BIBLIOGRAPHY
A Basic Reading List
There are few books specifically on a Christian approach to architecture, but the following, some now quite old, are recommended as basic background reading.
Other books can of course be found in the Annotated Bibliography, still available in its 1987 edition, and in the Community Development section .
New books are reviewed as they are published, but this does still leave a gap between 1987 and 1999 - please send in reviews of your recommended books from this period.
An Annotated Bibliography - Christian Belief and the Built Environment ed. Leslie Barker, UCCF 1987 ISBN 1 85169 250 9
This lists books, both secular and Christian, under the headings, The Built Environment Art, Culture, Social Concern and Christian Belief; Working with Disadvantaged Groups; Redefining Architecture and Planning in the Light of Christian Belief; and The Psychological Impact of the Built Environment
Living in the Kingdom - The Ethics of Jesus by David Cook, Hodder & Stoughton 1992 ISBN 0 340 41599 1
Dr.Cook considers Christ's ideals and values for good living, and the Christian manifesto for human relationships and life in the Kingdom.
Secular Work is Full Time Service by Larry Peabody, CLC 1974
A classic debunking the myth that only clerics and missionaries are in full time service.
"This book proves that there is no scriptural authority for the belief that serving God in business is any less spiritual than serving God in full-time ministry."
Developing a Christian Mind by Oliver Barclay, IVP 1984 ISBN 0 85110 456 8
This book develops an outlook that controls our life and thinking, and works it out in practical examples including work, unemployment and culture.
Issues Facing Christians Today by John Stott, Marshalls 1984
Stott gives us a methodology for tackling the issues and a plethora of carefully worked out examples, including global concerns like the environment, and social concerns like work.
God's People in God's World by John Gladwin, IVP 1979 ISBN 0 85110 596 3
Subtitled Biblical motives for social involvement, and written at a time when Christians were not yet convinced of the need or command, and when the academic, if not popular philosophy was Marxism rather than postmodernism. Gladwin was director of the Shaftesbury Project on Christian involvement in society, now amalgamated with The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
Art and Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts by Brand & Chaplin, Solway 1999 ISBN 1 900507 82 X
Signposts for Christians in the arts; conflicting influences on the Christian artist; returning to primary Biblical sources; applying the Bible to some basic art issues; attempts at definition and pointers for assessment; some ways forward for Christians in the arts. This book brings together and updates the best teaching on the subject over the last fifty years.
The Care of Creation ed. R.J. Berry IVP 2000 ISBN 0 85111 657 4
This book contains a series of essays by well known theologians and scientists with a concern for how we treat creation as Christians. Part of that concern is how we use resources in our cities, and how to make cities sustainable, not only in purely environmental terms, but in terms of social justice as the city's resources are not shared fairly.
Ethics and the Built Environment ed. W. Fox, Routledge 2000 ISBN 0 415 23878 1 £15.90
It includes not only the issues around sustainability, but also community involvement.
Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves: Alternative Steps in Understanding Art by Calvin Seerveld, Piquant 2001 £15
Christian art is the norm, not an aberration; it is pagan, humanist and secular art that has spoilt the gift of creativity. "This is God's world, and the city, the culture, architecture and sculpture and music, like the cattle on a thousand hills, are meant to be an obedient and grateful response to the Lord." An extract appears in Third Way June 2001.
Articles
Except the Lord Build the House, Third Way April 2000 by Leslie Barker
