Over the last month I’ve read ten recently published books. My April list of recommended reads features four books published in 2020 and six published in 2021. (5+) Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence by Diana Butler Bass (HarperOne, 2021) (4.5) Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage by Anne Lamott (Riverhead Books, 2021) (4.5) Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues by David Read More …
Diana Butler Bass
Top 20 Posts – All Time (#1907)
Since launching So What Faith in 2009, I've written more than 1,900 posts about matters of faith that matter. Based on page views, my all time most popular posts (as of December 28, 2020) are Prayers of the People - Youth Sunday (2009) Pastoral Prayer – Love (2014) Review of Not a Fan (2011) 12 Marks of Convergence Christianity (2012) My Visit to Next Level Church (2012) Sermon: Lost --> Found --> Party (2015) Are 10,000 Churches Closing Every Year? (2019) Reading Read More …
Blogging in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1869)
After blogging for 10+ years and publishing nearly 1,900 posts here at So What Faith, writing content about matters of faith that matter has become part of my identity. COVID-19 COVID-19 has disrupted all areas of life, and impacted how people experience community, including communities of faith. In recognition of this, I shifted from wide ranging content to focus on a series of posts about differing aspects of what is happening in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside a continuation Read More …
Top 20 Books of the 2010s (#1844)
For the last ten years I've published an annual list of my top ten books published each year. While these lists have been alphabetical rather than in rank order, they've also included mention of two books from each list that had the greatest impact on me that year. Over the last decade that adds up to 20 books that have significantly impacted me. Author Title Year Diana Butler Bass Christianity After Religion: The End of the Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Read More …
Living Christianly (#1813)
Yesterday I was drawn into conversation around two hashtags that were trending on Twitter: #ThingsJesusNeverSaid#FakeChristian Many people I follow and respect along with a host of unfamiliar individuals weighed in on one or both topics. A common thread in both streams was the critique of some who self-identify as Christian but seem to live in ways that are not consistent with Jesus' core teachings. The Good Samaritan Given all that is happening in our country and in Read More …
Top 12 Authors: 2009-2019 (#1791)
Over the last 10 years, I've reviewed, recommended, or rated more than 600 books here at So What Faith. Starting in 2011, I have provided a list of the top ten books I reviewed that year that were published during that year. To date, only 12 authors have appeared on more than one Top 10 List: Diana Butler Bass, 2012, 2015, 2018Marcus Borg, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017Joan Chittister, 2011, 2017John Dominic Crossan, 2010, 2012, 2015Lillian Daniel, 2013, 2016 Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Read More …
Top 5 Posts of 2018 (#1768)
2018 has been a year of new beginnings for me. The year began with my family moving into a new home. As the year progressed other major changes followed including two that appear in this year's list of top blog posts (selected based on total number of views this calendar year): Top 10 Books of 2018 (December) Book Recommendations - May 2018 (May) Now Open (March) Book Recommendations - July 2018 (July) My Year of Social Enterprise (July) So What? This year's list Read More …
Top 10 Books of 2018 (#1766)
My ninth annual listing of the top books of the year features the ten best books published in 2018. All books appearing on this year's list received a rating of 5 stars (or 5+ stars) on one of my monthly book recommendations lists. Author Title Diana Butler Bass Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders Virginia Eubanks Automating Read More …
Jesus & Justice – Red Letter Revival (#1764)
Red Letter Christianity claims It’s time for a Christianity that looks like Jesus again. It’s time for gospel preaching and prophetic witness. It’s time to return to the things Jesus said. It’s revival time! From Lynchburg to Dallas In April the first ever Red Letter revival was held over two days in Lynchburg, VA. The second - and to date only other scheduled revival - occurred this past weekend in Dallas, TX. Each day workshops covering a wide range of justice focused Read More …
My Top 5 Tweets of 2018 (Jan. – May) (#1736)
Five months into the year, I decided to spend some time reviewing analytics for my Twitter account (@SoWhatFaith). According to Twitter's analytics my top five tweets so far this year appear below in chronological order.* Jan. 24 - Delighted to meet so many people doing such good work #Adese #SocialEnterprise #Boston Feb. 17 - When I contemplate the meaning of Jesus, I come back again and again to his image as the ultimate boundary-breaker, in whom what it means to Read More …