Welcome to the third annual edition of all books published in the current year that received a rating of 5 or 5+ (on a scale of 1-5) from So What Faith. This year, 15% of all books rated received this honor. After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, and Hal Taussig for the Westar Christianity Seminar (HarperOne, 2021)At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge by Jack R. Reese (William Read More …
Books
Great New Books – December 2021 (#1962)
The ten best recently published books I read over the last month are (5.0) Evangelical Worship: An American Mosaic by Melanie C. Ross (Oxford University Press, 2021)(5.0) After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, and Hal Taussig for the Westar Christianity Seminar (HarperOne, 2021)(5.0) At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge by Jack R. Reese (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2021)(5.0) Read More …
Great New Books – November 2021 (#1958)
The ten best recently published books I read over the last month are (5.0) If God is Love Don't Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith that Makes us Better Humans by John Pavlovitz (Westminster John Knox Press, 2021)(5.0) Shelter Theology: The Religious Lives of People without Homes by Susan J. Dunlap (Fortress Press, 2021)(4.5) A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church: A Multi-Gospel Single-Year Lectionary - Year W by Wilda C. Gafney (Church Publishing, 2021)(4.5) Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Read More …
Great New Books – October 2021 (#1954)
The ten best recently published books I read over the last month are (4.5) How to Try: Design Thinking and Church Innovation by Lorenzo Lebrija (Church Publishing, 2021)(4.5) Community as Church, Church as Community by Michael Plekon (Cascade Books, 2021)(4.5) Church After: Finding Transformation in Unexpected Change by Anna Mitchell Hall (Cane Mill Press, 2021)(4.0) Generation We: The Power and Promise of Gen Z by AnneMarie Hayek (Lioncrest Publishing, 2021)(4.0) Somehow Saints: More Read More …
Great New Books – September 2021 (#1949)
The ten best recently published books I read over the last month are (5+) Crisis & Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy edited by Dustin D. Benac and Erin Weber-Johnson (Cascade Books, 2021)(5.0) What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract for a Better Society by Minouche Shafik (Princeton University Press, 2021)(4.5) Open and Relational Theology: An Introduction to Life-Changing Ideas by Thomas Jay Oord (SacraSage, 2021)(4.5) Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Read More …
Great New Books – August 2021 (#1945)
Here are the ten best new books I read last month. (5+) The Ninefold Path of Jesus: Hidden Wisdom of the Beatitudes by Mark Scandrette (IVP, 2021) (5.0) The Tolls of Uncertainty: How Privilege and the Guilt Gap Shape Unemployment in America by Sarah Damaske (Princeton University Press, 2021) (4.5) Faith-Based Organizing: A Congregational Planning Resource for Addressing Poverty by Charles Fredrickson, Violetta Lien, Herbert E. Palmer, and Mary Lou Walther (Fortress Press, Read More …
Great New Books – July 2021 (#1940)
The ten best new books I've read over the last month are (5+) We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry by Mark Elsdon (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021)(5.0) Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers by Tyler Sit (Chalice Press, 2021)(4.5) In Defense of Kindness: Why it Matters, How it Changes Our Lives, and How it Can Save the World by Bruce Reyes-Chow (Chalice Press, 2021)(4.5) Out of Many, One: Portraits of American Immigrants by George W. Bush Read More …
Top Posts of 2021 (January – June) (#1939)
In a few days, we will reach the midpoint of 2021. Many of my blog posts this year have focused on how churches and other ministries are reopening, and how the next normal will differ from what had been normative in a pre-pandemic world. Additionally, the first post of the month each month introduces great new books. Not surprisingly, all five of the top posts for the first half of this year fit in one of those two categories (top posts as defined by total page views): Reopening for Read More …
Great New Books – June 2021 (#1935)
The ten best new books I've read over the last month are (5.0) United States of Grace: A Memoir of Homelessness, Addiction, Incarceration, and Hope by Lenny Duncan (Broadleaf Books, 2021) (4.5) White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America by Anthea Butler (University of North Carolina Press, 2021) (4.5) Praying with Our Feet: Pursuing Justice & Healing on the Streets by Lindsey Krinks (Brazos Press, 2021) (4.5) Made, Known, Loved: Developing Read More …
Great New Books – May 2021 (#1930)
Over the last month I’ve read ten recently published books. My May list of recommended reads features one book published in 2020 and nine published in 2021. (5.0) The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town by Brian Alexander (St. Martin's Press, 2021) (5.0) Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger by Katie S. Martin (Island Press, 2021) (4.5) #ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing by Emily Joy Allison Read More …