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 with So What Faith’s Top Authors: 2009-2024 Over that five year period the list of authors who have appeared on more than one list grew from 12 to 16.
I’m pleased to share an updated list for 2025 that includes two additional authors: Mark Elsdon and Amy-Jill Levine:
- Diana Butler Bass, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021
- Marcus Borg, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017
- Joan Chittister, 2011, 2017
- John Dominic Crossan, 2010, 2012, 2015
- Lillian Daniel, 2013, 2016
- Mark Elsdon, 2021, 2024
- Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Lama), 2012, 2016
- Eric Klinenberg, 2012, 2018
- Robert P. Jones, 2016, 2020
- Amy-Jill Levine, 2014, 2024
- Scot McKnight, 2010, 2011
- Brian McLaren, 2016, 2021
- Derek Penwell, 2014, 2019
- Stephen Prothero, 2010, 2016
- Alan J. Roxburgh, 2011, 2015
- John Shelby Spong, 2011, 2013, 2016
- Barbara Brown Taylor, 2014, 2019
- Jim Wallis, 2013, 2016, 2019
Top Two
The first two authors listed above – Diana Butler Bass and Marcus Borg – are the only authors to appear on four or more top ten lists. Their award winning books appear below.
Generations
I’m thankful to have learned from each author on this list. And, I’m well aware that two of these authors have passed from this life to the next while most of the others are at least 60 years old.
Deceased
- John Shelby Spong (1931-2021)
- Marcus Borg (1942-2015)
Living (by birth year)
- John Dominic Crossan, (1934)
- Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Lama) (1935)
- Joan Chittister (1936)
- Alan J. Roxburgh (1946)
- Jim Wallis (1948)
- Barbara Brown Taylor (1951)
- Scot McKnight (1953)
- Amy-Jill Levine (1956)
- Brian McLaren (1956)
- Diana Butler Bass (1959)
- Stephen Prothero (1960)
- Derek Penwell (1965)
- Lillian Daniel (1966)
- Robert P. Jones (1968)
- Eric Klinenberg (1970)
- Mark Elsdon (1977)