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 …
Stephen Prothero
Struggling with S Words (Sin & Salvation) (#2161)
This morning I preached the second message in a series based on Debie Thomas’ new book A Faith of Many Rooms: Inhabiting a More Spacious Christianity (Broadleaf, 2024).Today, we focused on sin and salvation. Sermon My message, “Struggling with S Words” was based on Romans 6:1-14 and Mark 2:13-17. Sin and Salvation You can watch the sermon below or read the manuscript. Excerpt Let me begin with a big philosophical question: What problem does religion solve? Notice I said 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 …
Great New Books – May 2023 (#2046)
The best new books I’ve read in the last 30 days are listed below. (5+) Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond (Crown, 2023)(5.0) The Generosity Crisis: The Case for Radical Connection to Solve Humanity's Greatest Challenges by Nathan Chappell, Brian Crimmins, and Michael Ashley (Wiley, 2023)(4.5) 7 Principles for Living Bravely by Denise L. Eger and Neil G. Thomas (TKG Communications, 2023)(4.5) God the Bestseller: How One Editor Transformed American Religion A Book at a Time by Read More …
22 Must Read Books for 2022 (#1967)
For the last twelve 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 my life and ministry during that year. To begin 2022, I'm taking a look back at the eleven most recent lists, which provides 22 must read books for 2022. (The list appears in alphabetical order by author last name.) Diana Butler Bass. 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 10 Books of 2016 (#1660)
There are so many good books published every year. The best of the best among those I read this year follow in my seventh annual listing of my top ten books of the year. Top 10 Books of 2016 Author Title Lillian Daniel Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To Robert P. Jones The End of White Christian America Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World Brian McLaren The Great Spiritual Migration: How the Read More …
Recent Reading: Politics & Bible (#1611)
Politics are everywhere; I have yet to spend more than a few seconds scanning my social media feeds before encountering a political remark. Political experts are everywhere; 99% of the political remarks I read and hear are communicated as though the communicator is a subject matter expert. In reality, of course, most are simply people who have strong feelings about their particular perspectives. Political writing is particularly popular. As a non-expert, I have Read More …
Review of Unifying Truths of the World’s Religions (#0876)
Meet the Author C. David Lundberg grew up around religion as a part of his family's inspirational publishing business. Over forty years ago he realized that, for him, spiritual truth extended well beyond the biblical text. In response, he has spent most of his life exploring the world's many religious texts and traditions. Lundberg is a minister with the Spiritual Awareness Fellowship and Pathways of Light. Book Basics Unifying Truths of the World's Religions is a Read More …
Review of The American Bible (#0779)
Meet the Author Stephen Prothero is professor of religion at Boston College, senior fellow at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, and bestselling author of two books: Religions Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't (2008) and God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World – and Why Their Differences Matter (2010 - read my review and/or see this book's inclusion on my top 10 books of 2010) . Read More …