I Think I Believe I am Jesus' little brain cell

20Oct/092

Best theological toilet book?

Ah, the extended period of solitude when on the loo! In this hectic world of microwaves and mobile phones doing a number two is truly a blessed time. And what better to fill this sacred session of bowel moving with than good theology!

So I want to know: What is the best theological toilet book in your opinion?

My nomination is The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister McGrath. A toilet book should have short chapters that can be completed in one sitting - which the Reader does. Most are about a page long and come with helpful little introductions and questions for further reflection (perfect when wiping). It should cover a wealth of subjects, which the Reader does too. Everything from basic question of the nature of God and how exactly it is possible to speak of him, to original sin and the eucharist. There are not only a wide variety of subjects, but they come from all the major thinkers throughout the entire Christian tradition. So you'll get Zizioulas on the church, Luther on sin and grace, Pannenberg on soteriology and christology, Tertullian on Hell (surely worth the price of the book!) and Thomas on the incarnation. With such a selection of topics and authors, the Reader is big and bulky and you need many trips to the bog to even consider completing it - which is exactly the point. You can flick the book open anywhere and be reasonably certain that you haven't read exactly that part before - and if you have, it'll be a joyful reacquaintance.

So I nominate The Christian Theology Reader. What's your nomination?

(One book you really shouldn't use as toilet reading is Dan Cohn-Sherbok's Holocaust Theology: A Reader. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and needed to take a dump when I came home, so I thought I should take it with me to thumb through while doing my business. Not a good idea. It's just feels really inappropriate to read about genocide and the impossibility of God in the face of it while relieving yourself.)

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Comments (2) Trackbacks (0)
  1. I have to say I have not started this ancient Christian practice yet. I am sure that I should now. A friend of mine works on his greek while on the can.

  2. I think the answers to many of our current theological conundrums could be waiting for us on the pot. Where do you think Luther discovered justification?

    I nominate Thomas Merton's "Life and Holiness". Short, terse chapters that don't require you to concentrate too hard (because much of your attention might be directed to squeezing your sphincter). It also runs the whole gamut of the Christian faith. It would fit rather snugly on the toilet tank too.


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