The best new books I’ve read in the last month are
- (5+) The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us by Ryan P. Burge (Brazos Press, 2026)
- (5.0) Hope for the Mission: Getting it Right in the Call to End Homelessness by Kevin Nye (Herald Press, 2026)
- (4.5) Serial Fixer: Break Free From the Habit of Solving Other People’s Problems by Leah Marone (Broadleaf Books, 2026)
- (4.5) Serving Up Scripture: How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself and Others by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi (Broadleaf Books, 2026)
- (4.0) Taking Good Care: Administration as Christian Formation by Jana Holiday (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2026)
- (4.0) The Death and Life of Gentrification: A New Map of a Persistent Idea by Japonica Brown-Saracino (Princeton University Press, 2026)
- (4.0) Bivocational Ministry: Field Notes for Congregations and Ministers by Kristen Plinke Bentley (Chalice Press, 2024)
- (4.0) Uncomplicate It: Permission to Enjoy God in Your Unique Way by Hosanna Wong (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2026)
5+ Rating
The Vanishing Church is the first book published in 2025 to receive a 5+ rating here on So What Faith.
This distinction has been awarded to just three to five books a year in recent years, including volumes by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Ryan P. Burge:
- 2025: Why Religion Went Obsolete by Christian Smith, Miracles and Wonders: The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine Pagels, The American Religious Landscape: Facts, Trends, and the Future by Ryan P. Burge
- 2024: Everything Good About God is True: Choosing Faith by Bruce Reyes Chow, Funding Forward: A Pathway to More Sustainable Models for Ministry by Grace Duddy Pomroy, and Baptizing America How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism by Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood,
- 2023: Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond, Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other by Amy Butler, and Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents – and What That Means for America’s Future by Jean M. Twenge
- 2022: Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters by Bob Smietana, Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw, Between the Listening and the Telling: How Stories Can Save Us by Mark Yaconelli, The Flag + The Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, 20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America by Ryan P. Burge
Vanishing Church
Ryan Burge is widely recognized as one of the most prolific and insightful commentators on the statistical shifts in American religion. Trained as a political scientist, Ryan Burge is also an ordained American Baptist pastor, professor, and author whose research consistently explores ways religious shifts impact individuals and congregations. Burge is one of only 19 writers ever named a Top All-Time Author by So What Faith. Two of his previous books were also honored among So What Faith’s Top 10 Books of the Year: The American Religious Landscape: Facts, Trends, and the Future in 2025 and 20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America in 2022.
The Vanishing Church builds on Burge’s impressive body of work by exploring an understudied dimension of the continued decline of religion in the United States: the disappearance of congregations made up of politically diverse members. Over the last half century, American religious life has increasingly mirrored the nation’s broader political polarization. Burge argues that as churches have become more ideologically homogeneous, they have lost an important source of institutional strength and public relevance. Timely, data driven, and written with a pastoral voice, Vanishing Church is essential reading for anyone concerned about the health and future of both the American church and American democracy.
Welcome Back
In addition to Ryan Burge, two authors on this month’s list have previously been mentioned on So What Faith:
- Jennifer Garcia Bashaw first appeared in 2022 when her then new book, Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims, was rated 5+. It was later named one of So What Faith’s top two books of 2022.
- Kevin Nye was previously featured in 2023 when his 2022 book, Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness, was rated 4.5.