Eucharistic Worship Resources

“The Convergence Movement” by Bishop Wayne Boohsahda and Randy Sly. The story of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in our time regarding the global rediscovery of our common spiritual heritage rooted in the apostolic pattern of worship, faith and practice.

“The Joy of Worship: The Spirit and Pattern of the Liturgy” by Abbot Boyd W. Morris. An introduction and overview to the spirit and pattern of how we journey, assemble, listen, govern and serve in Eucharistic Worship.

Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World by Robert E. Webber. Similar to the article, “The Convergence Movement” by Boohsahda and Sly, but more in depth, Webber’s book is a fresh rediscovery of how the genetics of classical faith are relevant for the twenty-first century.

For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy by Alexander Schmemann. Schmemann presents an approach to the world and life within it, which stems from the liturgical experience of the Orthodox Church. He understands issues such as secularism and Christian culture from the perspective of the unbroken experience of the Church, as revealed and communicated in the Liturgy as the sacrament of the world and of the Kingdom.

The Shape of the Liturgy by Dom Gregory Dix. Dom Gregory Dix's classic account of the development of the Eucharist rite continues to be the definitive and authoritative work on the subject. He presents his massive scholarship in lively and non-technical language for all who wish to understand their worship in terms of the framework from which it has evolved. He demonstrates the creative force of Christianity over the centuries through liturgy and the societies it has molded. His great work has for nearly fifty years regularly been quoted for its devotional as well as its historical value, and has regularly attracted new readers.

Daily Prayer Resources

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings. Prepared by Consultation On The Common Texts. 

Year A Daily Readings 
Year B Daily Readings
Year C Daily Readings
Overview of the Daily Readings
Where are we at in the Church Year?

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Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings From the Northumbria Community by The Northumbria Community. This resource may be used in combination with the daily readings from the Revised Common Lectionary or on its own.

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Celtic Daily Prayer (audio CD) by various and Northumbria Community. This CD has liturgies, prayers, and music used by the Northumbria Community (based near Lindisfarne, Holy Island, England, the seventh-century base of St. Aidan) There are 24 tracks in sections for Morning Prayer, Midday Prayer, Evening Prayer, Miscellaneous Prayers and Compline.

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Contemplative Prayer Resources

Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by O.C.S.O. Keating Thomas. This book is designed to initiate the reader into a deep, living relationship with God. Written by an acknowledged spiritual master, the book moves beyond “discursive meditation and particular acts to the intuitive level of contemplation.” Keating gives an overview of the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition, and step-by-step guidance in the method of centering prayer.

“Contemplative Prayer: What It Is and Ways to Practice It” by Abbot Boyd W. Morris. A guide to contemplative prayer originally prepared for a weekend retreat that utilizes Open Mind, Open Heart by Keating.

The Way of a Pilgrim. A modern classic of pilgrimage and prayer of an anonymous pilgrim's experiences praying the “Jesus Prayer” across Russia and into Siberia. The Jesus Prayer is an expression of contemplative prayer in the eastern Christian tradition. 

Belong to Believe Resources

The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again by George G. Hunter III. See especially chapter 4, pages 47-55 on Soul Friends.

Healing the Past, Releasing Your Future by Frank & Catherine Fabiano. This is a practical resource for releasing God’s plan and purpose for your life. To grow up into maturity in Christ requires getting unstuck from problems that may be in your past that have arrested your spiritual development. By getting to the roots of pain and need you can experience the healing power and presence of Jesus, setting you free to fulfill your destiny in the Kingdom of God. 

Cultivating Colonies of Heaven Resources

The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again by George G. Hunter III. See especially Chapter, 2. Pages 26-35 on monastic communities. Celtic Christianity–the form of Christian faith that flourished among the people of Ireland during the Middle Ages–has gained a great deal of attention lately. George G. Hunter III points out that while the attention paid to the Celtic Christians is well deserved, much of it fails to recognize the true genius of this ancient form of Christianity. What many contemporary Christians do not realize is that Celtic Christianity was one of the most successfully evangelistic branches of the Church in history.

Living Between Worlds: Place and Journey in Celtic Spirituality by Philip Sheldrake. Sheldrake explores the roots and context of Celtic Christianity, its choice of particular landscapes and sacred sites, the ideal of enclosure and religious stability, the theme of pilgrimage, its strong sense of boundaries, and its reverence for the sacred in nature. He also seeks to explain the lure of Celtic spirituality for many Church people today who are disillusioned with the institutional Church and seek an alternative religious sensibility with strong roots and a capacity for wonder and surprise.

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. Cahill shows how the Celtic believers established the first Christian culture outside of the boundaries of the Roman Empire. Not only did Celtic monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization at the time after the Roman Empire collapsed – copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Celtic worldview to the task.

Celtic Christian Communities: Live the Tradition by Ian Bradley. Bradley discusses distinctive themes in Celtic Christianity such as monasticism, worship, the communion of saints and pilgrimage. He then moves on to consider building “colonies of heaven” today as communities of prayer, artistic and creative activity, hospitality and team ministry, suggesting the future-ancient directions for living the faith today.

Thin Place Resources

Against Christianity by Peter J. Leithart. This book is “against” false dichotomies that have dominated much modern Christian thinking about the Church, faith and the Kingdom of God. By dismissing these false dichotomies, Leithart reveals a much larger vision of the Church in our common story, symbols, rituals of the City of God.

The Church Year Resources

Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year by Robert E. Webber. Millions of Christians worldwide follow the liturgical Christian calendar in their worship services and in their own personal devotions. The seasons of the Christian year connect believers of diverse backgrounds and offer the sense of unity Jesus desired.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings. Prepared by Consultation On The Common Texts. Downloadable files for Years A, B, C based on the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings are available here. A resource to track where we are at in the calendar is available here , at a site dedicated only to highlighting lectionary resources for the Sundays.

Interpret the Word Resources

The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Keith A. Mathison. Mathison discusses the history and differences of the Two-Source View* of authority in contrast to the One-Source View* of authority of the ancient, classical and kingdomcultural Church. This book is an invaluable resource for understanding Basileia’s approach to the authority relationships between divine revelation, the Church, creeds and tradition.

Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World by James B. Jordan (Book). Jordan presents the Bible’s own worldview which is given to us, not in the discursive and analytic language of philosophy, but in the rich compact language of symbolism and art. The Bible is the story of successive “covenants” that each form a “new world”, giving us a way to understand historical change and progress in the advance of the Kingdom.

Foundations of Social Order: Studies in the Creeds and Councils of the Early Church by Rousas John Rushdoony (book). All societies are based on a creed. Societies die when their creed is no longer confessed. Conversely, building a Christian society requires that “foundations” by laid by Christians confessing creeds of the Church’s faith as revealed “from above” rather than according to the traditions of men, which are “of this world.” Rushdoony shows how in fact the history of the world is shaped by the power of creeds in general, but particularly, in a positive way, by the truth confessed by the Church. 

Observe the Constitution Resources

Constitution of Basileia. Pages 2-12 are an overview of the entire Constitution. From there, see especially the section on structure and governance and the Glossary. The structure and governance section gives an overview of the collective jurisdictions of which Basileia is composed and within which individual members find the place to function in their respective governing roles in the Council of the Lord. Because of Basileia’s precise and at times unique vocabulary, the Glossary for many is helpful to read through on its own first before reading other sections of the Constitution.

Fountainhead of Federalism: Heinrich Bullinger and the Covenantal Tradition by Charles S. McCoy and J. Wayne Baker. This is an important work for restoring the false dichotomy that the “covenant” has to do with “theological” matters for Sunday while “federal” (which is based on foedus, Latin for “covenant”) has to do with the rest of life Monday through Saturday. This book shows how a more integrated or kingdomcultural understanding of the covenant was rediscovered in some parts of the Church 400 years ago and is the “fountainhead” of much of the freedom, liberty and prosperity unleashed in these last centuries.

That You May Prosper by Ray R. Sutton. Sutton shows how the fivefold nature of the covenant is the underlying pattern that shapes all societies and communities. Either the covenant pattern follows what is revealed “from above” and results in life or it is twisted according to the pattern that is “of this world,” resulting in death. This book is helpful in understanding the biblical foundations under Basileia’s charism as expressed in Liturgy, Catechism and Canons. 

Open Communion Resources

The Case for Covenant Communion, edited by Gregg Strawbridge. A series of essays by various authors that affirm the biblical, theological, historic and pastoral reasons why Basileia welcomes baptized children to the Table.

The Case for Covenant Infant Baptism, edited by Gregg Strawbridge. A series of essays by various authors that affirm the biblical, theological, historic and pastoral reasons why Basileia baptizes infant children and then welcomes them to the Table.

Consensus Decisions-Making Resources

Consensus Decision-Making: Meeting in Worship for the Conduct of Business by Abbot Boyd W. Morris. A look at the basic principles of consensus decision-making, how the Acts 15 Council is a model to follow, eight practical guidelines for actually doing consensus decision-making and fourteen principles of consensus decision-making based on our Constitution. 

Tithes and Offerings Resources

The Tithe by Abbot Boyd W. Morris. An introduction to the three kinds of tithes ordained for funding the government of the City of God. 

Offering Hospitality Resources

The Meal Jesus Gave Us by Tom Wright. The central and most basic form of hospitality is the Table of the Lord. Wright provides an excellent introduction to the what Communion is and what it means.

Vocational Calling Resources

Christian Foundation Documents

These documents clearly and concisely express the consensus views of a diverse group of scholars who represent a broad range of denominational backgrounds and orthodox theological viewpoints in regards to the universal biblical principles that apply today to every area of thought and life.

42 Articles of the Essentials of a Christian World View
A Manifesto for the Christian Church
Articles of Affirmation and Denial on the Kingdom of God
Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy

Christian Worldview Documents

These 17 documents offer concise and comprehensive biblical principles of how to apply the truth of the Bible to all spheres of life and ministry. These non-negotiable biblical truths have been boiled down to short, creed-like statements of affirmation and denial.

The Christian Worldview of Art and Communication
The Christian Worldview of Business and Occupations
The Christian Worldview of Christian Unity
The Christian Worldview of Economics
The Christian WorldView of Educating Christians on Social, Political, and Moral Issues
The Christian Worldview of Education
The Christian Worldview of Family
The Christian Worldview of Government
The Christian Worldview of Helping the Hurting
The Christian Worldview of Law
The Christian Worldview of Local and World Evangelism
The Christian Worldview of Making of Disciples
The Christian Worldview of Medicine
The Christian Worldview of Pastoral Renewal
The Christian Worldview of Psychology and Counseling
The Christian Worldview of Revitalizing Christian Colleges and Seminaries
The Christian Worldview of Science and Technology

Travel to the Edges Resources

• Journeys on the Edges: The Celtic Tradition by Thomas O’Loughlin. O’Loughlin says that the one overarching theme in Celtic spirituality is the idea of being “on the edge” both culturally and geographically.