Please bear with me - this is the only remaining page still under construction!
It's one of the great fallacies of the information age that computers are replacing paper books. Below, you will eventaully be able to find a selection of books I have found useful or interesting. It is by no means exhaustive, but I try to keep it up to date. Do, please, send me any suggestions for other publications that you think should be included.
As a member of the Blackwells Bookshop Affiliates programme ( you can find out about Blackwell's Online Bookshop here), I have added some facilities to make bookbuying easier for you. There are three options available from this page. You can buy any of the featured books by clicking on the link next to that title. You can search for books by author, title or isbn using the Blackwells search link.
Browse books on general Christian theology
Browse books on sociology of religion
Browse books on social science research
Browse books on internet computing
Anderson, Benedict
Imagined Communities
Anderson is a political
philosopher. This book looks at the way that community is understood
by those who consider themselves to be part of it. When it
comes to defining community in cyberspace, much of what Anderson has to
say applies. It's one of those books that keeps getting quoted
in scholarly papers and other people's work, so it's worth reading if only
to see why people think it is relevant!
Return to top of page
Davis, Erik
Techgnosis
A really rather poetic investigation
into the myth, mysticism and magic of technoculture. Davis
calls it a "resonating hypertext", which seems a little pretentious to
me, but it is a scholarly and readable attempt to get to the core of meaning
in a culture shaped and determined by technology.
Return to top of page
Beaudoin, Tom
Virtual Faith
This book explores the phenomenology
of relgion and religiousity among Generation X. It is written
with huge enthusiasm and goes right to the heart of the cultural world
of this generation.
Return to top of page
Cobb, Jennifer
Cybergrace
This book is the first I've
seen to attempt a systematic theology of the internet. Jennifer
Cobb is both a computer expert and a trained theologian, and it shows!
I don't necessarily agree with everything she says, but it's an excellent
starting point for exploring cyberspace theologically. If you
only get one book on cybertheology, get this one. It is challenging
intellectually, but in the end, hugely satisfying.
Return to top of page
Groothius, Douglas
The Soul in Cyberspace
Not to be confused
with Jeff Zaleski's The Soul of Cyberspace. Altogether a more thorough book, written from
a distinctly Christian perspective by a philosopher of religion.
This book asks some of the less comfortable questions about Christian use
of the internet, and draws conclusions that are not altogether optimistic,
but it remains a very dynamic response to the way that cyberspace impacts
human society.
Return to top of page
Zaleski, Jeff
The Soul of Cyberspace
The meat of this
book is a series of interviews with representatives of various religious
traditions and viewpoints who have are seriously engaged with religion
in cyberspace. It's a very easy read, but the best aspect of
it is the list of internet links at the end of each chapter which explore
issues covered. Zaleski offers little comment, and I feel that
in the end, the book is somehow incomplete...JZ, if you get to read this,
email me!!!
Return to top of page
Heap, Nick; Thomas, Ray; Einon, Geoff; Mason, Robert & Hughie Mackay
Information Technology and Society
This is an Open
University publication. The collection of essays addresses
a huge range of perspectives on the subject: practical, theoretical and
philosophical. Each section has anintroduction which draws
together the essays in that section.
Return to top of page
Jones, Steven G. (ed)
Cybersociety: Computer-mediated Communication and Society
Virtual Culture: Identity and Communication in Cybersociety
Cybersociety 2.0
These three collections of essays on culture in cyberspace are essential
to anyone who wants to understand what is happening as cyberspace develops
its own sense of community and social life. It is impossible to overstress
how important the essays contained in these books are for setting the agenda
in cybersocial studies. Better still, they are all eminently
readable, well referenced and pulled together with great sensitivity by
Jones in his introductions.
Return to top of page
Kurtz, Lester
Gods in the Global Village
Increasing globalization
is having far-reaching effects on religious thinking and practice.
This book surveys the sociological effects of globalization on religion,
looking at multi-culturalism, social tensions and modernism.
Return to top of page
Balasuriya, Tissa
Mary and Human Liberation
Seminal book from the Sri Lankan Roman Catholic theologian which got him into
serious trouble with the Vatican.
Return to top of page
Beckford, Robert
Jesus is Dread
Black and Pentecostal
(Not available from Blackwells)
British black liberation theology at its most challenging.
Return to top of page
Boff, Leonardo
Ecclesiogenesis
The most inspirational of all the writings of one of the greatest Latin American
liberation theologians.
Return to top of page
Elliott, Michael C.
Freedom, Justice and Christian Counter
(Not available from Blackwells)
One of my favourite books of all time, this explores Christian anarchy as a viable option
for contemporary Christians.
Return to top of page
Essler, Philip K.
The First Christians in their Social World
Sound social history of early Christianity.
Return to top of page
If you have any suggestions for books which might be appropriate additions to this list, please email me
You can find your way around using the menus on the left if your browser supports frames. If it doesn't, the same links are listed at the bottom of this page.