Suggested books

Some of these books are written by people who declare themselves Unitarian.  Others are not.  This is a very small selection of books and the choice is in no way a reflection of any "official" Unitarian position or even the sort of reading that many Unitarians do.  The emphasis that many Unitarians place on ecology and the love of earth, water, air, fire is notably missing from this list.  Yet you need some start points that will give you some clues.  The other websites and blogs will start you down some more threads.

Some people don't like online buying; some don't like certain online sellers.  The links given are not necessarily endorsing online purchase nor any of the sellers, but they provide details of the books so that you can choose how to get hold of them for yourself.

Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life

edited by Scott W. Alexander

A book that looks at engaging the mind, the body, the heart, the will and the soul, with essays on a range of practices that may breathe fresh perspectives into the outer and inner life.

The Penultimate Truth and Other Incitements

by Bill Darlison

A set of addresses delivered in the Dublin Unitarian Church between May 1998 and June 2000.  'When people ask, "You Unitarians, what is your ideology?  What is your theology?" I would like us to say: "We don't have an ideology.  We don't have a theology.  We tell our stories to one another."'

Infinity In Your Hand: A Guide for the Spiritually Curious

by William H. Houff

A guide across a broad spectrum of topics within the area of spiritual growth, touching on different faith systems as well as mysticism and the spiritual basis for social action, seeking not the easy answers but instead to live in the question.  Challenging and inclusive.

The Man They Called The Christ

by David C. Doel

Unitarians who centre their spiritual practice in the life and sayings of Jesus have written much over the centuries.  This is a recent addition and offers thoughts on Jesus as 'a Way or a Path - a way of transformation available to everyone at all times and in all places.... we are able still to interpret the gospel, as many of us have always done, as myth.'

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Eden: The Buried Treasure
by Eve Wood-Langford
An examination of the Genesis creation myth picking out the elements that predate the Old Testament and in particular the emphasis of the divine in feminine form.  It is shown that divinity has been conceived in a feminine form for millennia and only seen in the masculine form since relatively recent time.  Some aspects of Goddess power may be glimpsed behind some puzzling Old Testament chronicles and we find, carefully held in the Old Testament, a stunningly woven myth-history of the human journey into awareness and consciousness.

A Good Word for Jesus: A Heretic's Testimony

by Paul Trudinger

A challenge to the exclusive claims of the historic Christian faith, setting Jesus within the body of Jewish teachers of the apocalyptic tradition, who awaited the imminent ending of the world and the return of the Messiah (deliverer of the Jewish people).  For those without a Jewish background the explanations of Jewish religious practice help explain the historic Christian teachings.  Includes a detailed exploration of Paul's view of Jesus, with references to other views that were in circulation as Paul was writing to his followers.

The Way of Man: According to the Teaching of Hasidism

by Martin Buber

A short but powerful interpretation of some of the key themes of Jewish mysticism, showing the emphasis the mystics had on right relationship, as revealed through their stories and parables.  A taster book that will help any subsequent reading of I and Thou by the same author.

Cave Refectory Road: Monastic Rhythms for Contemporary Living

by Ian Adams

Looking across the main themes of historical monasticism within the Christian tradition, this is a flowing and poetic book, a joy to read, that is about ways of living and not about what the monastics can teach us about belief.  Helpful suggestions about how we might influence for the better our 21st century living, by noting the old wisdoms.

Twelve Steps to Spiritual Health
by David Usher
The journey to spiritual health can start at any point, and the twelve steps of this book do not have to be followed in a strict sequence, provided that you are willing to be led out of your familiar comfort zone at some point.  The journey can be undertaken alone, or by a group of like minded people as a shared exercise.

We Are One: a manifesto for humanity
by Simenon Honoré
This book offers a practical vision of a society based on the interconnectedness of all life.  From the atoms that make up all existence on earth to the atomic bomb that threatens to destroy it, our fates are indissolubly bound together.  A book underpinned by some academic research, and well written so that it is easy to read and highly memorable.
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