Who’s Reading What in 2019 – John-Mark Cockram

Welcome to round two of “Who is Reading What in 2019?” This time I asked John-Mark Cockram, co-pastor of Kingsview Church in Etobicoke, ON, to share his reading list in the hopes he would include something for the comic fans out there.  He didn’t disappoint.

John-Mark is graduating with his MDiV from Tyndale University College & Seminary in a couple of weeks so he hasn’t had a lot of time for pleasure reading, but when he does comics are a go to.  “I have recently read some comics with very religious themes.  Omega Men (DC) is a very weird space story but there is a real religious component to it.  Also one called Seven To Eternity which is also heavy in religious/philosophical ideas.”

John-Mark’s parents have been encouraging him to read The Chief Inspector Gamache Novels, by Louise Penny, a Canadian detective series that they said they couldn’t put down.  

In terms of reading for ministry, John-Mark is usually driven by the topics he wants to discuss on Sunday mornings.  “I did some reading on David the past two summers. A few years back, I did a series on Virtue and Vice and so read three books on that topic.”

Books that John-Mark owns but hasn’t read yet:

Debra Hirsch and Gabe Lyons’ Redeeming Sex: Naked Conversations about Sexuality and Spirituality.

Roger E. Olson’s The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform.

Malcolm Guite’s Parable and Paradox.  

John McCready’s John Wesley Haley and Building the Indigenous Church: Reflections on Self-Determination in Twentieth Century Burundi.

Brian Schrag’s Creating Local Arts Together: A Manual to Help Communities Reach Their Kingdom Goals. John-Mark shared “This may become my sweet spot: culture and worship and how they connect in artistic expression.”

Like many of us, John-Mark feels there is so much to read and so little time.  He has a huge Amazon wish list of books (and I mean HUGE) that he keep as potential resources.  “Many of these books are recommendations from John Vlanic or, “Other things I’ve read about and want to get back to at some point.”

Titles on this list include:

John Wesley’s Teachings—Complete Set: Volumes 1-4 by Thomas C. Oden

The Meaning of Sunday: The Practice of Belief in a Secular Age by Joel Thiessen

Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James

If I Had Lunch with C. S. Lewis: Exploring the Ideas of C. S. Lewis on the Meaning of Life

by Alister McGrath

Look for another edition of “Who is Reading What in 2019” soon!

By Alison McKinnon

FMCiC Writer