50 / 15 Most Influential Authors / Writers

Saturday 27 November, 2010 in Archives, New postings, Personal profile, Readings, Recommended books & articles

Listed here are 50 writers whom I think for one reason or another, have had an indelible  influence on me over the past ten years.  Those names preceded by a diamond, indicate those whom I would identify as the 15 most influential authors.

Several important comments are in order here.  First, the list is alphabetical, not in order of interest or importance.  Second, there are other formative authors that have shaped me earlier in life; I have not listed them here, because the following list represents in contrast influential authors since around 2000.  Click here to read that list. Third, my interest in a given author is not always through a book they have written; for some, I have only read articles they wrote, such as in theological journals.  Fourth, I have managed to expand my interests quite widely; some authors here are from past ages, and some are from traditions quite different from my own.  Fifth, these authors comprise several genres or subjects; some are quite theological, while some are more of a popular level.  A few are quite philosophical, and a few reflect a mystical direction.  Sixth, just because I list an author here, does not means that I necessarily endorse all that a given author writes or represents; but in such a case, while I may not be wholly sympathetic with a given author, I have managed to find some kind of salient insight or trajectory from him or her, that I found most helpful for me.

Finally, as earlier mentioned, I think all these authors have together, come to have an indelible influence on my current thinking, theological perspectives, and understanding of life and ministry.

50 / 15 most influential authors / writers:

Allan Anderson

Robert Banks

Karl Barth

♦ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

David Bosch

Jean-Pierre de Caussade

Donald Bloesch

Christoph Blumhardt

Marcus Borg

♦ Walter Brueggemann

Emil Brunner

Martin Buber

Simon Chan

G. K. Chesterton

Brevard Childs

♦ Terry Cross

Ralph Del Colle

♦ Murray Dempster

Avery Dulles

Richard Foster

Hans Frei

Robert Greenleaf

♦ Stanley Grenz

♦ Stanley Hauerwas

♦ Abraham Herschel

Alan Hirch

♦ Walter Hollenweger

Howard Irvin

Soren Kierkegaard

Steven Land

♦ C. S. Lewis

Madeleine L’Engle

♦ George Lindbeck

♦ Frank Macchia

Robert Menzies

William Menzies

Henri Nouwen

Thomas Oden

Eugene Peterson

♦ Clark Pinnock

Cecil M. Robeck

Walter Rauschenbusch

James K.A. Smith

Roger Stronstad

Del Tarr

♦ Robert Webber

Dallas Willard

♦ N. T. Wright

♦ Evelyn Underhill

Amos Yong

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