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 …
Books
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 …
Great New Books for September 2024 (#2150)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Atypical This atypical list features no books with a perfect rating and none written by authors previously featured on So What Faith. The Still Speaking Writers Group has, however, been mentioned previously. Read More …
Great New Books for August 2024 (#2142)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Abundant Lives Jesus never told a parable, preached a sermon, or wrote a book using the word flourishing. And, yet, the idea of flourishing or thriving or well-being is evident throughout his earthly ministry. Amanda Udis-Kessler effectively explores what it means for progressive followers of Jesus to live into the flourishing he envisioned and to promote the flourishing of others and of all creation. Expect this book to challenge, Read More …
Great New Books for July 2024 (#2133)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are The Truth To say immigration is a hot topic is to state the obvious. To suggest that most people hold views that are not fully supported by the best available data is perhaps less obvious, but more important. Wherever you find yourself on the political spectrum and whatever your theological foundation may be, Zeke Hernandez's new book offers an opportunity to engage in a deep dive on the wide ranging positive impact immigrants Read More …
Great New Books for June 2024 (#2127)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Baptizing America I've read more than my fair share of material on Christian Nationalism. I've even reviewed and/or rated a number of book length considerations of the topic here on So What Faith, including The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming the Faith, and Refounding Democracy by Jim Wallis (2024), The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Read More …
Great New Books for May 2024 (#2121)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are Trash "Poor whites are the largest group of poor people in the United States. 33 percent of white people are poor. That is roughly 20 percent of the US population . . . The system of capitalism unique to the United States has been wildly effective, both at creating wealth for those in power and keeping poor people fighting among themselves in the process" (p.14). Cedar Monroe was raised in this culture and has served in ministry as Read More …
So What Faith’s Top Authors: 2009-2024 (#2117)
Over the last 15 years I've shared reviews or ratings of more than 1,000 recently published books I've read. Each year, the best of the best are featured on a top 10 books of the year list. Five 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. This group has since grown to 16. The links for each year mentioned take you to that year's top 10 list. Best of the Best Only five of the top 16 authors have Read More …