The best new books I’ve read in the last month are
- (5+) Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw (Fortress Press, 2022)
- (4.5) Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned by Brian D. McLaren (St. Martin’s Press, 2022)
- (4.5) It’s Not You, It’s Everything by Eric Minton (Broadleaf Books, 2022)
- (4.5)The Trayvon Generation by Elizabeth Alexander (Grand Central Publishing, 2022)
- (4.0) Practicing the Kingdom: Essays on Hospitality, Community, and Friendship in Honor of Christine D. Pohl edited by Justin Bronson Barringer and Maria Russel Kenney (Cascade Books, 2022)
- (4.0) Wait – Is This Racist? A Guide to Becoming an Anti-Racist Church by Kerry Connelly with Bryana Clover and Josh Riddick (Westminster John Knox Press, 2022)
- (4.0) Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make us Whole by Susan Cain (Crown, 2022)
- (3.5) Joining Jesus: Ordinary People at the Edges of the Church by Moses Chung and Christopher Meehan (Cascade Books, 2022)
Scapegoats
Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims is just the third book in 2022 to receive the highest possible rating of 5+.
Jennifer Garcia Bashaw is an ordained American Baptist minister who serves as Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Ministry at Campbell University. At a time when Baptists are in the news for all the wrong reasons, Bashaw is a breath of fresh air and a reminder that there are many ways one can be a faithful Baptist. Scapegoats, is the must read book you likely are not seeking out. It provides a new way of reading the Gospels that utilizes René Girard’s scapegoat theory. And, it’s written in such a way that whether you are newcomer to Christianity, a seasoned follower of the Way of Jesus, a pastor, or an academic you will be drawn in to each chapter, and be enriched by ample opportunities for enhanced understanding.
Repeat Appearances
Two authors included on this month’s list have appeared previously on So What Faith
- Susan Cain – Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (January 2013)
- Brian D. McLaren – Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words (May 2011), Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World (September 2012), We Make the Road by Walking (July 2014), The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian (December 2016), Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It (December 2021)