Meet the Author After posting nearly 200 book reviews on sowhatfaith using the same basic format, I find myself writing the first introduction to an author that lacks biographical data. The anonymous author of the book chose not to reveal her/his identity because he/she felt it was inconsistent with the book's basic message. While never sharing that identifying information, the author did weave personal stories into most chapters. Book Basics Many today define success in terms of Read More …
Books
Review of Evolution of the Word (#0862)
Meet the Author Marcus Borg is Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He is also professor emeritus in the philosophy department at Oregon State University, where he was the Hundere Chair in Religion until his retirement in 2007. Borg is among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity. He is best known for his work as a fellow in the Jesus Seminar, his biblical scholarship, and as the author of Read More …
Review of Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha & Mohammed Cross the Road (#0855)
Meet the Author Brian McLaren served in pastoral ministry for twenty years as the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church. In 2006, he stepped down from that role to devote his time to writing and speaking. McLaren has written over a dozen books, including Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words (2011 - read my review), A New Kind of Christianity (2010), and Everything Must Change: When the World’s Biggest Problems and Jesus’ Good Read More …
Review of Sacred Ground (#0848)
Meet the Author Eboo Patel is the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core, a nonprofit that seeks to make interfaith cooperation a social norm. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation (2010), and is a regular contributor to the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Huffington Post. He served on President Obama's inaugural Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Read More …
Review of The Post-Black & Post-White Church (#0841)
Meet the Author Efrem Smith is an evangelical minister who serves as superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and as an itinerant speaker for Kingdom Builder Ministries. Previously, he served as founding pastor of Sanctuary Community Church in Minneapolis, MN. Smith is the author of three books, including Jump: Into a Life of Further and Higher (2010). Book Basics The Post-Black & Post-White Church explores what it means Read More …
Review of Living the Questions (#0835)
Meet the Authors David M. Felten (pictured at right in a black shirt) and Jeff Procter-Murphy (pictured at right holding a tablet) are United Methodist pastors who serve theologically progressive congregations. Together they created a video resource that brought together some of the "most provocative and authoritative voices" (p.xiii). Known as Living the Questions, this resource seeks to "help people wrestle with the questions they hear asked in their congregations - Read More …
Review of Adventures in Churchland (#0827)
Meet the Author Dan Kimball is a pastor who oversees "Sunday gatherings and teaching as well as the missional aspects of the church" at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, CA. He is an adjunct professor at George Fox University. Kimball is the author or co-author of multiple books on church leadership and culture, including They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations (2007). Book Basics Adventures in Churchland is the story of the American Read More …
Review of No Longer Invisible (#0813)
Meet the Authors Douglas Jacobsen and Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen have been married for more than three decades, and both serve as professors at Messiah College. Douglas is distinguished professor of church history and theology (I have reviewed his most recent work: The World's Christians). Rhonda is professor of psychology and director of faculty development. Together they have co-authored three books: Scholarship and Christian Faith: Enlarging the Read More …
Review of Nonbeliever Nation (#0807)
Meet the Author David Niose is president of the American Humanist Association, an organization committed to "advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers." Additionally, he serves as vice president of the Secular Coalition for America, a lobbying group representing the interests of secular American's in the nation's capital. Niose is an attorney with significant experience representing Secular Americans, and the author of a Read More …
Review of Winning the Story Wars (#0799)
Meet the Author Jonah Sachs, cofounder and CEO of Free Range Studios, is an internationally recognized storyteller, author, designer and entrepreneur. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, FOX News, Sundance Film Festival, NPR, The Colbert Report, and in FastCompany Magazine, which named him one of the 50 most influential social innovators. Book Basics During the broadcast era a relatively small group of people could control the message about a Read More …