Since 2009 I have reviewed and/or rated more than 1,200 newly published books focused on ministry and leadership here on So What Faith. And, each December I've published a list of my top ten books of that year (for the latest edition, see 16th Annual Top 10 Books of the Year). A decade into this I decided to begin publishing a list of all authors who appeared on two or more top ten lists. I have since shared expanded versions of that list in 2024 and 2025. The list grew from 12 to 16 to 18 Read More …
Lillian Daniel
Best of the Best: Top Authors (#2215)
Over the last 16 years I’ve read widely in the fields of ministry and leadership. Here on So What Faith, I've shared reviews or ratings of more than 1,100 of these recently published books . At the end of each year, I publish a Top 10 Books of the Year list featuring the very best books I've read that were published that year. Six years ago this month, I wrote Top 12 Authors: 2009-2019 sharing the dozen authors who had appeared on more than one top 10 list. Last year, I updated this Read More …
So What Faith’s Top Authors: 2009-2024 (#2117)
Over the last 15 years I've shared reviews or ratings of more than 1,000 recently published books I've read. Each year, the best of the best are featured on a top 10 books of the year list. Five years ago this month, I wrote Top 12 Authors: 2009-2019 sharing the dozen authors who had appeared on more than one top 10 list. This group has since grown to 16. The links for each year mentioned take you to that year's top 10 list. Best of the Best Only five of the top 16 authors have Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2016 (#1660)
There are so many good books published every year. The best of the best among those I read this year follow in my seventh annual listing of my top ten books of the year. Top 10 Books of 2016 Author Title Lillian Daniel Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To Robert P. Jones The End of White Christian America Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World Brian McLaren The Great Spiritual Migration: How the Read More …
Shaping the Future of Christianity (#1647)
Dying Some say Christianity is dying. I won't argue with them. If Christianity is defined narrowly and if it should be replicated in every time and place in identical ways then we can rest assured Christianity is dying and will soon be dead. Living Christianity, inasmuch as I understand what the Way of Jesus is about, is living. The only way any person or group of people can authentically live as followers of Jesus is to do so within their time and Read More …
Sermon: All In (#1301)
Sermon Text: Mark 12:41-44 Sermon Excerpt Presbyterian minister Scott Hauser recently shared a list of things that many American Christians often love more than God. His list includes items many may dismiss, but perhaps should not: football, beauty, and technology. It also contains items that some may be more willing to admit often become like gods – at least for a season: the American way, attention, and safety. Whether or not your complete list would look similar to Read More …
Top Posts of 2013 (#1282)
According to the number of page visits during this calendar year, the most popular posts I wrote in 2013 are Top 10 Books of 2012 1,000 Posts Pastor of Innovation Social Media Shortcomings Review of When Spiritual but Not Religious is Not Enough So What? I truly appreciate the feedback readers provide. You vote by clicking, and your interest in posts and topics is confirmed by the time you linger on my site. While this data is helpful, it tells only part of the Read More …
Future of the Faith (#1077)
This past Thursday Yale Divinity School hosted a one-of-a-kind event: The Future of Faith. This two-part event featured author and scholar Diana Butler Bass and New York Times Op-Ed columnist Ross Douthat. The first hour,"The Future of Faith: Two Views," was moderated by Bob Abernethy, host of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. The second hour, "Future of Faith and Church Life," was moderated by Lillian Daniel, a writer and United Church of Christ pastor. Bass' Read More …
Denominational Apology Sunday (#1001)
Lillian Daniel, UCC pastor and author of When Spiritual but Not Religious is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church (my review), recently wrote a humorous piece for the Huffington Post entitled "The Church Year: New and Improved." In this article, she lists and briefly explores eleven completely made up prospective additions to the church year including Bad Preaching Sunday, Jesus, My Buddy! Sunday, and Not Everyone Has a Nice Mother Sunday. My Read More …
Review of When Spiritual But Not Religious is Not Enough (#0987)
Meet the Author Since 2004, Lillian Daniel has served as the Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, of Glen Ellyn in the Chicago area. A renowned preacher, Daniel has taught preaching at Yale Divinity School, Chicago Theological Seminary, and the University of Chicago Divinity School. Her previous books are Tell it Like it Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony (2005) and This Odd and Wondrous Calling: The Public and Private Lives of Two Read More …