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What I Read
December 14th, 2009 by Jim Martin

This post may interest you and then it may not. :)

Like you, I read.  

Some of the periodicals I read are chosen because they help me keep up with the Christian world. Other reading is an attempt to stay aware of what is happening in the world and culture. Yes, I realize that much of this awareness may not come from reading. And yes, some of this awareness may come from the movies and television programs as well. This post, however, is focused specifically on the periodicals I read.

The following is a sample:

1. Each day, I look at the online editions of: The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Drudge Report, and the World News websites. I typically look at the Sunday edition of the New York Times more closely. I usually glance at the lead article of the The New York Times Sunday Magazine. When reading these papers, I pay particular attention to the column that lists the most emailed articles.

2. The New York Times Book Review and The New York Review of Books. I skim through the print editions of both of these. I also look at the rankings of the books (both non-fiction and fiction) in The New York Times Book Review. These two periodicals help me keep up with what many people nationally are reading. Skimming these reviews surfaces common themes.

3. Conversations. A very good journal. The subtitle is: “A Forum for Authentic Transformation.” The most recent issue has articles by: Eugene Peterson, John Ortberg, Dallas Willard, and Richard Foster, etc. This journal typically offers much to feed the soul.

4. Christianity Today. I do not know of a better one-stop source for keeping up with Evangelical Christianity. In just about every issue, I find at least one article that is very interesting and thought provoking.

5. The Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. This is a fairly new journal that originates from Biola University. This journal is published twice a year and contains articles and book reviews that are thought provoking. It tends to be academic and scholarly and yet is tied to life in he church. There are often articles that focus on the practice of spiritual formation in a congregation and are helpful. I usually read one or two articles that really do cause me to think.

6. The Christian Chronicle. This is a monthly news paper that reports the news from Churches of Christ. It is a good newspaper and is one of the ways I am able to keep up with the ministries of others within our movement.

7. Periodically, I spend time in a library, such as the one at Baylor University, to skim through various scholarly theological journals. (See this list for a nice sample of these.) In particular, I will pay attention book reviews. There are also certain authors who have my attention whenever they write a new article or book.

8. Leadership Journal. A very good journal that continues to offer help and insight about ministry in a congregation. This journal is typically very practical. I am particularly interested in simply being able to look over another minister’s shoulder and see how this person thinks or does his work.

9. I occasionally go to the magazine area at Barnes & Noble or Borders and glance at the titles of articles on the covers of certain popular magazines. It is interesting how often common themes, needs and desires seem to surface in these titles.

I am not suggesting that you need to read the same journals or periodicals that I read. Your own reading may be very different from mine. Nevertheless, perhaps this will helpful to some.

 Question

What other periodicals do you read on a regular basis that you enjoy and/or find helpful?
  

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8 Responses  
  • Frank writes:
    December 15th, 2009 at 9:07 am

    Jim, a very good list. A few things I regularly read:

    “Christian Studies” published by the Austin Graduate School of Theology is always very good. But these come out so infrequently, my only complaint. As I recall, it’s a free subscription, and back issues are available for about $3 each. Classic stuff.

    I subscribe to “Restoration Quarterly” and read most of it as soon as it shows up. Some of the material from their back issues is now online.

    At religion libraries, I also look at the “Stone-Campbell Journal” (some of their content is online) and the “Christian Standard” magazine. At the West Tex. A & M library, I can look at things like “Christianity Today” and the “Christian Century.”

    “Reflections” is a quarterly magazine published by Yale Divinity School. Each issue is devoted to a particular theme. Most of the articles are written by YDS faculty. Naturally, it comes from a mostly-mainline-Protestant perspective. It’s always well-written, finely-produced. I believe a subscription free for the asking.

    So much good stuff, so little time.

          Reply  
    • Jim Martin writes:
      December 16th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

      Frank, thanks very much. I also read “Christian Studies.” In the library, I will typically read through past copies of RQ. I am glad that you mentioned “Reflections.” I was not aware of this publication at all. I need to subscribe. Thanks again. Hope you are doing well.

            Reply  
  • Clay Knick writes:
    December 15th, 2009 at 11:47 am

    I read many of the ones you mention plus “Christian Century.”

          Reply  
    • Jim Martin writes:
      December 16th, 2009 at 5:08 pm

      Clay, this is one of the publications that I will typically look at when I am in a good library. Thanks.

            Reply  
  • Tim Pyles writes:
    December 16th, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    Great, well-rounded, regular reading list, Jim. Thanks for sharing!

          Reply  
    • Jim Martin writes:
      December 16th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

      Thanks very much Tim. It is good to hear from you.

            Reply  
  • Bobby Ross writes:
    December 20th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Jim,

    Are you familiar with http://getreligion.org ? Interesting site that stays on top of religion reporting and trends in the secular media. I think you would enjoy it.

    – Bobby

          Reply  
    • Jim Martin writes:
      December 20th, 2009 at 1:16 pm

      Hi Bobby, I was not familiar with this site. I just skimmed through several articles. I am glad to know about this and I appreciate you passing this link on to me. Have a Merry Christmas!

            Reply  


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