was. I was a pretty good ecclesiastical mechanic and remained so for most of the years of my active service as a pastor and presbytery executive. The problem was being a mechanic for a steam locomotive in the dawning of the age of bullet trains is a disconnect.

One of the things I am now realizing is I neglected any sustained study of Scripture and theology. The one three year exception was when studying for my D.Min. at Eden Seminary in the St. Louis area. Studying liberation theology under Dr. Meeks and prophetic theology under Dr. Brueggemann did take me outside the drive to be a better mechanic. I can’t remember the names of any of my other professors in that program of study. I remember Meeks and Brueggemann because their classes were the most challenging and exciting.

I had many books stacked up to be read someday. They were still stacked up when I winnowed my library upon leaving my last position. After that I once again immersed myself in my old leisure reading cycle of political intrigue and international espionage fiction. Then at the polity conference last October, Dr. Timothy Cargal referred to an atonement theory with which I was not familiar. I asked him to send me some bibliographical references so I could read more about it. Thankfully, he sent me an abundant list, including the writings of Rene Girard. The first book I read was Girard’s The Scapegoat. I inhaled the book as once again found the challenge and excitement of biblical theology. The book I am now about two-thirds through is Arch Taylor’s God for All: The Biblical Foundation of Universal Grace. I ask myself why I neglected this reading for such a long time.

I have heard it said, “Some ministers have not read a theology book since they graduated from seminary.” Mia culpa, mia cupla, mia maxima culpa! I was too busy reading Schaller and others, and now admit I was one of those. What would I encourage those early in their ministry about their reading habits? I would say the reading which will have the greatest effect on your preaching, teaching and pastoral care are biblical and theological in nature. If these do not fill more of your reading than books on mechanics you are short changing yourself and those you have been called to serve.

There are no magic bullets in the books on ecclesiastical mechanics. I can give witness to that. Lyle Schaller gave a lot of mechanical advice. In spite of the fact that so many of us read his works and endeavored to implement his advice, all the while the church and the world were changing in ways that today make us question if anything was truly improved for the Church.

When I was a kid, on Friday afternoon my dad could pull his 1947 Plymouth Coupe under the apple tree; throw a block and tackle on a sturdy limb; pull the engine; rebuild it and have it ready to drive to work on Monday morning. Try that with the computer controlled vehicles of today. Yesterday’s ecclesiastical mechanics just do not work in the Church of today.