Five important books every religion major should read
These important texts will expand your understanding of God, the Bible, and your personal faith.
1. Welcome to the Wisdom of the World and Its Meaning For You by Joan Chittister
Sr. Chittister distills wisdom from religious myths demonstrating how to read and understand stories that may be unfamiliar to us.
2. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously but not Literally by Marcus J. Borg
While biblical literacy is it an all-time low because of the debate between reading literally vs. metaphorically, Dr. Borg demonstrates how to interpret the Bible with informed and faithful awareness.
3. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
Studying religion doesn’t mean that we must jettison our faith. For undergraduate students, especially, Lamott is an important model of someone who integrates heart and mind.
4. Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—And Doesn’t by Stephen Prothero
As a baseline for minimal religious knowledge, Dr. Prothero’s text is the best place to begin a journey of religious literacy, especially in our increasingly diverse world.
5. Night by Elie Wiesel
Written in light of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, Wiesel’s personal story provides an excellent model of learning to ask difficult questions about God.