In 2010, I started publishing a list of my top books of the year each year here at So What Faith.
The 2019 edition (aka the 10th Annual) of the best books of the year follows.
| Author | Title |
| Chris Arnade | Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America |
| Claire Brown and Michael T. McRay | Keep Watch with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers |
| Bruce Deel | Trust First: A True Story About the Power of Giving People Second Chances |
| Lenny Duncan | Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination |
| Derek Penwell | Outlandish: An Unlikely Messiah, a Messy Ministry, and the Call to Mobilize |
| Amber Scorah | Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life |
| Barbara Brown Taylor | Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others |
| Asma T. Uddin | When Islam Is Not a Religion: Inside America’s Fight for Religious Freedom |
| Cara Wall | The Dearly Beloved |
| Jim Wallis | Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus |
Top Two
The two books that had the greatest impact on me this year were
- Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
- Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination by Lenny Duncan
Returning Top Authors
Three of this year’s top authors, have appeared on previous lists:
- Derek Penwell – 2014 (The Mainliner’s Survival Guide to the Post-Denominational World)
- Barbara Brown Taylor – 2014 (Learning to Walk in the Dark)
- Jim Wallis – 2016 (America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America) and 2013 (On God’s Side)
Prior Lists
There are so many great books published in recent years. I encourage you to take a look at some of those I’ve deemed the best of the best this decade.