Cokesbury Voices Summer Fall 2016

T�day’s Chr�s�ian Author�

Summer–Fall 2016

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Table of Contents

Today’s Christian authors

Christian Living......................................... 1–13 Spiritual Growth...................................... 14–20 Social Issues........................................... 21–28 Leadership.............................................. 29–40 Theology................................................ 41–42 Studies.................................................... 43–45 Women’s Studies.................................... 46–47 Advent Studies................48–inside back cover

Unless otherwise noted, all books are paperbound.

Prices shown in red reflect Cokesbury discount off regular prices. Prices subject to change. ebooks available for most books. Visit Cokesbury.com for more details.

Speak with a Customer Care Representative at 800-672-1789.

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Christian Living

A personal and compelling dare to pierce the dark and find the light

Robert Benson new Punching Holes in the Dark: Living in the Light of

the World Robert Benson

Look around these days and it’s hard to see much evidence of God’s light on earth. Even for those of us who believe in it, long for it, and keep ourselves busy proclaiming it, the Kingdom on Earth is relatively easy to miss. And yet there’s hope.

Darkness may be all around us, but light is here as well. In this artful blend of observation and inspiration, critically acclaimed writer Robert Benson challenges readers to cling to the gospel’s promise that the light of the world is here and darkness will not overcome it (from John 1:5). Perhaps it will be seen in a neighbor caring for the sick or in a brave soul who steps up to protect the vulnerable or even as a hint of hope in someone’s noonday conversation. Though difficult to see, the light is here. We need only to punch holes in the dark to reveal profound brilliance.

In his honest, compelling voice destined to become a classic, Benson digs deep into his own experiences to demonstrate how to search wisely and seek compassionately so we might live fully and give fully in the Light of the World.

Abingdon Press. Coming in September.

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9781426749582. $16.99; $11.38

author insights

about the author

...starting now, I will spend my days and hours and minutes looking for the Light of the world. I’ll not be a happy idiot who is not aware of the Dark around us. But the Darkness will never overcome us, we who keep punching holes in the darkness.

‘Let there be light,’ we say at the prayers to begin the day, ‘and there is light. And God saw that the Light was good. This very day, the Lord has acted.’ And starting now, I plan to no longer miss the Light because I look only at the Dark.

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Robert Benson is a critically acclaimed writer who has published nine works on the contemplative life, including Moving Miss Peggy, Living Prayer and A Good Life. He is a graduate of the Academy for Spiritual Formation and a member of the Friends of Silence and of the Poor, an international ecumenical prayer community. He leads retreats and workshops on prayer, writing, and the contemplative life around the country. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Christian Living

A hobbit-like journey into the Bible to learn how to topple the giants in your life.

Lori Stanley Roeleveld

new Jesus and the Beanstalk: Overcoming Your Giants and Living a Fruitful Life Lori Stanley Roeleveld

We live in unsettling, challenging times. Everywhere we look, we see giant problems: giant obstacles to sharing faith, giant barriers to peaceful lives, giant strongholds of fear. But what if you knew eight small secrets to unlocking a strength big enough to overcome whatever obstacle life may bring?

Using allegory and a bit of humor, Jesus and the Beanstalk explores a passage in 2 Peter 1 to uncover eight truths that will help you unleash a larger-than-life faith. Author Lori Stanley Roeleveld shows you how to tap the power of a God who is stronger than any beanstalk and bigger than your biggest giants, as she guides you through an exploration of the keys to a fruitful and effective life. In this creative, refreshing perspective on spiritual growth, you will discover an unyielding strength when you arm yourself with faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, affection for others, and love.

It only took David three stones to fell his giant. You don’t have to live in a fairy tale to tackle yours.

Abingdon Press. Coming in September.

9781501820045. $16.99; $11.38

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author insights

about the author Lori Stanley Roeleveld is a

Why I write: I want to inspire the wounded believer to join the ancient adventure, to encourage the faithful not to lose heart, and to engage the skeptic in a dialog about the perfect God who loves an imperfect church. I write essays about faith designed to unsettle the hobbit in all of us and inspire us to forget second breakfast long enough to join the adventure.

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disturber of hobbits who enjoys making comfortable Christians late for dinner. She’s author of Running from a Crazy Man (and other adventures traveling with Jesus) and Red Pen Redemption. A part-time slayer of dragons (not available for children’s parties), she writes at www.loriroeleveld.com and makes her home in Hope Valley, Rhode Island.

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Christian Living Fascinating detail and metaphysical fact, delivered in Annie Dillard’s fierce and undeniably singular voice

Annie Dillard The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New Annie Dillard

In recognition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s long and lauded career as a master essayist, this landmark collection, including her most beloved pieces and some rarely seen work, was rigorously curated by the author herself.

The Abundance reminds us that Dillard’s brand of novelized nonfiction pioneered the form long before it came to be widely appreciated. Intense, vivid, and fearless, her work endows the true and seemingly ordinary aspects of life—a commuter chases snowball-throwing children through neighborhood streets, a teenager memorizes Rimbaud’s poetry—with beauty and irony, inviting readers onto sweeping landscapes, to join her in exploring the complexities of time and death, with a sense of humor: on one page, an eagle falls from the sky with a weasel attached to its throat; on another, a man walks into a bar.

Reminding us of the indelible contributions of this formative figure in contemporary nonfiction, The Abundance exquisitely showcases Annie Dillard‘s enigmatic, enduring genius, as Dillard herself wishes it to be marked.

HarperCollins.

9780062432971. Hardcover. $25.99; $18.71

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR

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An American Childhood. 9780060915186. $14.99; $10.79 Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. 9780061233326. $15.99; $11.51 Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters.

9780060915414. $14.99; $10.79 The Writing Life. 9780060919887. $14.99; $10.79

praise for the author

about the author Annie Dillard is the author of many works of nonfiction, including An American Childhood and Teaching a Stone to Talk, as well as the novels The Living and The Maytrees.

Annie Dillard is, was, and will always be the very best at describing the landscapes in which we find ourselves.

—Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Christian Living A deeper faith can be as simple as a single word

Lucinda Secrest McDowell new dwelling places: Words to Live in Every Season Lucinda Secrest McDowell

Resolving to seek a deeper, closer relationship with God in the New Year seems overwhelming. You know it’s important, but you also know resolutions are hard to keep. You’re not even sure how you would begin. How about with one word a day?

Dwelling Places helps you focus on just one word through short and inspiring readings that will make your faith flourish and grow.

The devotions are organized into four seasons and offer soul care through stories and illustrations for every day, and end with a benediction written as if God were speaking directly to you.

One word is all it takes to uncover a biblical blessing or lesson you can act on every day.

Abingdon Press. Coming in June.

9781501815324. $14.99; $10.04

about the author Lucinda Secrest McDowell is the author of 11 books, contributor to an additional 25 books, and has been published in more than 50 magazines. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Furman University, McDowell has also worked in radio broadcasting, in retreat planning, and on church pastoral staffs. She lives in Connecticut.

How one woman survived a strict religious upbringing and forged a new faith path

Reba Riley Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor and Healing Reba Riley

Reba Riley’s twenty-ninth year was a terrible time to undertake a spiritual quest. But when untreatable chronic illness forced her to her metaphorical (and physical) derrière on her birthday, Reba realized that even if she couldn’t fix her body, she might be able to heal her injured spirit. And so began a yearlong journey to recover from her whopping case of post-traumatic church syndrome by visiting thirty religions before her thirtieth birthday. She visited with Amish, Buddhists, Scientologists; an urban monk, a suburban shaman, and snuck into Yom Kippur. She discovered she didn’t have to choose religion to choose God or good.

For anyone who has ever longed for transformation of body, mind, or soul, but didn’t know where to start, Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome reminds us that sometimes we have to get lost to get found.

Simon & Schuster.

9781501125676. $15.99; $11.51

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about the author Reba Riley is an author, speaker, former Evangelical Poster Child, and lover of all things sparkly. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she plans to write more books...once she recovers from Post-Traumatic Memoir Syndrome. She blogs about spiritual health and healing for Patheos.com.

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Christian Living The story of one man’s journey to faith and freedom

Lecrae new Unashamed Lecrae

“If you live by people’s acceptance, you’ll die by their rejection.”

Two-time Grammy winning rap artist, Lecrae, learned this lesson through more than his share of adversity—childhood abuse, drugs and alcoholism, a stint in rehab, an abortion, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt.

In his debut book, the industry anomaly holds nothing back as he shares his challenging rise from a broken past to Billboard chart-topping success. The inspiring story of Lecrae’s journey to faith and freedom explains why he’s captivated so many.

Broadman & Holman Publishers.

9781433689123. Hardcover. $24.99; $17.99

about the author Lecrae is a Grammy awardwinning hip-hop artist whose 2014 album, Anomaly, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, Rap, Digital, Christian, Gospel, and Independent charts. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards, including a win in 2013 for Best Gospel Album, as well as 14 Dove Awards, one Billboard Music Award nomination, and received both a Soul Train Music Award and a BET Hip Hop Awards nomination.

How can we live in a world where we encounter suffering every day?

Makoto Fujimura new

Silence and Beauty:

Hidden Faith Born of Suffering Makoto Fujimura

Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, first published in 1966, endures as one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature.

Its narrative of the persecution of Christians in seventeenthcentury Japan raises uncomfortable questions about God and the ambiguity of faith in the midst of suffering and hostility.

Endo’s Silence took internationally renowned visual artist Makoto Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain, and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo’s as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived in contemporary contexts of trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures.

In this world of pain and suffering, God often seems silent.

Fujimura’s reflections show that light is yet present in darkness, and that silence speaks with hidden beauty and truth.

InterVarsity Press.

9780830844593. Hardcover. $26.00; $18.72

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about the author Makoto Fujimura is an internationally renowned artist, writer, and speaker who serves as the director of Fuller Theological Seminary’s Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts.

A popular speaker, he has lectured at numerous conferences, universities, and museums. His artwork has been exhibited at galleries worldwide.

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Christian Living Finding God in the overlooked metaphors of ordinary experiences

Lauren F Winner wearing god: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God Lauren F. Winner

In this wise and lyrical journey, scholar and Episcopal priest Lauren Winner tries on overlooked metaphors for how we meet and experience God. Chapters on God as clothing, laughter, flame, food, wine, and a laboring woman not only invite us to understand God in a new way, but each reveals God to be much closer and more intimate than we imagine, opening up the opportunity for experiencing and knowing God more deeply. If God has felt distant or absent, or if your reading of Scripture has become cold or rote, reading Wearing God can serve as the hymn that revives you.

HarperCollins.

9780061768125. Hardcover. $24.99; $17.99

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Girl Meets God. 9780877881070. $14.99; $10.79 Mudhouse Sabbath. 9781557255327. $15.99; $11.51 Mudhouse Sabbath. 9781612614533. Study. $18.99; $13.67

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author insights

about the author Lauren F. Winner, an ordained Episcopal priest, is the author of numerous books and teaches at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Books & Culture, and other periodicals.

Around five years ago, I began to realize that my pictures of God were old. This intersected, not coincidentally, with my newfound wakefulness to the Scriptures, and it led me on a search: what pictures, what images and metaphors, does the Bible give us for who God is, and what ways of being with God might those pictures invite?

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Christian Living Profound meditations on the passion of Jesus for people touched by mental illnesses

Scott Rose Fred Wenner Al Rose Fifteen Steps Out of Darkness:

The Way of the Cross for People on the Journey of Mental Illness Scott Rose, Fred Wenner, and Al Rose; artwork by Homer Yost A book to inspire, encourage, and reassure, Fifteen Steps out of Darkness offers personal stories and profound meditations on the Stations of the Cross for the more than 350 million people suffering from depression and other mental illnesses, and for those who love and care for them. The stories are accompanied by 18 full-color illustrations of great sculptures that portray Jesus’ journey to the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

The authors and artist constitute a dynamic team of experts who, together, cover all angles of living with mental illness: as caretakers, as parents and family members, and as persons battling mood disorders themselves. The unique blend of their experience provides a rare gift to the reader.

Orbis Books.

9781626981829. $18.00; $12.96

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praise for the book

A realistic and inspiring portrayal of mental illness in the context of the Christian story, weaving together the journeys of those who suffer from the illness, family members, and caregivers. As a psychiatrist interested in the intersection between spirituality and health, I congratulate the authors and artist for powerful narratives and sculptures that capture the essence of resurrection and recovery, offering hope to so many people.

—Harold G. Koenig, M.D., Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University Medical Center

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Scott Rose is CEO and General Counsel of Way Station, Inc., a non-profit community mental health organization that serves over 3,000 low-income adults and children in three Maryland counties.

about the author

about the author

Fred Wenner was a pastor

Al Rose, formerly a university

in the United Church of Christ for 40 years and currently does outreach ministry to people with mental illness.

professor of literature, has worked as a chaplain at the Maryland State Penitentiary’s Maximum Security Prison, at an inner-city hospice, and as a volunteer at Way Station.

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Christian Living Meditative photographs capture the radical joy of a life dedicated unequivocally to love

Toni Greaves Radical Love Toni Greaves

The sudden revelation of a powerful religious calling was an entirely unexpected event in the life of a college student named Lauren. But when it became clear to her that she had a spiritual vocation, she made the exceptional decision to dedicate her life to God. Drawing upon many visits to the cloistered religious community of Dominican nuns in Summit, New Jersey, photographer Toni Greaves has created a luminous body of work that follows the transformative journey by which Lauren became Sister Maria Teresa of the Sacred Heart. Presented in an exquisite photobook volume featuring a luxe cloth case, these meditative photographs capture the radical joy of a life dedicated unequivocally to love.

Hachette Book Group.

9781452119403. Hardcover. $40.00; $28.80

about the author Toni Greaves is an award-winning documentary, portrait, and commercial photographer based in Portland, Oregon.

A fresh approach to the connection between art and religion

Aaron Rosen Art & Religion in the 21st Century Aaron Rosen

The relationship between art and religion has been long, complex, and often conflicted, and it has given rise to many of the greatest works in the history of art. Artists today continue to reflect seriously upon religious traditions, themes, and institutions, suggesting a new approach to spirituality that is more considered than confrontational.

Art & Religion in the 21st Century is the first in-depth study to survey an international roster of artists who use their work to explore religion’s cultural, social, political, and psychological impact on today’s world. An introduction outlines the debates and controversies that the art/religion connection has precipitated throughout history. Each of the book’s ten chapters introduces a theme, followed by a selection of works of art that illustrates that theme. Includes 225 color illustrations.

Thames and Hudson.

9780500239315. Hardcover. $60.00; $43.20

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about the author Aaron Rosen is Lecturer in Sacred Traditions and the Arts and the Liberal Arts Programme Convenor at King’s College in London. He has written for popular and scholarly publications, and is the author of Imagining Jewish Art: Encounters with the Masters in Chagall, Guston, and Kitaj.

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Christian Living Chart a course through life’s complexities

Jack Haberer new It’s Complicated: A Guide to Faithful Decision Making Jack Haberer

Jack Haberer’s It’s Complicated helps serious Christians figure out what to do when life gets complicated and the distinctions between good and bad are not so clear. Using Bible passages as a guide, Haberer affirms and then challenges many closely held beliefs, making traditional distinctions between “conservative” and “liberal” Christians obsolete.

It’s Complicated harks back to Joseph Fletcher’s twentieth-century classic Situation Ethics and gives readers a toolkit for Christian decision making in a variety of complex situations. The book provides a framework for readers to reference when they’re confronting moral dilemmas in their own lives, what Haberer calls “doing ethics by spreadsheet.”

about the author Jack Haberer is pastor of Clear Lake Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX, and has been active in the Presbyterian Coalition.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664261245. $15.00; $10.80

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR GodViews: The Convictions That Drive Us and Divide Us. 9780664501907. $20.00; $14.40

A DVD seminar that explores historical and contemporary faith issues in provocative and engaging ways

Richard Rohr The Change That Changes Everything: Lifestyle-Based Spirituality Richard Rohr

In this Faith and Reason® seminar, held at First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, LA, April 8–9, 2011, Richard Rohr explored The Change That Changes Everything in four powerfully provocative lectures: “How We See and How We Don’t See”; “Contemplation as an Alternate Consciousness”; “The Rediscovery of Seeing”; and “Implications for Religion, Relationships, and Politics.”

Throughout this seminar, Richard Rohr had the remarkable ability to help participants recognize how the “normalcy” of the way we view people, the world, and ourselves keeps us divided, anxious, and overwhelmed.

D. L. Dykes, Jr. Foundation.

9780997103809. 2-DVD Set. $39.99

about the author Richard Rohr is the founder and director of The Food Pantry, serves as Director of Ministry at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, and speaks, preaches, and leads workshops around the country.

MORE FROM THIS SERIES God and Imperial Power. 9780997103816. 2-DVD Set. $39.99

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Christian Living Explore the fascinating works and enduring legacy of nine beloved Christian writers

Douglas Wilson Writers to Read: Nine Names That Belong on Your Bookshelf Douglas Wilson

If books are among our friends, we ought to choose them wisely.

But sometimes it’s hard to know where to start.

In Writers to Read, Doug Wilson—someone who’s spent a lifetime writing, reading, and teaching others to do the same—introduces Christians to nine of his favorite authors from the last 150 years, exploring their interesting lives, key works, and enduring legacies.

In doing so, Wilson opens our eyes to literary mentors who not only teach us what good writing looks like, but also help us become better readers in the process. These great Christian writers—like Chesterson, Lewis, and Robinson—deserve to be read.

Crossway Books.

9781433545832. $16.99; $12.23

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families.

9781595554765. $15.99; $11.51 Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life.

9781591280996. $14.00; $10.08

about the author Douglas Wilson is a pastor, popular speaker, and author of numerous books, including Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, The Case for Classical Christian Education, and Wordsmithy. He helped to found Logos School in Moscow, Idaho, and is currently a fellow of philosophy and classical languages at New St. Andrews College.

Ten traits of happy and fulfilled people

Martin Thielen Searching for Happiness: How Generosity, Faith, and Other Spiritual Habits Can Lead to a Full Life Martin Thielen The key to happiness is being rich, successful, and beautiful right?

Thielen insists that this is far from the truth. Happiness, he argues, does not come from external factors like getting a job promotion or finally reaching your goal weight. Rather, happiness is an “inside” job.

In brief, easy-to-read chapters, Thielen offers ten traits of happy and fulfilled people. Using psychological research, personal anecdotes, and Scripture, Thielen begins the path to contentment by showing how life circumstances only account for about 10 percent of a person’s overall life satisfaction. From there, he offers alternatives to the frequent methods we use to make ourselves happy.

The book features a guide for group or individual study, which includes questions for reflection and a challenge for each individual to reflect on during the week.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664237127. $16.00; $11.52

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Answer to Bad Religion Is Not No Religion.

9780664259600. $10.00; $7.20 What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?.

9780664239381. $17.00; $12.24

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about the author Martin Thielen is pastor of Lebanon First UMC in Lebanon, Tennessee. He has conducted workshops and conferences across the country on preaching, worship, and pastoral leadership.

He has been adjunct professor of worship and preaching at Midwestern Seminary. He worked as senior editor of Proclaim, the Southern Baptist journal for preaching and worship.

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Christian Living What makes life worth living in the face of death?

Paul Kalanithi new When Breath Becomes Air Paul Kalanithi

For readers of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Anne Lamott, a profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis who attempts to answer the question “What makes a life worth living?”

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.

One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naive medical student (possessed by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life) into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain (the most critical place for human identity), and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.

Random House.

9780812988406. Hardcover. $25.00; $18.00

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about this book

about the author Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon and writer. He grew up in Kingman, Arizona, and graduated from Stanford University with a BA and MA in English literature and a BA in human biology.

He earned an MPhil in history and philosophy of science and medicine from the University of Cambridge and graduated cum laude from the Yale School of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society.

He returned to Stanford to complete his residency training in neurological surgery and a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience, during which he received the American Academy of Neurological Surgery’s highest award for research. He died in March 2015. He is survived by his large, loving family, including his wife, Lucy, and their daughter, Elizabeth Acadia.

Rattling, heartbreaking, and ultimately beautiful, the too-young Dr. Kalanithi’s memoir is proof that the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life.

—Atul Gawande

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Christian Living A thoughtful, introspective, and moving book for seekers of faith

David Gregory How’s Your Faith? An Unlikely Spiritual Journey David Gregory

Join former NBC newsman and Meet the Press moderator David Gregory as he probes various religious traditions to better understand his own faith and answer life’s most important questions: who do we want to be and what do we believe?

While David was covering the White House, he had the unusual experience of being asked by President George W. Bush, “How’s your faith?” David’s answer was just emerging. Raised by a Catholic mother and a Jewish dad, he had a strong sense of Jewish cultural and ethnic identity, but no real belief—until his marriage to a Protestant woman of strong faith inspired him to explore his spirituality for himself and his growing family.

David approaches his faith with the curiosity and dedication you would expect from a journalist accustomed to holding politicians and presidents accountable. But he also comes as a seeker, one just discovering why spiritual journeys are always worthwhile.

Simon & Schuster.

9781451651607. Hardcover. $26.00; $18.72

about the author David Gregory is the former moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press. He previously served as Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News, where he was hailed by Washingtonian magazine as a “firebrand in the front row.”

How’s Your Faith? is his first book.

Stepping into a deeper relationship with God

Thomas Hawkins new

Every Step a Prayer: Walking as

Spiritual Practice Thomas R. Hawkins

While it’s common knowledge that walking is good for physical health, many people may never have considered that walking is also good for their spiritual health. In this high-tech, fast-paced world, people long to slow down.

Thomas Hawkins lifts up walking as a Christian spiritual practice that can help readers find their way to God. Each of the six chapters includes suggestions to help the reader experience prayerful walking, plus reflection questions. Near the end of the book is a chart that helps church leaders brainstorm about ways people gather to walk in their congregation and community and how they could incorporate a spiritual element such as prayer or Bible study with this walking.

Upper Room Books.

9780835815215. $12.99; $9.09

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about the author Thomas R. Hawkins is co-pastor with his wife, Jan, at First Presbyterian Church in Charleston, Illinois. Prior to this pastorate, Hawkins was professor in the Career and Organizational Studies Program, Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at Eastern Illinois University. Thomas is the author of numerous books on congregational life.

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Christian Living Hidden within our loneliness lies a treasure— a longing for divine friendship with God

Trevor Hudson Beyond Loneliness: The Gift of God’s Friendship Trevor Hudson

Loneliness touches everyone, whether they are young or old, rich or poor. It can be one of the most painful experiences of life.

There is a friend-shaped hole in all of our lives, Trevor Hudson writes. People long for relationship with others, but what may surprise them is that God actually longs to be friends with them.

Having a close friendship with God is the only thing that will ultimately bring joy and happiness and ease the ache of loneliness, Hudson says. In Beyond Loneliness, he provides guidance for building a friendship with God. Ten chapters help readers discover how to get to know God and deepen their friendship with God. Each chapter includes friendship exercises and reflection questions. Perfect for individual or small-group study.

Upper Room Books.

9780835815192. $10.99; $7.69

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Discovering Our Spiritual Identity. 9780830810925. $20.00; $14.40 Hope Beyond Your Tears. 9780835811156. $6.99; $4.89 A Mile In My Shoes. 9780835898157. $14.99; $10.49 Pauses For Lent. 9780835815048. $8.99; $6.29 The Serenity Prayer. 9780835810944. $14.00; $9.80

about the author Trevor Hudson is a Methodist minister, pastoral therapist, and retreat leader in Benoni, South Africa. He is the author of several books, including Hope Beyond Your Tears, The Serenity Prayer, One Day at a Time, and A Mile in My Shoes. Hudson travels widely to conduct conferences, workshops, and retreats.

How do you know God is real?

Addie Zierman Night Driving: A Story of Faith in the Dark Addie Zierman

In the emotionally-charged, fire-filled faith in which Addie Zierman grew up, the answer to the question above was simple: Because you’ve FELT him. Now, at age 30, she feels nothing. Just the darkness pressing in. Just the winter cold. Just a buzzing silence where God’s voice used to be. So she loads her two small children into the minivan one February afternoon and heads south in one last-ditch effort to find the Light.

In her second memoir, Night Driving, Addie Zierman powerfully explores the gap between our sunny faith fictions and a God who often seems hidden and silent. Against the backdrop of rushing interstates, strangers’ hospitality, gas station coffee, and screaming children, Addie stumbles toward a faith that makes room for doubt, disappointment, and darkness…and learns that sometimes you have to run away to find your way home.

Convergent.

9781601425478. $14.99; $10.79

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over. 9781601425454. $14.99; $10.79

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about the author Addie Zierman is a writer, blogger, and recovering Jesus freak. She studied creative nonfiction at Hamline University and received her M.F.A. there in 2010. Addie blogs regularly at www.AddieZierman.com where she’s working to redefine her faith one cliché at a time.

She lives in Minneapolis with her family.

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Spiritual Growth Be a rule-breaker

Jacqueline A. Bussie new

Outlaw Christian: Finding Authentic Faith by

Breaking the “Rules” Jacqueline A. Bussie

Jacqueline Bussie knows that too many Christians live according to unspoken laws that govern the Christian life: #1: Never get angry at God; #2: Never doubt; #3: Never question; #4: Never tell your real story; #5: Always speak in clichés about evil and suffering; and #6: Always believe hope comes easy for those who truly love God. Living according to these rules is killing real Christian life. Outlaw Christian proposes a rebellious, life-giving, authentic alternative.

Through captivating stories and with disarming honesty, Bussie gives concrete, practical strategies to help readers cultivate hope, seek joy, practice accompaniment, compost their pain, and rediscover the spiritual practice of lament. Tackling difficult questions without political divisiveness, Bussie speaks to both progressive and conservative Christians in ways that unite rather than divide. And in doing so, she provides a new way to handle the most difficult and troubling questions of life in a broken world that God will never abandon.

Thomas Nelson Publishing.

9780718076641. $16.99; $12.23

about the author Jacqueline A. Bussie is Director of the Forum on Faith and Life and Professor of Religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. She has a BA, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Davidson College; an MA in Religion from Yale University; and a PhD in Theology, Ethics, and Culture from the University of Virginia.

A beautiful portrait of the God whom we constantly underestimate

Joshua Ryan Butler

new

The Pursuing God: A Reckless, Irrational, Obsessed Love That’s Dying to Bring Us Home Joshua Ryan Butler

Is God lost? Many of us feel that way. It’s as if God’s gone missing out in the universe somewhere and we must go out and find him. We speak of searching for God, exploring spirituality, and finding faith.

But what if we have it backward? What if God is the one pursuing us? What if our job is not to go out and find God, but simply to stop running and hiding? Not to earn God’s love, but to receive it? Not to turn on the light, but to step out of the shadows?

Jesus reveals a God on the prowl, pursuing us, hunting down the world for reconciliation. And the question we’re left with is not whether we’ve pursued hard enough, searched long enough, or jumped high enough. The question is, Do we want to be found?

Thomas Nelson Publishing. Coming in May. 9780718021603. $16.99; $12.23

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Skeletons in God’s Closet. 9780529100818. $15.99; $11.51

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about the author Joshua Ryan Butler serves as pastor of local and global outreach at Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon.

Joshua oversees the church’s city ministries in areas like foster care, human trafficking, and homelessness; and develops international partnerships in areas like clean water, HIV support, and church planting.

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Spiritual Growth Discover the stillness of a true prayer life

Scott Cairns Short trip to the edge: A Pilgrimage to Prayer (New Edition) Scott Cairns

While walking on the beach with his Labrador, poet and literature professor Scott Cairns ran headlong into his midlife crisis. A fairly common experience among men nearing the age of fifty, midlife crises are usually manifested in the form of sports cars and younger women; not so for this Baptist turned Eastern Orthodox. Cairns had a realization that while the advancement of his spiritual life was moving at a snail’s pace, time was running out, and his crisis emerged in the form of a desperate need to seek out prayer.

Told with wit and exquisite prose, Slow Pilgrim is the story of Scott’s spiritual journey to the mystical island of Mt. Athos. With twenty monasteries and thirteen sketes scattered across its sloping terrain, the Holy Mountain was the perfect place for Scott to seek out a prayer father and to discover the stillness of the true prayer life. His narrative takes the reader from a beach in Virginia to the most holy Orthodox monasteries in the world to a monastery in Arizona and back again as Scott struggles to find his prayer path.

Paraclete Press.

9781612617329. $16.99; $12.23

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR God With Us. 9781612617077. $18.99; $13.67

about the author Scott Cairns is an awardwinning author of eight collections of poetry. His poetry and essays have been included in numerous anthologies and journals. He has taught American literature, poetry writing, and poetics courses at Westminster College, University of North Texas, Old Dominion University, and at University of Missouri, where he is currently Professor of English.

If Generation Next is supposed to question everything and trust no one, where does faith fit in?

Scott Douglas new

#OrganicJesus: Finding Your Way to an Unprocessed, GMO-Free Christianity Scott Douglas Consumers demand that their food be pesticide-free, their cosmetics and shampoo be paraben-free, and that everything possible—from clothes to toilet paper—be made without additives or chemicals. But there’s nothing that has more additives to the original product than Christianity. How do we get back to the 100% organic version of Jesus?

In his personal search, Scott Douglas goes on a funny, thoughtprovoking romp through the foundations of belief. Christianity, he says, has become a simulacrum—a bloated, overprocessed image that lacks the true substance of the real thing. His search for the original took him far and wide through historical Christ figures, urban legends, odd facts about the faith, freakishly flawed Christians, and the Internet.

Kregel Publishing. Coming in June.

9780825443923. $15.99; $11.51

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about the author Scott Douglas is the author of a memoir about his experience working in a public library (Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian), two technical books on iPhone app development, and a Young Adult series (The Noob Warriors). Douglas teaches humor and memoir writing for the Gotham Writers Workshops.

He lives in Anaheim with his wife.

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Spiritual Growth Modern, hands-on experience with ancient spiritual disciplines

Preston Yancey Out of the House of Bread: Satisfying Your Hunger for God

with the Spiritual Disciplines Preston Yancey

Our spirituality needs revival, but the disciplines of the Spirit often stay covered with dust, lying unused by Christians because they feel too much like rules. But what if they weren’t rules? What if they were conversation starters? Invitations to discover God right now, today?

Yancey leads us in a new—but old—direction of spirituality, engaging the symbolism and experience of spiritual disciplines made plain and accessible by the baking of bread. Each chapter pairs a spiritual discipline or practice with insight to the baking of bread. Readers encounter ancient practices such as the prayer of examen, lectio divina, intercessory prayer, icons, and wonder.

Out of the House of Bread is a glorious celebration of the sacraments and the seasons of God, meant as reminders and forms of prayer to take readers closer to God in worship. An appendix about gluten-free and vegan bread and suggested reading and artwork for contemplation complete the book.

Zondervan.

9780310338864. Hardcover. $18.99; $13.67

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Tables in the Wilderness: A Memoir of God Found, Lost, and Found Again.

9780310338826. Hardcover. $19.99; $15.79

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author’s insights

about the author Preston Yancey is a lifelong Texan,

This is a book about being on the path. Or it is a book about being uncertain of how far into the path you are. Or how long you have even been on it. Along the path there are moments of shadow and sunlight, and the path is often at the mercy of the tilt of the earth—the seasons, the rhythms of snowfall and melt and blossom. It is also a book about baking a single loaf of bread and learning a handful of different ways to pray. The ways of praying are often at the mercy of the tilt of the self—the seasons, the rhythms of sorrow and waking and hope. The bread is the only constant. “I am the bread of life.” This is a book about that too.

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raised Southern Baptist, who fell in love with reading saints, crossing himself, and high church spirituality.

He now makes his home within the Anglican tradition. He is a writer, painter, baker, and speaker.

An alumnus of Baylor University, Preston completed a masters in theology from St. Andrews University in Scotland before returning to the States. He currently lives in Waco, Texas.

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Spiritual Growth The unexpected adventure of staying put

Pico Iyer The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere

Pico Iyer

Why might a lifelong traveler like Pico Iyer, who has journeyed from Easter Island to Ethiopia, Cuba to Kathmandu, think that sitting quietly in a room might be the ultimate adventure? Because in our madly accelerating world, our lives are crowded, chaotic, and noisy. There’s never been a greater need to slow down, tune out, and give ourselves permission to be still.

In The Art of Stillness, Iyer investigates the lives of people who have made a life seeking stillness: from Matthieu Ricard, a Frenchman with a PhD in molecular biology who left a promising scientific career to become a Tibetan monk, to revered singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who traded the pleasures of the senses for several years of living the near-silent life of meditation as a Zen monk. Iyer also draws on his own experiences as a travel writer to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. Growing trends like observing an Internet Sabbath highlight how increasingly desperate many of us are to unplug and bring stillness into our lives.

Ultimately, Iyer shows that, in this age of constant movement and connectedness, perhaps staying in one place is a more exciting prospect—and a greater necessity—than ever before.

Simon & Schuster.

9781476784724. Hardcover. $16.99; $12.23

about the author Pico Iyer is a British-born essayist and novelist long based in both California and Japan. He is the author of numerous books about crossing cultures, among them Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk, and The Global Soul. An essayist for Time since 1986, he also publishes regularly in Harper’s, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, and many other publications across the globe.

Explore the fundamentals of Christian spirituality

L. Roger Owens

What We Need Is Here: Practicing the Heart of Christian Spirituality L. Rogers Owens

For those searching for an authentic faith, Roger Owens shows that in Jesus, God has already given us all we need to live and flourish. He calls readers to return to basic Christian practices that build and sustain their relationship with God. Owens explores seven fundamentals of Christian spirituality: reading the Gospels, praying the Psalms, befriending silence, finding Jesus in church, meeting Jesus through Holy Communion, embodying our spirituality, and being with the poor. His book is a thoughtful, engaging treatment of practices essential to growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Ideal for individual or small-group study.

Upper Room Books.

9780835815109. $13.99; $9.79

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Abba, Give Me a Word: The Path of Spiritual Direction 9781557257994. $15.99; $12.63

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about the author L. Roger Owens is an associate professor of leadership and ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as well as an adjunct faculty member at Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation. A former pastor, he is the author of four other books.

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Spiritual Growth Blessings for the moment­—while in the moment

Beth Richardson Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me: Celtic Blessings Beth A. Richardson; Rita Collett, editor

Many Christians long to sense God’s presence in their everyday lives but don’t know how. Inspired by the ancient form of prayer practiced by the Celtic people, Beth Richardson offers a multitude of short prayers—blessings—that embrace every aspect of daily life and recognize God’s presence in each moment, from waking to sleeping, from birth to death.

The blessings will help readers acknowledge the richness of the gifts of life; express their feelings about special moments such as births, marriages, and graduations; offer words to pray during times of struggle; and give them a way to pray for the world and all its people.

Upper Room Books.

9780835815239. Hardcover. $9.99; $6.99

about the author Beth A. Richardson is director of creative content for The Upper Room. An ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church, Richardson is a worship leader, photographer, writer, cartoonist, and musician.

She is the author of The Uncluttered Heart and Child of the Light.

Becoming authentic in the middle of your journey

Dee Dee Risher new The Soulmaking Room: Practicing the Heart of Christian Spirituality Dee Dee Risher; Joanna Bradley, editor

The Soulmaking Room addresses the spiritual challenges of the middle years. For many people, these years bring failure, uncertainty, and losses. Dee Dee Risher probes how struggles, losses, failures, and pain can actually result in a spiritually whole, authentic life.

In this personal, funny, and vulnerable narrative, Risher is unrelentingly honest about money, race, marriage, class, parenting, and spirituality. This powerful, poetic book shows how grappling with universal experiences of human life can make people more resilient, deeper, and more true to their identity.

The Soulmaking Room is for anyone who wants to look life right in the eye and come out more whole.

Upper Room Books.

9780835815253. $16.99; $11.89

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about the author Dee Dee Risher is associate communications director for Project HOME, a nonprofit working to end homelessness in Philadelphia. Risher has published over 200 articles in such magazines as Sojourners, The Progressive Christian, The Utne Reader, and Grid Magazine, and she blogs for The Huffington Post, Theological Curves, and others.

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Spiritual Growth Old-world Christian tales of faith and morality for today

Nathalie Leone Christian Stories of Wisdom Nathalie Leone

Christian Stories of Wisdom is the perfect antidote to our busy, modern lives. It serves as a daily companion that one can return to again and again for a moment of spiritual sustenance. The 70 stories in this uplifting collection can be read in solitude or shared with others. Among them are “Saint Francis and the Wolf,” “Saint Peter’s Mother,” “The Mantle of Christ,” “The Angel and the Hermit,” and many others.

This illustrated keepsake collection is beautifully packaged with a cloth case, foil stamping, a ribbon book maker, and lush full-color artwork.

Hachette Book Group.

9780316309295. Hardcover. $15.99; $11.51

about the author Nathalie Leone has been an actress, mask creator, puppeteer, and storyteller.

Along with her career in the performing arts, she is the author of Souffle, a collection of poems, and several children’s stories. She lives in France.

A prescription to cure one of the seven deadly sins most prominent in our culture

Mary Louise Bringle ENVY: Exposing A Secret Sin Mary Louise Bringle

The world has changed since the early Christian theologians named envy as one of the seven deadly sins, but it seems that the human heart has stayed much the same. Envy examines what once was viewed as destructive to the soul, yet now seems desirous. From the Texas woman who tried to kill the mother of her daughter’s rival for a position on the cheerleading squad to the market’s use of envy to sell everything from cars to cat food, the “green-eyed monster” is alive and well. Perhaps the only thing that’s changed, the author says, is our attitude to envy.

In this illuminating and lively volume, Bringle examines the evolution of envy from something to be avoided to something to be achieved. Drawing on a variety of sources from Gregory the Great to Cinderella, from Hieronymous Bosch to Vogue magazine, she explores ways to avoid the dangers of envy by reminding us of the ancient cure for this disease of the soul: gratitude.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664259709. $17.00; $12.24

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR God of Thinness. 9780687148271. $12.00; $8.04 Introducing Glory to God. 9780664503437. $10.00; $7.20

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about the author Mary Louise Bringle is Professor of Philosophy and Religion Chair of the Humanities Division at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina.

She has studied and written extensively on the seven deadly sins tradition, including the books Despair: Sickness or Sin? and The God of Thinness. She was chair of the committee that oversaw the publication of the new Glory to God hymnal.

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Spiritual Growth A compelling vision for what the world could be like if Christians truly followed Christ

Morgan Guyton new How Jesus Saves the World from Us: 12 Antidotes to Toxic Christianity Morgan Guyton

Christianity has always been about being saved. But today what Christians need saving from most is the toxic understanding of salvation we’ve received through bad theology. The loudest voices in Christianity today sound exactly like the religious authorities who crucified Jesus.

This is a book for Christians who are troubled by what we’ve become and who want Jesus to save us from the toxic behaviors and attitudes we’ve embraced.

Each of the 12 chapters proposes a paradigm shift and antidote for the toxicity that has infiltrated Christian culture, such as “Worship not Performance,” “Temple not Program,” and “Solidarity not Sanctimony.” Each chapter includes thought-provoking discussion questions, perfect for individual or group study.

There are many reasons to lose hope about the state of our world and our church, but Guyton offers one piece of good news: Jesus is saving the world from us, one Christian at a time.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664262235. Hardcover. $16.00; $11.52

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author insights

about the author Morgan Guyton is Director of NOLA Wesley United Methodist Campus Center. He is also a United Methodist pastor, blogger, and author of dozens of articles featured in Red Letter Christians, Huffington Post Religion, Think Christian, Ministry Matters, United Methodist Reporter, and Rethink Church.

Morgan Guyton’s new book is intelligent, passionate, insightful, challenging, and a compelling read. It will jolt you out of comfortable but confining Christian ruts and help you be healed from twelve common and dangerous religious toxins.

It’s strong and needed medicine!

—Brian D. McLaren, author, speaker, andactivist

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Social Issues The triumph of faith over adversity

Bernard Edward Powers, Jr Marjory Wentworth Herb Frazier new We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel Herb Frazier, Bernard Edward Powers Jr., and Marjory Wentworth

On June 17, 2015, at 9:05 p.m., a young man with a handgun opened fire on a prayer meeting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine members of the congregation. The captured shooter, twenty-one-year-old Dylan Roof, a white supremacist, was charged with their murders. Two days after the shooting, while Roof’s court hearing was held on video conference, the families of his nine victims, one by one, appeared on the screen— forgiving the killer. The “Emanuel Nine” set a profound example for their families, their city, their nation, and indeed the world.

We Are Charleston tells the story of a people, continually beaten down, who seem to continually triumph over the worst of adversity. Exploring the storied history of the A.M.E. Church may be a way of explaining the price and power of forgiveness, a way of revealing God’s mercy in the midst of tremendous pain. We Are Charleston may help us discover what can be right in a world that so often has gone wrong.

Thomas Nelson Publishing. Coming in June.

9780718077310. Hardcover. $26.99; $19.43

about this book

In many ways, this church’s story is America’s story—the oldest A.M.E. church in the Deep South fighting for freedom and civil rights but also fighting for grace and understanding. Fighting to transcend bigotry, fraud, hatred, racism, poverty, and misery. The shootings in June 2015 opened up a deep wound of racism that still permeates Southern institutions and remains part of American society.

about the authors Bernard Edward Powers, Jr. holds a PhD in American history and is a professor of history at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, teaching courses in United States and African American history. He has been Director of the Master’s Program in History and is presently associate chairman of the department.

Marjory Wentworth is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet who has worked extensively in human rights. She is the co-author of Taking a Stand. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

Herb Frazier is the public relations and marketing manager for Magnolia Plantation and Gardens near Charleston, S.C. He has edited and reported for five daily newspapers in the South, including his hometown paper, The Post and Courier.

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Social Issues

Methodist conscience and an American tragedy

Gary L. Roberts new

Massacre at Sand Creek: How Methodists Were Involved in an

American Tragedy Gary L. Roberts

Sand Creek. An American tragedy occurred there that remains a symbol of the difference between what Americans believe themselves to be and the reality of what happened to Native peoples in the creation of the nation. More than 200 Cheyennes and Arapahos, camped under the protection of the United States government, were slain. The Sand Creek massacre seized national attention in the winter of 1864-1865 and generated a controversy that still excites heated debate more than 150 years later.

Methodists have a special stake in this story. The governor whose policies led the Cheyennes and Arapahos to Sand Creek was a prominent Methodist layman.

The commanding officer who ordered the attack on the Sand Creek village was a Methodist minister. Perhaps those were merely coincidences, but the question also remains of how the Methodist Episcopal Church responded to the massacre. Was it also somehow culpable?

Coming to grips with what happened at Sand Creek involves hard questions about the best and worst in every person, questions older than history, questions as relevant as today’s headlines, questions we all must answer from within.

Abingdon Press.

9781501819766. $19.99; $13.39

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praise for the book

about the author

A magnificent tour de force that reveals all the racial hatred, courage, betrayal, deceit, and nobility that swirled around the massacre. With compassion and deep understanding of the tugs and pulls of mid-nineteenth century life, Roberts tells the riveting story how even good men can cause dishonorable acts.

—David Fridtjof Halaas, former Colorado State Historian; author of Halfbreed, the Remarkable True Story of George Bent: Caught between the Worlds of the Indian and the White Man

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Gary L. Roberts, Emeritus Professor of History, Abraham Baldwin College, is widely recognized as a historian of the American West and frontier violence. He has published more than seventy-five articles on Western history and coedited a book on Georgia politics. He is the author of Death Comes for the Chief Justice: The Slough-Rynerson Quarrel and Political Violence in New Mexico.

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Social Issues Taking action against racial injustice in the U.S.

Chris Crass Towards the “Other America”

Anti-Racist Resources for White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter

Chris Crass Chris Crass calls on all of us to join our values to the power of love and act with courage for a world where Black lives truly matter.

A world where the death culture of white supremacy no longer devours the lives of Black people and no longer deforms the hearts and souls of white people. In addition to his own soul-searching essays and practical organizing advice in his “notes to activists,” Crass lifts up the voices of longtime white anti-racist leaders organizing in white communities for Black Lives Matter.

Crass has collected lessons and vibrant examples of this work from rural working class communities in Kentucky and Maine, mass direct action in Wisconsin and New York, faith-based efforts among Jewish communities, Unitarian Universalists, and the United Church of Christ, and national efforts like Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Chalice Press.

9780827237094. $16.99; $13.42

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy.

9781604866544. $20.00; $14.40

about the author Chris Crass writes and speaks widely, creating healthy culture and leadership for progressive activism. He was a founder of the anti-racist/racial justice Catalyst Project, and helped launch the national network, SURJ (Showing Up For Racial Justice), which organizes white people for racial justice. Rooted in his Unitarian Universalist faith, he works with congregations, divinity schools, and religious leaders to build up the spiritual/religious Left.

People of faith consider—and respond to— the problem of racism

David Maxwell new

Race in a Post-Obama America:

The Church Responds David Maxwell

Recent events in the United States have provoked not just a willingness to discuss issues of racism in this country but a desire to do something meaningful to confront it. Race in a Post-Obama America offers concerned Christians the chance to clarify terms and issues around racism and discern how to respond.

The reader will learn the basic definitions and history around racism in the United States, be presented with current thoughts on institutional racism and what is to be done to end it, and learn about specific actions individuals and churches are taking.

Designed for individual or group study, the book includes questions for reflection and discussion.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664262174. $14.00; $10.08

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about the author David Maxwell is an editor for Westminster John Knox Press and The Thoughtful Christian. He is a Presbyterian minister who has lived and worked with marginalized communities in New York City and southern Chile.

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Social Issues Distilling America’s racial history into a prayer from father to son

Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and me Ta-Nehisi Coates

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis.

Coates shares the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder.

Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.

Spiegel & Grau.

about the author Ta-Nehisi Coates is a former staff writer at The Village Voice and Time and has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, O, and numerous other publications. He lives in New York City.

9780812993547. Hardcover. $24.00; $17.28

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood.

9780385527460. $16.00; $11.52

An imaginative exploration of women in the Bible

Wilda C. Gafney new

Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne Wilda C. Gafney

Womanist Midrash is an in-depth and creative exploration of the well- and lesser-known women of the Hebrew Scriptures. Using her own translations, Gafney offers a midrashic interpretation of the biblical text that is rooted in the African American preaching tradition to tell the stories of a variety of female characters, many of whom are often overlooked and nameless. Gafney employs a solid understanding of womanist and feminist approaches to biblical interpretation and the sociohistorical culture of the ancient Near East. This unique and imaginative work that is grounded in serious scholarship will expand conversations about feminist and womanist biblical interpretation.

Westminster John Knox Press. Coming in September.

9780664239039. $35.00; $25.20

about the author Wilda C. Gafney is an Episcopal Priest and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel and coeditor of The People’s Bible and The People’s Companion to the Bible.

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Social Issues Healing from the pain of negative religious experiences

Teresa B. Pasquale Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma

Teresa B. Pasquale

This book explores the nature of emotional wounds, trauma, and spiritual hurt that come from negative religious experiences.

Trauma therapist Teresa B. Pasquale offers healing exercises, true-life examples, and life-giving discussion for anyone suffering from the very real pain of church hurt. Pasquale, a trauma survivor herself, understands the immeasurable value of our wounds once we’ve acknowledged them and recovered in community. That’s why the wounds are “sacred,” and the hope this book offers is a powerful message to anyone suffering from this widespread problem.

Chalice Press.

9780827235373. $19.99; $14.39

about the author Teresa B. Pasquale is a “crooked” mystic, a trauma therapist, a mind/ body/spirit yoga teacher, advocate for the underdog, hope conspirator, lover of pups, creativity-monger.

She believes we can all find healing and help others heal by sharing the deepest parts of our souls and ourselves.

Was there a literal, historical Adam?

Karl W. Giberson

new Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians

Have Used the Bible’s First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World Karl W. Giberson In the evangelical world, scholars have been ostracized for endorsing a modern scientific understanding of the world, even as they remained strong Christians. Self-appointed gatekeepers of traditional theology demand intellectual allegiance to an implausible interpretation of the Genesis creation story, insisting that all humanity must be descended from a single human pair, Adam and Eve. Such a view is utterly at odds with contemporary science.

Giberson, a scientist and former evangelical, calls for a renewed conversation between science and Christianity, and for more open engagement with new scientific discoveries, even when they threaten central doctrines. Christians should not be made to choose between their faith and their understanding of the universe. Instead, as Giberson argues, they should follow in the once robust tradition of exploring science openly within the broad contours of Christian belief.

Random House. Coming in May. 9780807080276. $20.00; $14.40

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Seven Glorious Days. 9781557259288. $20.99; $16.58 The Wonder of the Universe. 9780830838196. $16.00; $11.52

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about the author Karl W. Giberson is an internationally known scholar whose work has been translated into several languages. He is a popular speaker and writer, and directs the Science & Religion writing workshop at Gordon College. Giberson has published over two hundred articles, essays, and books, including Saving Darwin and, with Francis Collins, The Language of Science and Faith.

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Social Issues The spiritual implications of our global ecological crisis

Leonardo Boff Towards an Eco-Spirituality Leonardo Boff

This book contains an action plan, based on Chrisitanity, to study and understand the challenges and ramifications of the global ecological crisis. Known as one of the major liberation theologians, Leonardo Boff has long seen the terrible cost of the ecological crisis to the poor. In this engaging brief, he outlines a new vision for human stewardship of the earth.

This is an ideal first step to take for individuals and groups to study ecology in a Christian context, and to understand that ecology is no longer a luxury for a few, but an imperative for everyone working for a more just world.

Crossroads.

9780824520762. $12.95; $9.32

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Come, Holy Spirit: Inner Fire, Giver of Life, and Comforter of the Poor. 9781626981065. $28.00; $20.16 Christianity in Nutshell. 9781626980303. $18.00; $12.96

about the author Leonardo Boff is a former Franciscan monk, a theologian, and a poet known for his strong voice for the promotion of human rights and ecological responsibility. He is the professor emeritus of ethics, philosophy of religion, and ecology at Rio de Janeiro State University. He is the author of more than 60 books in the areas of theology, spirituality, philosophy, anthropology and mysticism.

Explore the intersection of religion and the environment

Jay Wexler When God Isn’t Green: A World-Wide Journey to Places Where Religious Practice and Environmentalism Collide Jay Wexler

In this lively book, law professor and humorist Jay Wexler travels the globe from Alaska to India, from Singapore to Mexico and beyond to investigate instances where religious practice and environmentalism collide in order to understand the complexity of these problems and learn how society can best address them. Whether he’s feasting on whale blubber above the Arctic Circle, bumping along in the back of a battered jeep through a Guatemalan jungle, or learning how to pluck a dead bald eagle at the National Eagle Repository, Wexler never fails to entertain as he tries to answer the question “Can religious practice and environmental protection coexist? “ Random House.

9780807001929. $20.00; $14.40

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars. 9780807000441. $20.00; $14.40

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about the author Jay Wexler is the Pastor at Resurrection Downtown, a campus of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection located in downtown Kansas City. He is a coach and mentor to Church Planters across the country.

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Social Issues The intersection of world religion and globalization

Miroslav Volf Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World Miroslav Volf

Globalization and the great world religions are shaping our lives, affecting everything from public policies to university curricula, all the way to the inner longings of our hearts. Integral to both globalization and religion are compelling, overlapping, and sometimes competing visions of what it means to live well.

In this book, a leading theologian sheds light on how religion and globalization have historically interacted and argues for what their relationship ought to be. He shows how world religions, despite their malfunctions, remain one of our most potent sources of moral motivation. Globalization should be judged by how well it serves us for living out our authentic humanity as envisioned within these traditions. Through renewal and reform, religion might, in turn, shape globalization so it can be about more than bread alone.

Yale University Press.

9780300186536. Hardcover. $28.00; $20.16

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good.

9781587433436. $19.99; $14.39

about the author Miroslav Volf is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. A native Croatian, he writes out of his first-hand experience of teaching in Croatia during the war in Former Yugoslavia. He won the 2002 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book, Exclusion & Embrace.

Why it is time to put the death penalty to death

Shane Claiborne

new Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed

Jesus and Why It’s Killing Us Shane Claiborne

In this reasoned exploration of justice, retribution, and redemption, the champion of the new monastic movement, popular speaker, and author of the bestselling, The Irresistible Revolution, offers a powerful and persuasive appeal for the abolition of the death penalty.

Using an historical lens to frame his argument, Claiborne draws on testimonials and examples from Scripture to show how the death penalty is not the ideal of justice that many believe. Not only is a life lost, but so is the possibility of mercy and grace. In Executing Grace, he reminds us of the divine power of forgiveness, and evokes the fundamental truth of the gospel that no one, even a criminal, is beyond redemption.

HarperCollins. Coming in June.

9780062347374. $17.99; $12.95

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Irresistible Revolution, Updated and Expanded. 9780310343707. $16.99; $12.23 Common Prayer Pocket Edition (with Jonathan WIlson-Hartgrove).

9780310335061. $12.99; $9.35 Red Letter Revolution. 9781400204182. Hardcover. $22.99; $16.55

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about the author Shane Claiborne is a prominent activist and sought-after speaker.

He is one of the founding members of The Simple Way, a community in inner-city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect radical faith communities around the world.

Shane serves on the board of directors of the Christian Community Development Association.

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Social Issues

In life, it’s not how you start that matters, it’s how you finish

Shaka Senghor Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison Shaka Senghor

In 1991, Shaka Senghor was sent to prison for second-degree murder. Today, he is a lecturer at universities, a leading voice on criminal justice reform, and an inspiration to thousands.

Senghor was raised in a middle class Detroit neighborhood during the height of the 1980s crack epidemic. An honor roll student and a natural leader, he dreamed of becoming a doctor. At age 11, his parents’ marriage began to unravel, and the beatings from his mother worsened, sending him on a downward spiral that saw him run away from home, turn to drug dealing, and end up in prison for murder at the age of 19, fuming with anger and despair.

Writing My Wrongs is the story of what came next. During his nineteen-year incarceration, seven of which were spent in solitary confinement, Senghor discovered literature, meditation, self-examination, and the kindness of others—tools he used to confront the demons of his past. Upon his release at age 38, he became an activist and mentor to young men and women facing circumstances like his. His work in the community and the courage to share his story led him to fellowships at the MIT Media Lab and the Kellogg Foundation and invitations to speak at events like TED and the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Random House Books.

9781101907290. $26.00; $18.72

about the book

about the author Shaka Senghor is a writer,

Writing My Wrongs is a page-turning portrait of a life in the shadow of poverty, violence, and fear; an unforgettable story of redemption, reminding us that our worst deeds don’t define us; and a compelling witness to our country’s need for rethinking its approach to crime, prison, and the men and women sent there.

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mentor, and motivational speaker whose story of redemption has inspired young adults at high schools and universities across the nation. He has written six books, including Crack, a detective series; his memoir about life in prison, Writing My Wrongs; and a companion piece to his mentoring program, Live in Peace: A Youth Guide to Turning Hurt into Hope.

Shaka has worked with youth at the Detroit Job Corps and many area high schools; has lectured at universities; and is an invited guest on local radio and television programs. He is currently a staff writer for The Michigan Citizen, covering stories that lift up Detroit and inspire the best in the city.

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Leadership

Christian embrace of “outsiders” and “strangers”

William H. Willimon new Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love William H. Willimon

In this no-nonsense book, reliable spiritual guide Will Willimon invites readers to consider the gospel command to love (and not merely tolerate) those considered to be “Other” or outside mainstream Christian culture. Rooted in the faith of Israel and the Christian story and vision, Willimon brings a nontechnical, Wesleyan perspective to bear on what may be the hardest thing for people of faith to do: keeping and loving the Other as Other.

Emphasizing the biblical mandate to receive Others in their particularity and difference as gifts and mysteries bearing the grace of God, Willimon also offers a strong critique of the privileged who all too often rush to language of reconciliation and evade the huge inequalities surrounding conversations and practices dealing with xenophobia and injustice. Willimon eschews “the imperialism of liberalism’s sweeping embrace” and identifies concrete, everyday ways persons are formed in welcoming others without annihilating their differences.

Willimon invites readers to an on-the-ground faith that hearkens to a soliciting and revealing God—the God who comes to us again and again through so-called outsiders, strangers, immigrants, and those without status.

Abingdon Press.

9781501824753. $14.99; $10.04

about the book

about the author William H. Willimon’s deepest

The subtitle is No Fear in Love, which is a direct reference to a verse in 1 John.

Bishop Willimon felt compelled to write this in our current political environment and cultural environment where people are so afraid of “the other” and are acting out in fear rather than acting out in the love that Jesus calls each of us to.

If there are conversations at your church that are happening leading up to the political system, this is a way to have a conversation with love and grace about what we’re called to be as Christians. The book will be challenging and prophetic and important for anybody to read at any time but especially this year as we’re leading into an important election.

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calling is to be a preacher and truth-teller of Jesus Christ. He feels the most at home behind a pulpit. Willimon is Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke University Divinity School and retired Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church. He previously served for 20 years as faculty member and Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.

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Leadership Understanding the challenges facing today’s church

Paul Nixon Beth Ann Estock new

Weird Church: Welcome to the Twenty-First Century Paul Nixon and Beth Ann Estock

In the post-Christendom era, the institutional church just isn’t what it used to be.

But don’t give up hope for the future of faith. Weird Church offers church leaders a clear vision of what’s coming next, as long as they’re willing to live into a few critical shifts. Utilizing Spiral Dynamics as a means of framing the current changes in North American culture, Nixon and Estock give a thrilling forecast of where the church is going as we race toward the mid-century.

This book is a wake-up call to anyone who still thinks church revitalization is simply a matter of doing better the things that used to come so easily. A must-read for anybody who is designing Christian ministry for the new world that is rapidly emerging around us.

Pilgrim Press.

9780829820348. $20.00; $14.40

MORE FROM Paul Nixon

“

Finding Jesus on the Metro: And Other Surprises Doing Church in a New Day. 9780829818543. $14.00; $11.06 Fling Open the Doors: Giving the Church Away to the Community.

9780687045549. $22.99; $15.40 I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church!

9780829817591. $17.00; $12.24 Multiply Your Impact: Making the Leap from Church Maintenance to Gospel Movement.

9780974675930. $11.99; $9.47 We Refused to Lead a Dying Church!

9780829818956. $17.00; $12.24

praise for the book

A bold book with a big heart, Weird Church is a refreshing, cerebral look at how the Church, often touted as a dying institution, must change along with the changing world. Weaving together theology and psychology in conversational and compelling ways, Estock and Nixon offer a hopeful look into the future of the Church, as well as a challenge to the status quo. Add this one to your conversations about future church; you don’t want to miss it.

— Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Senior Minister, The Riverside Church, NYC

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about the authors Paul Nixon is a best-selling author and President/CEO of The Epicenter Group. He and his Epicenter colleagues have coached or consulted with more than 1,000 churches in North America and Europe. Since 2009, Nixon has served as a strategist with the Path 1 team of The United Methodist Church, focused on new church development in the Northeast U.S. He lives in Washington, DC.

Beth Ann Estock coaches weird churches all over the United States.

She grew up in the Midwest, began her pastoral work in the Bible Belt, and then moved to the Pacific Northwest two decades ago. She is an ordained pastor in The United Methodist Church, a contemplative, cultural architect, and futurist. She and her husband, Jeff, and two daughters live in Portland, Oregon. She blogs at www.sacreddirt.com.

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Leadership Reshaping the church for a new era

Anna Olson new

Claiming Resurrection in the Dying Church: Freedom Beyond Survival Anna B. Olson

How do you minister faithfully to a congregation that is in decline? While many congregations struggle with trying to find the key to regrowth, pastor Anna Olson suggests that the answer may actually be to accept and embrace this moment for what it is. In this beautifully written work, Olson helps pastors recognize that, while the congregation might be going away, the community of which it is a part is still very much alive. Using her own experiences in a dying congregation, Olson encourages pastors to use this opportunity to explore new ways to minister, freely and selflessly, and provides a powerful model of what faithfulness to the gospel looks like. This hopeful book about letting go of false hope gives pastors the guidance they need for ministering effectively during the final stages of a church’s life.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664261177. $17.00; $12.24

about the author Anna B. Olson is a bilingual Episcopal priest. She works in Los Angeles with marginalized communities and historic congregations to develop multilingual and inculturated liturgy models and liturgy in public spaces.

Words of prejudice—even unintentional ones—cause harm in the church

Cody J. Sanders Angela Yarber Microaggressions in Ministry: Confronting the Hidden Violence of Everyday Church Cody J. Sanders and Angela Yarber

This is the first book that addresses the concept of microaggressions in ministry and church life. Drawing from their background as ordained clergy, Sanders and Yarber introduce ministry leaders to the concept of microaggressions and look specifically at microaggressions directed at race, gender, and sexuality in the church. Sanders and Yarber help readers become more aware of these subtle and often unconscious communications, offering realistic examples and guidance for grappling with this issue in preaching, religious education, worship, spirituality, and pastoral care and counseling.

about the author Cody J. Sanders is Pastor of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Harvard Square, Massachusetts. He received a 2014 National Bronze Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664260576. $20.00; $14.40

about the author Angela Yarber is a minister, seminary teacher, and author of six books that address the intersections among religion, gender/sexuality, and the arts, including Holy Women Icons and The Gendered Pulpit. .

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Leadership

Working towards racial, gender, and ethnic justice

Grace Ji-Sun Kim Here I Am: Faith Stories of Korean American Clergywomen Grace Ji-Sun Kim, editor

This project is a unique compilation of theological reflections and stories of faith from Korean American women in various forms of ministry in the church.

The main goal is to share their stories to provide a window of understanding into the trials of Korean American women in ministry—a window that may serve as a mirror for other women who know what it is to be marginalized, overlooked, or prejudged based on their gender, ethnicity, culture, or appearance.

The book’s uniqueness is found in its various genres of writing—from sermons and theological reflections to poetry and stories of personal journey—from women of various generations. Readers will be encouraged and inspired and affirmation will be given to other Asian American women called to Christian ministry. These stories and voices add clarity, wisdom, and hope, enriching the overall landscape of writings in this field.

Judson Press.

9780817017637. $16.99; $12.23

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Contemplations from the Heart: Spiritual Reflections on Family, Community, and the Divine. 9781625645425. $16.00

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praise for the book

about the editor Grace Ji-Sun Kim is associate professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and a regular blogger on The Huffington Post. Her other books include Contemplations from the Heart: Spiritual Reflections on Family, Community, and the Divine; The Grace of Sophia: A Korean North American Women’s Christology; and The Holy Spirit, Chi, and the Other: A Model of Global and Intercultural Pneumatology.

As a seminary professor who regularly finds himself teaching and working with Korean and Korean American women pursuing ordination, one of my persistent struggles has been finding resources to help my students—all my students, not just Korean and Korean American women—recognize and begin to address the contexts in which [oppressed] women find themselves. This book offers insights into the lives of a number of women who, in sharing their stories, help us all better understand our own stories and the complex ways we relate to people with other stories. If Amy Tan wrote stories about Korean and Korean American clergywomen, they might sound like this.

— Mark Douglas, Professor of Christian Ethics, Columbia Theological Seminary

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Leadership

Women in ministry offer unique and powerful gifts

Karoline M. Lewis new

She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry Karoline M. Lewis As a woman in ministry, you negotiate unique challenges every day. You need a trusted and comprehensive resource that not only helps you survive, but one that gives you the tools you need to thrive in your calling. She is that resource.

Covering everything from biblical arguments for and against women in the church to what not to wear, this book offers background information to help you navigate through the many and varied issues you face as a woman in ministry.

Plus, it helps the the men who serve alongside you gain a deeper understanding of your ministry while offering them practical ideas on how to serve honestly and honorably with women.

Abingdon Press. Coming in May. 9781501804946. $19.99; $13.39

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author insights

about the author Karoline M. Lewis holds the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Homiletics at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a regularly featured presenter and preacher at the Festival of Homiletics and a frequent contributor for numerous Christian journals and online resources, including the popular website WorkingPreacher.org where she also co-hosts the site’s weekly podcast, Sermon Brainwave, and authors the site’s weekly column, Dear Working Preacher. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Karoline Lewis knows that Christian ministry cannot be practiced without telling and performing the truth. In this fast-paced, passionate book, Lewis tells some tough truth that is also life-giving to pastors. She particularly shows how women in ministry can be empowered by analyzing the structures of power that function to disempower women. Here’s an exciting experiment in telling the truth about women in ministry that I found to be both judgment upon and a gracious gift to my own ministry.

—Will Willimon, retired UMC bishop, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC

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Leadership Do what God did when He wanted to make a difference in this world—move in

Léonce B. Crump Jr. Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are Léonce B. Crump Jr.

Whether you’re a pastor looking to plant a church, a missionary preparing to serve in a far-off land, a family preparing to move into a new community, or a follower of Jesus simply looking to engage more deeply in your current neighborhood, Léonce reveals how our agendas can often sabotage achieving real change in our world.

Léonce takes you on a journey to understand what he calls “the ministry of presence” which he himself learned the hard way after planting a church in one of the most violent areas of Atlanta. Léonce and his family found that, before we can preach or reach others, we must first know the story of a place and its people—especially since skin color, cultural norms, and economic status often isolate us more than bringing us together.

Multnomah Press.

9781601425546. $14.99; $10.79

about the author Léonce B. Crump Jr. is lead pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta. An All-American college wrestler and football player, he once played in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints. He’s been in ordained ministry for 9 years, having earned graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee and Resurgence Theological Training Center.

He’s an emerging voice in the urban renewal movement.

In caregiving, listening helps you as well as others

Karen D. Scheib Pastoral Care: Telling the Stories of Our Lives Karen D. Scheib

Pastoral Care affirms the historic link between Christian formation and pastoral care by locating the distinctive nature of pastoral care in the mission of the church to form persons in the Christian life of love.

Drawing primarily on the theological concept of sanctification and using insights from narrative psychological theory, this text presents a praxis-oriented model of pastoral care as companionship. Pastoral caregivers, it suggests, are called to be companions growing in love, walking alongside others who are likewise growing in love of God, self, and other. Such pastoral caregivers engage their companions in narrative, relational, and prophetic practices in multiple settings.

Abingdon Press.

9781426766473. $35.99; $24.11

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about the author Karen D. Scheib is Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology and Director of the Women, Theology, and Ministry Program at Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also on the faculty of the Emory Center for Ethics.

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Leadership Help the Bible become your child’s life-long companion

Elizabeth Caldwell I WONDER: Engaging a Child’s Curiosity about the Bible Elizabeth Caldwell

Who created God? Will there be another flood? Is the Bible true? It’s only a matter of time before your child asks you to answer difficult questions about the Bible. I Wonder helps you talk to your child about the Bible...plus, it acts as a resource— providing you with expert advice about what translations may be best for your child, which passages and stories of the Bible are age-appropriate, and what methods you can use to help your child learn as the Scriptures are read.

How we read and interpret the Bible with children can make a difference in whether or not the Bible continues to be an important source for their faith. I Wonder helps you know how to make it your child’s life-long companion for spiritual growth.

Abingdon Press.

9781426799921. $19.99; $13.39

about the author Elizabeth Caldwell teaches as Adjunct Faculty in Religious Education at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, TN. She recently retired as the Harold Blake Walker Professor of Pastoral Theology at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She served on the Editorial Board for the Common English Bible and wrote “Life Preserver Notes” for the Deep Blue Kids Bible.

Anchored in the the deeply rooted Black religious experience

Winterbourne L. Harrison-Jones

From Generation to Generation:

A Commemorative Collection of African American Millennial Sermons from the Festivals of Young Preachers 2010–2015 Winterbourne L. Harrison-Jones, editor From Generation to Generation is a collection of sermons preached by African American participants in the Festivals of Young Preachers from 2010 to 2015, events sponsored by the Academy of Preachers. It is a rare and unique archive of what the nation’s most promising young African American ministers are thinking and speaking about the Christian faith. It is enriched by the Festival sermons of many of the nation’s leading seasoned preachers also.

Chalice Press.

9780827212817. $26.99; $21.32

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about the editor Winterbourne L. HarrisonJones, Academy of Preachers class of 2010, has been a part of the Academy of Preachers since its inception in 2008.

He holds degrees from Fisk University and Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School, and is pursuing postgraduate work at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Leadership A practical road map for leaders to implement and live out 20 transformational habits

Brad Lomenick

new h3 leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry.

Always Hustle.

Brad Lomenick

Lomenick shares his hard-earned insights from more than two decades of work alongside thought leaders such as Jim Collins and Malcom Gladwell, Fortune 500 CEOs, and start-up entrepreneurs. He categorizes twenty essential leadership habits organized into three distinct filters he calls “the 3 Hs”: Humble (Who am I?), Hungry (Where do I want to go?), and Hustle (How will I get there?). These powerful words describe the leader who is willing to work hard, get it done, and make sure it’s not about him or her. Lomenick provides a simple but effective guide to help one lead well in whatever capacity he or she may be in.

Thomas Nelson Publishing. Coming in October.

9780718088507. $16.99; $12.23 9780718022259. Hardcover. $24.99; $17.99

MORE FROM This AUTHOR The Catalyst Leader. 9781595554970. Hardcover. $22.99; $16.55

about the author Brad Lomenick is a strategic advisor and leadership consultant specializing in influence, innovation, generational issues and business strategy. He is a sought-after speaker at conferences, churches, and colleges as well as author of The Catalyst Leader.

A local church can be either a blessing or a curse to their community

Ken Blanchard Phil Hodges

new Lead Like Jesus for Churches: Loving God and Loving Each Other Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges

In this newly revised version, Lead like Jesus for Churches (formerly The Most Loving Place in Town) is the story of two men: a disillusioned church elder and a gifted young pastor, who recognize that their church has lost sight of its number one priority: loving God and each other. They begin a search— independently at first—to recapture their lost love and then together lead their fellowship in a successful discovery of the secret to becoming a beacon of love in their community. By the end of the story you clearly see why this secret, so simple yet so profound, is vital—and how to apply it to the life of your church.

about the author Ken Blanchard is the co-author of The One Minute Manager and 50 other books, including the New York Times business bestsellers Gung Ho! and Raving Fans.

Thomas Nelson Publishing.

9780718076382. $16.99; $12.23

about the author Phil Hodges served as manager of human resources and industrial relations in the United States business world for about thirty-six years. He is the co-author of Leadership by the Book, The Servant Leader, and Lead Like Jesus.

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Leadership Separate the values of the gospel from cultural norms

Stephen Ingram Hollow Faith: How Andy Griffith, Facebook, and the American Dream Diluted the Gospel Stephen Ingram This book for youth leaders, pastors, and parents looks deeply into the mirror of pop and church culture and asks the difficult and often maddening question, “Are those things we produce and consume defining us?” Author Stephen Ingram explores these themes of moralism, deism, meism, consumerism, pluralism, and therapeutic religion of pop culture, as well as current sociological and psychological data.

Abingdon Press.

9781501810053. $15.99; $10.71

MORE FROM This AUTHOR Organic Student Ministry: Trash the Pre-Packaged Programs and Transform Your Youth Group.

Chalice Press.

9780827227583. $21.99; $15.83

about the author Stephen Ingram holds a B.A. in Religion from Samford University and a Masters of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology. He is a lead consultant with Ministry Architects and the Director of Student Ministries at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham, AL.

How to minister to a generation in the world of social media

Andrew Zirschky Beyond the screen: Youth Ministry for the

Connected But Alone Generation

Andrew Zirschky It’s no secret that teenagers are perpetually connected via social media and mobile devices. While we’ve analyzed as a culture how youth are connecting, we’ve done less well at understanding why teenagers are drawn to the glow of the screen. Beyond the Screen explores the reality that teenagers use these technologies in a desperate bid for an intimacy and depth of relationship largely absent from face-to-face society and the church.

Employing the latest ethnographic research on youth and digital media in tandem with theological reflection and interviews with teens themselves, author Andrew Zirschky provides a deeper glimpse into the world of teens and social media and gives new direction and directives for ministering to Millennials.

Abingdon Press.

9781501810077. $16.99; $11.38

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about the author Andrew Zirschky is Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Youth Ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary and serves as academic director at the Center for Youth Ministry Training in Brentwood, Tennessee.

He has 20 years of youth ministry experience.

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Leadership

Robin Meyers Spiritual Defiance: Building a Beloved Community of Resistance Robin Meyers

During his thirty-year career as a parish minister and professor, Meyers has focused on renewing the church as an instrument of social change and personal transformation. In this provocative and passionate book, he explores the decline of the church as a community of believers and calls readers back to the church’s roots as a community of resistance, urging a return to the revolutionary spirit that marked Jesus’s ministry.

He calls for active—sometimes even subversive—defiance of the ego’s temptations, of what he terms “the heresy of orthodoxy itself,” and of an uncritical acceptance of militarism and capitalism. Each chapter is a poignant and urgent invitation to recover the Jesus Movement as a Beloved Community of Resistance.

Yale University Press.

9780300219814. $16.00; $11.52

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus.

9781118061596. $24.95; $17.96 Morning Sun on a White Piano: Simple Pleasures and the Sacramental Life.

9780385498692. $15.00; $11.85 Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus.

9780061568220. $14.99; $10.79

about the author Robin Meyers is a nationally known pastor, professor, peace activist, and the author of six books about progressive Christianity and American society. He is the senior minister of Mayflower Congregational UCC church, Oklahoma City, professor of rhetoric at Oklahoma City University. He lectures and gives workshops nationwide, and is an award-winning commentator for NPR.

Create a spiritual force that moves through your entire community

Sue Nilson Kibbey

new

flood gates: Holy Momentum for a

Fearless Church Sue Nilson Kibbey

When floodgates open, watching the surge of water…hearing the thunderous roar…feeling the ground move—it’s like experiencing pure strength and power. Author Sue Nilson Kibbey says our churches can encounter equally powerful spiritual movements if we unlatch our hearts and minds, allowing God’s spirit to pour forth.

With this book you’ll learn how to tap leadership strength, make the case for change, effectively grow leaders, and mobilize a congregation. Each chapter includes specific actions and behaviors that, when implemented, can transform a small group of believers, or an entire congregation, into people who reach and change their neighborhoods, communities, and world for Christ.

Abingdon Press. Coming in October.

9781501804021. $18.99; $12.72

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about the author Sue Nilson Kibbey is an ordained United Methodist elder who serves as the Director of the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) for the West Ohio Conference. She is also the creator of the Ministry

by Strengths program and is an adjunct professor for ministry leadership at United Theological Seminary.

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Leadership Preserve your passion and energy by using your off switch!

Heather Bradley Miriam Grogan new

Switch Off: The Clergy Guide to Preserving Energy and Passion for Ministry Heather Bradley and Miriam Grogan

Many members of the clergy are committed to their vocation, yet struggle to remain engaged and energized. The pressures of congregational and family commitments take their toll.

Clergy are part of a profession like no other. However you define it, the label “clergy” represents a collection of roles that come together in various combinations based on religion, congregational size, and congregational structure. This book will help you examine the roles you inhabit and the roles of others around you. You will also be challenged to look at old problems in a new way and find tools to unwind the complexities of your personal situation and develop new habits to manage expectations.

about the author Heather Bradley is a multicredentialed executive coach, an HR turnaround expert, an avid figure skating fan, and was named as a fan blogger by the US Figure Skating Association.

Abingdon Press. Coming in August.

9781501810466. $14.99; $10.04

about the author Miriam Grogan is an executive and certified leadership coach.

The church can learn from secular society how to “be the church”

Dottie Escobedo-Frank Rob Rynders

new

The Sacred Secular: How God Is Using the World to Shape the Church Dottie Escobedo-Frank and Rob Rynders

Our urban cores are undergoing a renaissance. People, especially young people, are ditching the suburbs and gated communities in search of more interesting and compelling ways of living: local, community-based coffee shops, bars, and businesses; farm-to-table restaurants; art shows; the local music scene. The escape from suburbia also includes an escape from the mega-church/big box store experience of organized religion. Yet whether they know it or not, urbanites aren’t rejecting religious beliefs—they’re adopting new religious practices. The gathering spaces and the ways they gather may look different, however, this new urban “religion” brings with it a deep commitment to community building, sustainability, and compassion for one’s neighbors—all practices and beliefs found at the core of Jesus’ teachings.

Abingdon Press. Coming in October.

9781501810442. $16.99; $11.38

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about the author Dottie Escobedo-Frank is a UM pastor, writer, and speaker.

Her work centers on church revitalization, worship, preaching, and multicultural ministry.

about the author Rob Rynders is a United Methodist pastor, strategic planner, and recipient of Claremont School of Theology’s Distinguished Alumnus award.

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Leadership Preaching with a blues sensibility

Otis Moss III Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World: Finding Hope in an Age of Despair

Otis Moss III

Uniquely gifted preacher Otis Moss III helps preachers effectively communicate hope in a desperate and difficult world in this work based on his 2014 Beecher lectures. Moss challenges preachers to preach with a “Blue Note sensibility,” which speaks directly to the tragedies faced by their congregants without falling into despair.

He offers four powerful sermons that illustrate his Blue Note preaching style. In them, Moss beautifully and passionately brings to life biblical characters that speak to today’s pressing issues, including race discrimination and police brutality, while maintaining a strong message of hope. Moss shows how preachers can teach their congregations to resist letting the darkness find its way into them and, instead, learn to dance in the dark.

Westminster John Knox Press.

9780664261603. $18.00; $12.96

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Gospel According to the Wiz: And Other Sermons from Cinema 9780829819915. $17.00; $12.24

about the author Otis Moss III is Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.

An ordained minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the United Church of Christ, his sermons and writings have appeared in numerous publications.

Co-authored with his father, Otis Moss, Jr Preach! The Power and Purpose Behind Our Praise 9780829819076. $16.00; $11.52

Looking at the Bible through a “green” lens

Leah D. Schade Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit Leah D. Schade

How can we proclaim justice for God’s Creation in the face of global warming? How does fracking fit with “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s?” Creation-Crisis Preaching works with the premise that all of Creation, including humankind, needs to hear the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection in this age in which humanity is “crucifying” Creation.

Informed by years of experience as an environmental activist and minister, Leah Schade equips preachers to interpret the Bible through a “green” lens, become rooted in environmental theology, and learn how to understand their preaching context in terms of the particular political, cultural, and biotic setting of their congregation.

Creation-Crisis Preaching provides both theoretical grounding and practical tips for preachers to create environmental sermons that are relevant, courageous, creative, pastoral, and inspiring.

Chalice Press.

9780827205413. $29.99; $21.59

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about the author Leah D. Schade is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). She has worked with parishioners from a variety of cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds.

Schade’s ministry is marked by her experience in and passion for ecological and social justice advocacy and activism.

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Theology Theology matters to our lives and to the life of the world

Cynthia L. Rigby new Holding FaitH: A Practical Introduction to

Christian Doctrine Cynthia L. Rigby

Doctrine is important to pastors and Bible scholars, but do the rest of us need to engage in discussions about it? After reading Holding Faith you’ll come to realize that “doctrine” is just a word for how we relate to God and to one another, and therefore, it deeply affects our everyday Christian life. The book introduces basic Christian doctrines and examines each one using current events, sociology, fiction, and movies, in addition to Scripture and theological literature, to show that theology matters to our lives and to the life of the world.

Abingdon Press. Coming in August.

9781426758140. $39.99; $26.79 9781630885847. Hardcover. $49.99; $33.49

about the author Cynthia L. Rigby is The W.C. Brown Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas.

Explore the history that lead to the affirmation at the heart of Christianity: Jesus was, and is, God

Bart D. Ehrman How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee Bart D. Ehrman In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things.

Ehrman sketches Jesus’s transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God, exalted to divine status at his resurrection.

Only when some of Jesus’s followers had visions of him after his death—alive again—did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God. And what they meant by that was not at all what people mean today.

HarperColllins.

9780061778193. $15.99; $11.51

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Jesus, Interrupted. 9780061173943. $15.99; $11.51 Misquoting Jesus. 9780060859510. $15.99; $11.51

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about the author Bart D. Ehrman is a leading authority on the Bible and the life of Jesus, the author of over 20 books, and the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He’s been featured in Time and has appeared on CNN, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, major NPR shows, and other top media outlets.

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Theology

Certainty is not the same as faith

Peter Enns new The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More

Than Our “Correct” Beliefs Peter Enns

With compelling and often humorous stories from his own life, Bible scholar Peter Enns offers a fresh look at how Christian life truly works, answering questions that cannot be addressed by the idealized traditional doctrine of “once for all delivered to the saints.” Enns offers a model of vibrant faith that views skepticism not as a loss of belief, but as an opportunity to deepen religious conviction with courage and confidence. This is not just an intellectual conviction, he contends, but a more profound kind of knowing that only true faith can provide.

Combining Enn’s reflections of his own spiritual journey with an examination of Scripture, The Sin of Certainty models an acceptance of mystery and paradox that all believers can follow and why God prefers this path because it is only this way by which we can become mature disciples who truly trust God. It gives Christians who have known only the demand for certainty permission to view faith on their own flawed, uncertain, yet heartfelt terms.

HarperCollins.

9780062272089. Hardcover. $25.99; $18.71

“

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It. 9780062272034. $15.99; $11.51

praise for the book

about the author Peter Enns is the Abram S.

If you’re afraid that your theological questions and doubts disqualify you from being a person of faith, theologian Peter Enns has good news for you. Really good news. And it’s a delightful read too!

—Brian D. McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity

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Clemens Professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He was formerly senior fellow of biblical studies for The BioLogos Foundation, an organization that explores the integration of science and Christian faith, where he wrote a regular column for their “Science and the Sacred” blog.

He has taught at several schools, including Princeton Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, Temple University, and Westminster Theological Seminary.

Enns has authored or edited numerous books.

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Studies A new way to expand your church—community groups

Jennifer Cowart Jim Cowart

about the authors

new Living the Five

Jennifer Cowart and Jim Cowart This is the resource for any church looking to expand through community groups—an alternative type of small group that reaches smaller settings. With less overhead and more mobility, community groups harness a combination of evangelism and ethics reminiscent of John Wesley’s class meetings. In Living the Five, authors Jim and Jennifer Cowart show you how successful community groups are called to live out five principles and share how they applied these principles when creating community groups in their own church: 1. You can’t do life alone.

2. Growing people change.

3. Saved people serve people.

4. Found people find people.

5. Worship is a lifestyle.

Streaming video also available on Cokesbury.com.

During the Living the Five campaign, which is led during worship, make Participant Books and DVDs available for anyone who agrees to establish a community group in their home, workplace, or other settings. Purchase one DVD Set for up to 10 community groups and one Participant Book with Leader Guide per participant.

Abingdon Press. Coming in September.

Jim Cowart is the founding pastor of Harvest United Methodist Church near Macon, GA. With an average attendance of 3,000 each weekend, it has an innovative “community group” strategy.

Jim serves as a trainer and coach. For more information go to harvestchurch4u.org.

9781501825095. Participant Book with Leader Guide. $14.99; $10.04 9781501825118. DVD Set of 10 (for 10 groups). $69.99; $46.89

Learn to implement community groups in your church

Jennifer Cowart Jim Cowart

new Grab, Gather, Grow: Multiply Community Groups in Your Church Jennifer Cowart and Jim Cowart

Transform your congregation by launching community groups—a fresh strategy from Jim and Jennifer Cowart, authors of Grab, Gather, Grow. Learn how they used adaptive systems, digital tools, and flexible overhead to expand Harvest Church, a United Methodist congregation twenty miles southwest of Macon, Georgia, from 76 community groups to over 250 in just seven years. Their five-part growth strategy includes a thirtyminute video in addition to the leadership book.

The 30-minute training video includes the following themes: • Group Explosion • Overcoming Obstacles • The Power of the Pulpit • Living the Five through Group Life • Creating Infrastructure for Facilitators

Jennifer Cowart is the Director of Discipleship and Emerging Ministries at Harvest UMC. She has degrees in Christian Education and Counseling.

She is a systems thinker and a gifted speaker and strategist who brings humor and “outside the box” thinking to the table.

Abingdon Press. Coming in September.

9781501825057. Book. $14.99; $10.04 9781501825088. DVD. $19.99; $15.99

Streaming video also available on Cokesbury.com.

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Studies

Life is better shared...

Nick Cunningham new

One: A Small Group Journey Toward Life-Changing Community Nick Cunningham with Trevor Miller Although One is a small-group study written to cover an eight-week session, its larger purpose is for participants of the group to embrace meaningful relationships with their fellow Christ followers and to continue to meet together, lifting each other up, pushing each other forward, and sending each other out—indefinitely.

One Journal is an interactive tool that helps small group members take the first step by answering questions that call for individual responses and with prompts for creative interaction. Group activities based on the weekly lesson are designed to further build the community. In addition to the Journal, a Leader Guide and video (DVD or mp4) are also available.

Abingdon Press.

9781501816451. Journal. $14.99; $10.04

Additional study resources also available. Contact us for details.

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authors’ insights

about the author Nick Cunningham is the Adult Discipleship Director at Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington, South Carolina. He previously served as the teaching pastor at Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. He is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at United Theological Seminary. Nick and his family live in Lexington, South Carolina.

On some level we all long for a deeper connection with one another, but wanting it and and experiencing it are two different things. Truth is, we aren’t very good at unity. And our relationships are often flaky, shallow versions of what they could be. This sort of community doesn’t just happen on its own, but it’s intentionally built and carefully sustained.

This is what One is all about.

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Studies Rebuilding our lives and this world

Talbot Davis new

Solve: Finding God’s Solutions in a World

of Problems Talbot Davis Nehemiah was not exactly handed a piece of cake. He had to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem after his people returned from exile…that’s all. Talk about a problem solver! Nehemiah chose not to dwell on his complicated task and the many dilemmas that came with it. Instead, he sought God’s solutions, following God’s lead and trusting God’s purpose.

In this five-week study, author Talbot Davis shows us how our problems, as individuals and as a society, are not unlike Nehemiah’s. You will see how you can follow in his footsteps, building up your life and the world around you. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion, a practical focus for the week, a closing prayer, and daily Scripture passages to guide personal reading throughout the week.

Abingdon Press.

9781501816482. $9.99; $6.69

about the author Talbot Davis is the pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, a congregation known for its ethnic diversity, outreach ministry, and innovative approach to worship. He has been recognized repeatedly for his excellence in congregational development.

Learn the basics of Christian discipleship

Clayton Oliphint Mary Brooke Casad Citizens of Hope: Basics of Christian Identity Clayton Oliphint and Mary Brooke Casad Hope. We know that hope is central to our identity as Christians and we know that supreme hope is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, but how does that relationship become real to us?

In Citizens of Hope, a book and four-week small-group study, you’ll be guided on a formative path of understanding who God is and who you are as God’s children. Each session is designed to invoke “holy conversation” and provides a suggested course of action in faith for every member of your group sending them out to serve in Jesus’ name. The book is part of the very popular The Basics Series and is complemented by a Leader Guide with options for tailoring sessions to the time frame and style of each group.

about the author Clayton Oliphint has served as senior pastor at the 6,000-member First United Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas since 2001.

Abingdon Press.

9781501813092. Participant Book. $14.99; $10.04

MORE FROM these authors in the Basics series Each, $14.99; $10.04 Get In the Game. 9781501813177. Participant Book.

The Road to Amazing. 9781501813139. Participant Book.

Additional study resources also available for these titles.

Contact us for details.

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about the author Mary Brooke Casad is former Executive Secretary of the Connectional Table of The United Methodist Church, chairs the Foundation for Evangelism Trustees, and is a director of the Texas Methodist Foundation Board. She lives with her family in Texas.

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Women’s Studies

Finding peace and harmony when you disagree

Melissa Spoelstra new

first corinthians: Living Love When We Disagree

Melissa Spoelstra

With more and more ways to communicate in a culture that encourages sharing the details of our lives, there exists greater and greater opportunity for disagreement. Our differences seem more pronounced. Our words sound more divisive. Even as Christians, we struggle to get along. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians living in Corinth about this very thing, encouraging them to not ridicule one another but to work together to show the love of Christ.

In this six-week DVD-based study you’ll dig deep into Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and discover how to live love even when you disagree. A workbook and Leader Guide complement the book and six-segment DVD. Abingdon Press. Coming in August.

9781501801686. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Jeremiah. 9781426788871. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71 Joseph. 9781426789106. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71

Additional study resources also available for these titles. Contact us for details.

Coming in September.

Total Family Makeover. 9781501820656. Book. $16.99; $11.38

“” praise for the author

about the author Melissa Spoelstra is a popular

Her deeply personal and insightful treatment of Scriptures makes them more relevant than today’s news.

—Reggie McNeal, Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network

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national women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and addicted to the study of His Word. Her passion is helping other women to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study, attentiveness to the Holy Spirit, and a tenacious dependence on God at all times, even through the storms of life.

She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her pastor husband and four kids.

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Women’s Studies See yourself as beautiful in God’s eyes

Barbara L. Roose Beautiful Already: Reclaiming God’s Perspective on Beauty Barbara L. Roose

Our dissatisfaction with what we see in the mirror is what Barb Roose calls our ugly struggle with beauty.

During this six-week Bible study, women will explore God’s truth about beauty throughout the Scriptures, digging into passages in both the Old and New Testaments and applying the truths in their lives. They will move away from over-focusing on unrealistic expectations and perceived flaws and move toward God’s viewpoint.

By learning to see the goodness, blessing, and purpose for their bodies no matter their size, shape, or style, women will overcome discontent and comparison and learn to live fully as the beautifully unique creations God designed them to be.

Abingdon Press.

9781501813542. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71

Additional study resources also available for this title.

Contact us for details.

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Enough Already.

9781426789014. $15.99; $10.71 9781501800023. Hardcover. $24.99; $16.74

about the author Barbara L. Roose is an author and popular speaker who is passionate about connecting women to one another and to God, helping them apply the truths of God’s Word to the practical realities and challenges they face as women in today’s culture. Previously she was the Executive Director of Ministry at CedarCreek Church in Perrysburg, Ohio. Barb lives in Toledo, Ohio with her husband and three beautiful daughters.

Find Barbara online at www.barbroose.com.

Learn how we are holy, chosen, loved, set apart

Jessica LaGrone Set Apart: Holy Habits of Prophets and Kings Jessica LaGrone

Your furniture isn’t solid gold nor have you seen a fiery chariot, but you’re not unlike some of the kings and prophets in 1 and 2 Kings.

Although they were set apart by God, they didn’t have all the answers. They struggled. They made big-time mistakes. But they grew in their faith through spiritual practices even while carrying out God’s calling on earth.

This six-week study examines the holy habits of six kings and prophets who were set apart by their close walk with God. Each week you’ll study the story of one intriguing character, discuss God’s unique purpose for his life, and learn about a particular spiritual discipline he practiced. Then you’ll explore how that timeless spiritual practice can draw you closer to God, helping you fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

Abingdon Press.

9781426778421. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71

MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR

about the author Jessica LaGrone is Dean of the Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary and an acclaimed pastor, teacher, author, and speaker who enjoys leading retreats and events at churches throughout the United States.

Broken and Blessed. 9781426778377. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71 Namesake. 9781426761874. Participant Book. $15.99; $10.71

Additional study resources also available for these titles. Contact us for details.

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Advent Studies

Go from “Bah, Humbug!” to a Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas

Matt Rawle new

The Redemption of Scrooge:

Connecting Christ And Culture Matt Rawle

Ebenezer Scrooge is a man in dire need of a second chance. Is redemption possible for such a greedy, dark, and sad character?

The Redemption of Scrooge, from Matt Rawle’s The Pop in Culture Series, shows us how the teachings of Jesus can be found in Dickens’ Christmas classic. From the ghosts of Christmas past, to the Life of the present, and the resurrection of Christmas future, this Advent study will “bless us every one” and reinvigorate our spiritual journeys as we look at this familiar story through the lens of faith.

Abingdon Press. Coming in September.

9781501823077. Book. $14.99; $10.04

Additional study resources also available for this title.

Contact us for details.

“

author insights

about the author Matt Rawle is Lead Pastor at The Well United Methodist Church in Ponchatoula, LA. Matt is an international speaker who loves to tell an old story in a new way, especially at the intersection of pop culture and the church. He is the author of a new series of books titled The Pop in Culture Series.

The series also includes The Faith of a Mockingbird, Hollywood Jesus, and The Salvation of Doctor Who.

[The] fourth book in The Pop in Culture series [is] The Redemption of Scrooge.

Because if Scrooge can be redeemed, so can we. It’s...an Advent study based on A Christmas Carol, and we’re excited about offering this new Advent study for churches and small groups and youth groups this time around.

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Advent Studies When heaven comes down to earth, greatness gets redefined

Mike Slaughter Rachel Billups new

down to earth: The Hopes & Fears of All the Years Are Met in Thee Tonight Mike Slaughter with Rachel Billups A virgin birth. God’s son…a helpless baby. Fleeing certain death. Nothing about the Christmas story is ordinary. Mike Slaughter says it’s enough to confound the mind and make the heart contrite.

In his book, Down to Earth, Slaughter presents a four-week Advent study that opens up God’s Christmas surprise to us and examines how it changed everything.

Abingdon Press. Coming in September.

9781501823398. Book. $16.99; $11.38

Additional study resources also available for this title.

Contact us for details.

“

author insights

Nothing in all the vast, created universe could prepare us for God coming down as a helpless infant. And, there’s nothing in all the imaginations of the world that could make sense of Jesus the son of God intentionally positioning himself as a mere servant identifying with the lowest of lows. It’s enough to confound the mind, to contrite the heart. This changes everything.

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about the authors Mike Slaughter is the lead pastor at Ginghamsburg Church.

Under his leadership, it has become known as an early innovator of small-group ministry, the Church “media reformation,” and cyber ministry. Mike is the author of multiple books for church leaders, including Change the World, Dare to Dream, Renegade Gospel, A Different Kind of Christmas, Spiritual Entrepreneurs, Real Followers, Momentum for Life, and UnLearning Church.

Rachel Billups serves as the Executive Pastor of Discipleship and as part of the preaching team for Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. She is an Ordained Elder within The United Methodist Church and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School. Previously, she served as the lead pastor of Shiloh United Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rachel is co-author of Sent: Delivering the Gift of Hope at Christmas.

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3/22/16 1:31 PM

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P.O. Box 280988 Nashville, TN 37228-0988

800.672.1789 | Cokesbury.com Call your local Community Resource Consultant

SV165610001 PACP10501253-01 9781501831096

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In this future classic, acclaimed author Robert Benson reveals to us the hopefulness found in the gospel’s brilliant promises.

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