| These titles have been chosen because the books are not too long, not too expensive, recently publihed and reasonably approachable. They are not necessarily the "best" books by the authors listed. The date given is of first publication. |
| J.D. CROSSMAN & N.T. WRIGHT |
The Resurrection of Jesus (2006) |
| Two leading New Testament scholars discuss their different understanding of the historical reality and theological meaning of the resurrection. They constructively debate the literal and metaphorical interpretations. |
| Bart EHRMAN |
Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (1999) |
| "This should be the first book for any lay reader interested in the historical Jesus" wrote The Kirkus Reviews. Ehrman is a scholar with a most attractive and humorous writing style. |
| Anthony FREEMAN |
God in Us: A case for Christian Humanism (1993) |
| Philosophy Now wrote of this book: "Brilliantly lucid, clear, common-sense and to-the-point style." In this very short book Freeman clarifies his disagreements with orthodox Christianity. |
| John HICK |
The Fifth Dimension: An Exploration of the Spiritual Realm (2004) |
| The author explores the distinction between an ultimate reality, if such exists, as unknowable and the ideas about such a reality as found in the writings of the main religious traditions. |
| Richard HOLLOWAY |
Godless Morality (1999) |
| "A book of morals for our brave new world, by a very wise man indeed" wrote Fay Weldon. Holloway is a retired anglican bishop whose many books are a delight to read. |
| Michael MORWOOD |
Is Jesus God? Finding Our Faith (2001) |
| The author was formerly a priest with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Australia. His sincere questiioning of many tenets of the Church led to the banning of his first book. |
| John S. SPONG |
Why Christianity Must Change or Die (1998) |
| This very influential book shows God not as a superperson running the universe, but as the source of light and love; and Jesus not as the founder of a hierarchical institution, but the initiator of a community of faith and service. |
| James TABOR |
The Jesus Dynasty (2005) |
| The author is an American biblical archaeologist who throws an entirely new light on many matters which one assumed had been settled. Amongst other things, he questions the justification for including the words "This is my body..." in the Eucharist. |
| Geza VERMES |
The Passion (2005) |
| "No one alive since the first century AD," wrote the Catholic Herald, "can claim to know more about Jesus Christ the man than Geza Vermes." This is his shortest book, in which he carefully compares the texts of the Gospels, indicating what we can, and cannot, learn from them. |
| Keith WARD |
A Guide for the Perplexed (2002) |
| Until recently Ward was Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, and is a joint president of the World Congress of Faiths. "Witty, accessible and prodigiously erudite," wrote one reviewer. |
| Tony WINDROSS |
The Thoughtful Guide to Faith (2004) |
| Thirty-seven very short pieces, outlining the objections raised to formal Christian religion, and suggesting ways of dealing with them that do not compromise people's intellectual integrity. |
indicates a work written by a member of the Open Christianity Network.)