Welcome to the 14th annual So What Faith’s Top 10 Books of the Year. This year I read 90 books published in 2023. The top ten are listed below in alphabetical order by author’s last name: Top Two The two books on this year’s top ten that had the greatest impact on me are Both of these books were not only well written, but also intersect with my current ministry. As the CEO of White Rock Center of Hope poverty alleviation is central to my work. And, I've spent more than Read More …
Amy Butler
5 Star Books Published in 2023 (#2094)
Welcome to the fifth annual edition of So What Faith’s 5 Star Books of the Year! This list is comprised of books rated 5 or 5+ on a scale of 1 to 5. To be eligible the book must have been published in 2023 and I must have read it during the year. This year, just 15.5% of all books rated received a rating of 5 or 5+ to earn this honor (in prior years the percentage has ranged from 15% to 17%). Past Years Be sure to check out prior lists Best of the Best Stay tuned! So Read More …
Great New Books – November 2023 (#2086)
The best new books I’ve read in the last 30 days are listed below. (5+) Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other by Amy Butler (The Dial Press, 2023)(4.5) Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God Into a Hopeful Future by Dwight Zscheile, Michael Binder, and Tessa Pinkstaff (Fortress Press, 2023)(4.5) Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen (Penguin Books, 3rd edition, Read More …
10 Invitations to Conversation (#2083)
While I read many new books and share ratings for the best of them with you once a month, I most frequently share quotes of interest via X, the platform previously known asTwitter. Today, I'm sharing 10 quotes from recently published books as an invitation to theological conversation about one or more of the topics they explore. Read More …
Marginalization as Blessing (#1578)
I cannot even begin to count the number of experts I have heard or read complain about the losses experienced by liberal/progressive (Mainline, Oldline, Sideline) Christianity over the last several decades. I am thankful those voices are beginning to fade as new voices emerge suggesting what this new role means and how God can and is working in and through it. Amy Butler, senior minister of Riverside Church, recently stated that the continued trend toward Read More …
Adjusting Expectations (#0403)
In an article published by the Associated Baptist Press, Amy Butler, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington D.C., suggests that parishioners' expectations about church are often unrealistic. She writes: I’m thinking specifically about the yawning divide between church members’ expectations and the reality of living in community. What is it really like to be the church, the gathered community of Christ? You know, the place where everybody loves each other, Read More …