FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Jonny Baker is the author of Alternative Worship (2003, SPCK). He also contributed to The Rite Stuff (BRF, 2004).

A National Mission Advisor in the UK for the Church Mission Society working with youth and the emerging church, Jonny has been involved in youth ministry for 15 years. He is also a member of Grace, an alternative worship community in West London and part of the wider alternative worship movement in the UK. He has co-ordinated the worship at Greenbelt for several years, which has been a key space in the UK for creative/alternative/new forms of worship.

Jonny is involved in various creative projects, the most successful of which has been the labyrinth which he helped design, first installed in St Pauls Cathedral, London in 2000. He is a songwriter and director of an independent record label Proost on which he has contributed to several alternative worship albums. He is also a blogger.*

Inspired by Jonny's bibliophile blogging, and his take on Mission-Shaped Church (Ancient meets modern) we asked him to tell us a little more about what's on his shelves:

This is the most engaging bible commentary I think I have ever read. Brian and Sylvia argue that Colossians in the context of the Roman Empire was a subversive and dangerous text.

We find ourselves in another kind of empire with different idols but an equally powerful one - global capitalism. They really bring this ancient text to life and show that it is just as challenging and subversive today.

One of the most stunning things in the book is a set of targums. When Jewish rabbis read the Torah to the Jews of the Diaspora, recognizing that their congregations did not understand Hebrew, the rabbis would have to translate the text as they read. When they did this they would update the text applying it to the changing context as they read. The result of such interepretive exercises were called targums. What would Colossians sound like if it was written yesterday? Brian and Sylvia's targums attempt to answer that. It is worth getting the book just for the targums.

The other thing that particularly struck me about the book was their challenge to a laid back postmodern response to culture. Essentially they say it isn't good enough to stand on the side lines and keep your options open. Following in the way of Christ demands nailing your colours to the mast.

Following on the theme of subversion and resisting empire, this is a very different book I picked up whilst browsing a book store in Denver. It's a cultural studies book that questions the effectiveness of the counterculture.

The authors argue that the notion of a counterculture - a world outside of the consumer-dominated world around us - is a harmful myth. Radical and alternative political, economic, cultural and religious thinking have bought heavily into this myth. But it has ended up fuelling the very consumer society these radicals oppose!

Standing on the sidelines ironically mocking the system is a very postmodern (and cool) stance. But from the standpoint of social justicepretty much all the big achievements in the last 50 years have all been made by measured reform within the system - i.e.through people engaging in a slow and committed process of democratic political action which is "less fun but more useful".

This book disarmed me and pulled the postmodern rug from under my feet challenging me to engage. What seems like resistance may be no more than an illusion which in the final analysis is no more than different (albeit cooler) taste. And of course marketers have found that rebellion is a great way to sell products!

Having just plugged a book that suggest the counterculture is a myth I still love alternative subcultures and think they do offer something in the way of an alternative imagination. Beautiful Losers brings together art from a loose knit group of artists and creators influenced by skateboarding, graffiti, street fashion and independent music. These artists have largely operated outside the mainstream.

I love art books - I find them really inspiring. They spark my imagination and touch me in a very different way to reading. I nearly always have one by the bed. Art has a close tie in with prophecy and cultural critique (totalitarian regimes silence artists for good reason). The church would do well to invest more in artists for this reason.

The introduction says about the artists "While they occupy the edges of society they are nonetheless key to the forward movement of our culture in general. The social substrate they occupy is the breeding ground for new ideas and forms of expression". Renewal from the margins - pretty much exactly what Rowan Williams said about the church in his introduction to Mission Shaped Church!

As well as lots of pictures to look at there are a series of reflections and essays. One for the coffee table or bedside.

One of the marginal movements going on in the church at the moment is what has become known as 'emerging church'. It's a bit of a catch all term but describes the various reimaginings of church that seek to engage with the emerging culture in mission. Inevitably there are an increasing number of books being published in this area a lot of which are American and don't relate brilliantly to the UK!

Complex Christ however is a breath of fresh air. It is gritty, urban and British. In it Kester mixes theology, art, theories of emergence, sociology and notions of the city space. He weaves the journey of Vaux, an alternative worship community in London he is part of, into the overall flow of the book articulating how the have developed a spirituality that engages with the city.

My two favourite chapters are on gift and dirt - wonderfully creative.

This is simply the best book to have been written on youth ministry for quite some time.

Kenda suggests that adolescence is characterised by passion and that ministry with youth needs to be predicated on passion - the passion of Christ, the passion of youth and the passionate faith that results when these two come together. In a consumer culture which seems to focus on self fulfillment the passion of Christ subversively calls us to self giving love. Enabling youth to live passionately in the life, death and resurrection of Christ is precisely what they are longing and looking for.

Often the church is passionless or afraid of passion - discipleship is so easily about socialising young people into our (adult) way of behaving and being sensible, nice and respectable rather than unleashing their passion into being dangerous followers and lovers of Christ.

She suggests that the way to do so is to develop a curriculum of passion - introducing young people to the ancient transformative practices of the Christian faith. These practices enable a community to be imitators of Christ transformed into his likeness.

One of the things I love about the book is that it seems to afford a new language for talking about youth ministry that will appeal to fans of Soul Survivor and tradition alike. In fact the book is really addressing mainline protestant denominations and the critique it offers is of that. Kenda is based at Princeton so the book is addressing an American context but it crosses the Atlantic really well. If you are in youth ministry read it. It's a fat, weighty book but don't let that put you off.