“The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.”
~ Piet Mondrian
Anyone who is an artist – whether a writer, speaker, musician, painter, photographer, designer, sculptor, etc. – doesn’t view all of their art through the same lens. Artists have favorites.
In that connection, some people have asked which of my books I consider to be my favorite. That is, my best and most important contributions.
Whenever I’ve answered this question, it has surprised many people. In most cases, I discover later that they’ve only read one or two of my books . . . the ones that aren’t on my “best/favorite” list.
Since I keep getting this question, I thought I’d just answer the question here and now. That way, when someone asks it again, I can simply point them to this blog post (‘tis one of the wonderful assets of blogging!).
In addition, I want to ask the same question to those of you who are artists also.
Without a doubt, there are a small number of books that I’ve written that I deem my best and most important (these are in no particular order):
Revise Us Again
As far as I’m concerned, if I was forced to burn all my books and leave behind only a small number, it would be the above.
These books separate the tourists from the purists. (The tourists prefer my earlier stuff on ecclesiology.)
Top Posts of 2011
If I may offer this, I do not think all writing is art. There is factual writing, writing from academia, sermons written and grocery lists penned.
And then there’s artistic writing, descriptive, poetic, moving, revelatory, contemplative, writing that agitates the imagination.
So if I may — again — which book that you have penned is your favorite work of art?
(btw, I just wrote about the creative process a week or so ago and how when we create, we are manifesting the universe (God)…
On another note, I and a bunch of friends are newly exiled jesus people who are “done with church.” Which of your books would you recommend as we are having conversations about how to live in the ways of Jesus without the IC? Thanks!!
I see your point and tend to agree with you (albeit, I believe God created the universe and His imprint – which is Christ – is upon it.)
While all 5 books listed above contains elements of artistic forms of writing, the strongest elements of it are found in “From Eternity to Here” and “Jesus: A Theography,” with “Jesus Manifesto” coming in third.
As to your last question, probably “From Eternity to Here” or “Reimagining Church.” The first is a big picture kind of book which reframes the Mission of God in the biblical story. A unique take. Lots on community there that is set forth in a freeing way. The second is more reductionist and compares/contrasts the NT idea of “community/ekklesia” with the institutional form of “church.”
Just a quick comment: I am immersed in your work right now – books, podcasts, and your blog. For all the heat you have taken over “Pagan Christianity” – I wanted to encourage you in a discovery I found inspirational. In this regard, I am reading “From Eternity to Here” and PC concurrently and I am really blown away with your passion for the Bride of Christ, the Ecclesia. The former informs the later by answering the question, “why do the points made in PC matter?” If you ever write a revision of P.C., I would strongly recommend that you weave the rich work you have done in From Eternity to Here into and revision of PC. In my preparation for a study featuring PC with a small group of believers, I have started with Chapter 5 of From Eternity to Here because I want our group to understand what the church is from God’s point of view before we begin to deconstruct man’s understanding of what church is . . . In my opinion, if PC started with the vision of the church that you describe in From Eternity from Here, the points you and Mr. Barna made in PC would make a lot more sense and probably be less controversial.
Thanks so much. I had the vision of the “ReChurch” series when I wrote PC. It has to be a series because you can’t weave too much into one book else no one would read it given the size. We were pushing it with the page count of PC. Most of my readers have (thankfully) acquired the whole series so they “get” the entire argument. http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org and I hope posts like this help.
Hi Frank,
I’ve read From Eternity to Here – brilliant and inspirational. I read it towards the beginning of a journey to re-think what I believed about God and church. Still on that journey.
I write songs that mix acoustic songer-songwriter stuff with electronica. One of my favourites is here:
John
“To be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal but you have to care. You do not have to have a complicated moral philosophy. But a writer always tries, I think, to be a part of the solution, to understand a little about life and to pass this on.”
– Anne Lamott from, Bird by Bird
Frank, my favorite among your work is not a certain book but this: By reading your books, so many people have found the door to true revelation of Christ. The cry in our spirit has finally found audience from our soul because our mind has been challenged and we dared to respond. Then we saw Jesus as a real Person and began to know Him in our spirit! I could go on but I won’t.:) Praise be to God for all He has given us. Thanks to you and all our brothers/sisters who are working in the building of His house!
Frank, this is the second blog I have subscribed to. I’m looking forward to reading your posts and hearing your heart message my friend.
Michelle
Finally a blog I feel like I can offer something to 🙂 Not the theological type to expound in response to blogs, but this one caught my eye. I love that writing can be considered a form of art. I am currently working with several artists in the Dallas area- many who truly long to share their gifts and talent with others. Over the years I’ve snapped photographs of things in nature that, from a certain angle or light, appears completely different than I had seen it before. It reminds me of seeing Christ in other brothers and sisters- in and through them He is revealed in a whole new light. The beauty of the body of Christ.
Here’s just a few of the many pictures the fb post gave permission to share: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Simply-Seen/1515389
Awesome, Nischelle! We really need your voice. So keep commenting. I’m going to add photography as art. Forgot that one!
Frank, as a writer of story and poem, the questions people pose to you about “favorites” strikes me as unnecessary for some reason. I have not yet read all your books, but intend to keep at it. I cannot force myself to write. When I write it is something forcing itself from within me, born out of passion and purpose. Though readers may have their favorites, I personally find it impossible, as the creator of the work, to distinguish favorites. However, I know many artists, like yourself, who do have special affection, or priority, for pieces of their own work. We are all different. Regardless…keep writing, please… 🙂
Dear Frank, thank you for passing on the question about ranking your books to the readers. We met in South Africa in Pretoria, October 2009, when you and Milt facilitated the workshop on Organic Church.
My journey with your books started when I discussed my plans with Abe Thebyane after being retrenched (in April 2009) and he strongly suggested that I read Pagan Christianity. I bought it the same day and since then I have read the all your books except Epic Jesus. Each of the books was a tool through which the Holy Spirit revealed to me and Hettie what we needed to understand at the time.
I have found that people I have shared your books with all responded differently to these books. What definitely worked for me was to read Pagan Christianity, then Re-imagining Church, then Finding Organic Church and finally From Eternity to here in that order.
So I value the books for how God used them in our lives and the question on choosing a favorite 4 is of lesser importance to me. I have also experienced your focus moving on from the first 3 books dealing with the Institutional Church to From Eternity to here revealing some of the great plan of God and from there the books that followed dealing with our relationship with Jesus.
I praise God for the journey of my life and how you have submitted to His will for yours and the impact your books have on all the wonderful members of the Body of Christ!
Live loved!
Deon
Frank,
The only one in your fav’s that I have not read is “From Eternity to Here” so I would say the three left are among my favs as well. However. to pick one, it would have to be Jesus Manifesto. I read it right after reading Sweet’s So Beautiful (which my son picked for me) and it was a perfect confluence of thought for me. Jesus Manifesto so captured the truth for me, it will remain one of my fav’s alongside The Cost of Discipleship and Mere Christianity.
Thanks for being a faithful steward of God’s gifts and an artist who skillfully paints the Highway of Holiness for me.
Maranatha!
Rick
What a challenging question, Frank! I think I have read all your books and I think I do like the four mentioned above the best. But, just when I say, “I like this one the best of all” I think about the expressions of the others and then I am undecided again! I write and I paint with oils. I would like to say I have a favorite writing or painting, but I have the same problem. You see, to me it is like the endless expressions of Christ, they all have a fantastic specialness all their own and cannot be compared with one another. That is all I can say about that. 🙂
I’ve read all your books and learned from all of them. All are excellent, but I agree your favorite four are my favorite four. Keep up the good work! Your impact on the Kingdom is profound.
Hi Frank, I feel like we are friends even though we have never met. I was in Jacksonville at Momentum last year and heard you speak but never got a chance to chat with you. I’ve read all of your books except 3 of the 4 you offered as a special so I ordered those. I’m into From Eternity to Here now.
Let me say that reading your books has been an experience likened to a man who was lost in a foreign land for years and years, not speaking the language and not figuring out a way to communicate. Barely figuring out how to get enough nourishment to scrape by from day to day, then, after years of loneliness and wandering the man comes upon someone who speaks his language. You are that man to me. I’ve been minister of music, youth, and associate pastor, and I’ve been punished over and over and over for saying “There has to be more to it than this”.
I finally learned that he that hath ears can hear, but those that hath not ears, doth not hear. (Pardon my King James). Thanks for all your contributions. They are saving us from a lot of beginner mistakes I believe.
I am a songwriter and my songs have always been the cries of my heart. My most recent song is called There’s gotta be more. I’ve cried a lot as I’ve read your books.
I too am a hopeless romantic, therefore From Eternity to Here is resonating in me like a new set of strings on a 1721 model Stradivarius violin, (Or should I say Viola?) Your earlier blog post reminded me of all the streams that I have been through in my life. I’ve been the positional truth guy, writing songs about my identity in Christ.
Joining the Charismatic movement I became an Emoter, seeking God through miracles and touching experiences. Then I worked in the mental health field for a number of years as a counselor. My wife is a social worker. So we were activist, focusing on helping the poor, and being drawn to various causes. But today we find ourselves past all that.
To merely speak that phrase, I’m past that now, is to be wildly misinterpreted by many if there is no opportunity to explain that I just want to be a part of God’s divine purpose, to know and fellowship with him. All the “doings” can just happen as they will, like the fruit that falls off a tree. We have some young fruit trees here on our farm that we are nurturing into fruit production. Imagine the absurdity of trying to scold, teach or preach these trees into production. All they need is rain, nutrients, and pruning away of the unneeded limbs. That’s what God has done in us through your books. Well, I could ramble on forever, but know that I will eventually record some songs that came out of inspirations from your books. I’ll send you a CD and a link to my site so you can listen to them. Thanks for being who you are.
May God’s love continue to be the most real thing you ever experience.