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 …
Books
Great New Books for April 2025 (#2212)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Money, Lies and God "Those who wish to protect democracy in the US should hold at the front of their minds a simple fact: We - that is, those of us who reject the politics of conquest & division - are in the majority" (p.236). If you're looking to gain a deeper understanding of the growing authoritarian impulse in America, Katherine Stewart's Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy is a Read More …
Great New Books for March 2025 (#2204)
The best new books I've read in the last month are Immigration and Apocalypse Immigration is a topic that is being discussed with greater passion and urgency than ever before. As faith leaders, we must be equipped to engage in these conversations with a deep understanding that places the current moment in its proper historical context. To do this effectively, we must continue learning, and Yii-Jan Linn’s powerful new book is an essential resource for that journey. Welcome Read More …
Great New Books for February 2025 (#2197)
The best books I've read so far this year that were published in 2024 or 2025 are 99% Perspiration Thomas Edison's quip, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration" continues to shape thinking about work in America. Journalist Adam Chandler unpacks why it is that hard work alone is hardly enough for American workers to succeed in today's economy. Additionally, he provides helpful historical data alongside interviews with a wide variety of workers to Read More …
10 Best Books of the 2020s (#2189)
Each year I publish a Top 10 Books of the Year list highlighting the ten best books I read that were published that year. And, each year, I mention the two books on that list that had the greatest impact on me personally. The list below brings together the top two books from each of the last five years to create a list of the best books of the 2020s (listed in alphabetical order by author's last name): If you'd like to learn more about some older books with similar impact, check Read More …
15th Annual Top 10 Books of the Year (#2181)
Welcome to the 15th annual So What Faith’s Top 10 Books of the Year. This year I read 84 books published in 2024. The top ten are listed below in alphabetical order by author’s last name: Top Two The two books on this year’s top ten that had the greatest impact on me are Prior Lists There are so many great books published in recent years. Past editions of So What Faith’s Top 10 Books of the Year are available below. Notably just one author on this Read More …
5 Star Books Published in 2024 (#2179)
Welcome to the sixth annual edition of So What Faith’s 5 Star Books of the Year! This list is comprised of books rated 5 or 5+ on a scale of 1 to 5. To be eligible the book must have been published in 2024 and I must have read and rated it this year. This year, just 15.4% of all books rated received a rating of 5 or 5+ to earn this honor (in prior years the percentage has ranged from 15% to 17%). Bruce Reyes Chow. Everything Good About God is True: Choosing Faith. Mark Elsdon, Read More …
Great New Books for December 2024 (#2177)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Welcome Back One author on this month's list has appeared previously on So What Faith. David Gushee appeared in 2020 when his then new book After Evangelicalism: The Path to a New Christianity by David P. Gushee (Westminster John Knox Press, 2020) was rated 5.0. He was also featured in 2014 when I shared his definition of vital Christianity. Read More …
Great New Books for November 2024 (#2164)
The best new books I've read in the last 30 days are When God Became White Grace Ji-Sun Kim is the author of 24 books, including Hope in Disarray: Piecing Our Lives Together in Faith by Grace Ji-Sun Kim (Pilgrim Press, 2020), which received a rating of 4.5 here at So What Faith. Additionally, she is the co-author of Healing Our Broken Humanity: Practices for Revitalizing the Church and Renewing the World (IVP, 2018), which also received a rating of 4.5. As a well-educated, Read More …
Great New Books for October 2024 (#2159)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Funding Forward After decades of membership decline, many local churches are now struggling with financial sustainability. Even congregations with significant assets and sizeable membership are finding that reliance on a single source of income does not provide the financial stability it once did. Grace Duddy Pomroy, director of the Stewardship Leaders Program at Lutheran Seminary since 2020, understands that while each Read More …