Jonathan Merritt
A First Step into a Much Larger World
Discipleship & Christian Education
“There are few times in life more critical and formative than one's college years, and few people speak to this experience better than John Hawthorne. I wish I had had this book when I was a freshman!”
Ask Me for a Blessing (You Know You Need One)
Prayer & Spiritual Formation
“Adrian Dannhauser knows that sacred speech and spiritual conversations are too important to be handled without care. She understands that a blessing is more life-giving and more life-saving than its popular usage. Dannhauser writes as someone who has spent years standing on the sidewalk of our culture, whispering good news to passing pedestrians. Ask Me for a Blessing is a much-needed renovation project for important spiritual ideas--blessing, yes, but also forgiveness, redemption, prayer, and even grace. What a gift!”
Christian Living
“Jonathan Golden is one of the few voices I listen to on the topics of calling and purpose. He has proven his approach works in both his personal and professional lives. Be You. Do Good. is a practical and powerful book to help you find a life of meaning. Finally, a tool to help people find freedom to live as God made them to be!”
Christian Living
““Fear can steal, but it can also save. This powerful book gave me practical tools to still my knocking knees, thaw my frozen feet, and face the monsters I didn’t even realize were lurking under the bed. More than that, it invited me to excavate the unexpected gifts hidden in the dark places where fear often foments. In an age when monsters are multiplying, I can’t recommend this book highly enough!”
Church Leadership & Ministry
“More than a half-century has passed since Martin Luther King Jr. called 11:00 a.m. on Sunday ‘the most segregated hour in this nation,’ and his words are still true. For shame. A racially segregated church not only fails to reflect the increasingly multiethnic make-up of America, but it also fails to live up to the biblical vision of God’s kingdom. Where is this community comprised of ‘every nation and tribe and people and language’ that the Apostle John spoke about? But despair not, dear readers. In a moment where the church lags painfully behind the progress of society, Derwin Gray offers a clarion call for a revolution in our ranks. Building a Multiethnic Church arrives at the right moment and comes at you like a rocket—with superb precision and paradigm-exploding power. Skip it at your peril.”
Fiction
“In this book, the Reverend Charles Stuart and Samantha Logan take a treacherous and romantic voyage from Scotland to America where they join the struggle to free slaves on the Underground Railroad. Their great-granddaughter then confronts extremism in our day. But Buried Dreamer is more than just a good story. It takes us across centuries and continents as one family battles against some of the biggest issues of our day—prejudice, extremism, poverty, corruption. It achieves what many books fail to do—tell a tale that’s both interesting and important.”
Church Leadership & Ministry
“Every book on adoption or foster care that I’ve ever encountered was a theological treatise or a personal memoir or a how-to manual. Called to Care is the first book on this topic that has it all—heartfelt stories, spiritual reflection, a range of perspectives, and heaps of practical advice. This book is a veritable one-stop shop for anyone who is interested in or thinking about orphan care, and it is written by two of the most respected and trustworthy adoption advocates of the last quarter century in America. If you take seriously the Bible’s commands to care for orphans, read this book immediately.”
Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
“It's rare to find a book that's capable of holding the tension of the both/and when it comes to the sacred, but Cara Meredith has accomplished just that in her newest release, Church Camp. As a former church camp kid, I experienced a flood of memories upon reading, during which I found myself both laughing and nodding in agreement. This book will not only help you reminisce about the past; it will spur you to dream about what the future could be.”
History & Biography
“Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez doesn't just survive the machine that nearly destroyed him--he dismantles it, helping to shut down the largest 'ex-gay' ministry in the world. This story is so outrageous that it reads like spiritual fiction, except every devastating detail is true. Conversion Therapy Dropout is a mesmerizing memoir about the secret life of the most influential Christian you've never heard of. But more than that, it's a masterpiece of spiritual archaeology, unearthing hope from the ruins of religious trauma. A rare book that manages to be both a love letter to the church and a manifesto for its overdue transformation.”
Christian Living
“do good” in modern society, the call to philanthropy can leave us feeling weighed down and worn out. Luckily, as Chris Marlow says, it isn’t as difficult as it appears. Transforming your life into a force for social change is as easy as squeezing lemons or opening a garage door. If trying to be “good” has left you feeling burned out, beat up, or bewildered, this book is for you!”
Biblical Studies & Commentaries
“Too often, books written by Bible scholars are like a piece of week-old cake—dry, dense, and difficult to digest. But Eve Isn’t Evil shatters the category, managing to be poignant and personal and occasionally hilarious without sacrificing academic rigor. Who knew that theology could be so much fun? Julie Faith Parker takes readers on a journey of lesser-known feminist interpretations of the Bible, upending popular assumptions that the Scriptures are judgmental and anti-women. If you love the Bible enough to ask it hard questions, Eve Isn’t Evil is not to be missed.”
World Religions
“Alan Streett has spent a lifetime seeking to understand the nature of the paranormal. Dissatisfied with typical evangelical explanations, he follows the trail of evidence wherever it leads and invites us to join him. Along the way we encounter psychic healers, trance mediums, Christian mystics, and even a few hucksters—all claiming to have transcendental experiences. As he separates fact from fantasy, Streett draws surprising conclusions about these extraordinary occurrences. Exploring the Paranormal is a real page turner!”
Arts & Literature
“Anyone who has both loved and been harmed by the church needs this book.”
Following Jesus in a Warming World
Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
“This book is absolutely urgent today. Everywhere we look, there are clear signs that creation is in crisis. Following Jesus in a Warming World offers a warning, a wake-up call, and a way forward for Christians striving to be faithful disciples in the twenty-first century. Rather than pile on the guilt and shame, Kyle Meyaard-Schaap winsomely invites readers to embrace a faithful life that accounts for the ecological state of our world. This book is a balm for the climate-anxious soul!”
Christian Living
“I'm often overworked, perpetually exhausted, and seldom satisfied. In other ways, I'm an Enneagram Three who is not always healthy. It takes a lot of work for people like me to take time to rest, pray, meditate, sit in solitude, and focus on my spiritual life. Sean Palmer understands that as a fellow Three, and Forty Days on Being a Three is the most practical and helpful devotional book I've encountered for a person with my personality type. It's a roadmap for spiritual growth and a field guide for connection with others. If you or your loved one identifies an Enneagram Three, grab this book immediately!”
Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
“The stories Americans tell about education rarely capture the full truth of what it takes to overcome barriers erected by generations of injustice. Terence Lester steps into this void and maps the geography of educational inequity while simultaneously showing us the transformative power of community amid systems designed for failure. From Dropout to Doctorate awakened me to how trauma and poverty shape learning in ways popular policy discussions miss. This book is both a challenge to dismantle barriers to human flourishing and a stunning testament to what becomes possible when we create spaces where roses can break through concrete.”
Theology
“In a moment when conversations about environmental stewardship have become divisive and polarizing, Wirzba offers a level-headed ‘peace; be still.’ He reminds Christians that our world was created and is sustained by an intentional Craftsman who has asked us to steward it well. Wirzba’s words are fertile soil, fresh air, and a bountiful harvest that will stir your passion for creation and stoke your love for the Creator. This soon-to-be-classic text on the theology of creation has come to us not a moment too soon.”
Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
“No one wants to be called racist—or, worse, confess that we are—but the truth is we’re all swimming in the toxic waters of America’s cultural, systemic racism. Our choice is whether to ignore and deny it or to open our eyes to the ways we as white people (often unknowingly) perpetuate and benefit from racial injustice. For people of goodwill, the choice is clear, and Kerry Connelly offers a challenging yet accessible guide to recognizing our unconscious biases, our techniques of avoidance, and the myths we’ve believed about our history and ourselves.”
Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
“Brett McCracken is one of this generation’s leading thinkers on the intersection of faith and culture. In Gray Matters, he explores Christianity’s natural extremes with his feet firmly planted in Scripture. He charges headfirst into controversial questions and leaves no stone unturned. The result is a truly spectacular book that carves a path between an oppressive, rules-based religion and a powerless, free-for-all ‘faith.’ If you start reading it, beware—you won’t be able to put it down.”
Christian Living
“Holy Runaways is a must-read for anyone who has been hurt by religious institutions but is looking to reconstruct a capacious, life-giving faith. A poignant book that arrives at just the moment it's most needed!”
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