With titles coming from renowned athletes, bloggers, and speakers—as well as religious leaders—it’s clear that religion publishers are widening their nets to bring in new readers.
Top 10
The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life
Ann Voskamp. Zondervan, Oct. 25
Writing directly for those who feel lost or misunderstood, bestselling author Voskamp takes stock of her life and proposes ways to see through disappointment.
Catholic Women Confront Their Church
Celia Viggo Wexler. Rowman & Littlefield, Sept. 28
Journalist Wexler offers nine thought-provoking profiles of women who have wrestled with their Catholicism and the church’s approach to women.
Creed: What Christians Believe and Why
Adam Hamilton. Abingdon, Dec. 20
Building off the bestseller Half Truths, Hamilton, a senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kans., considers fundamental questions about Christianity and turns to the Apostles’ Creed for answers.
Everything Is Possible
Jen Bricker, with Sheryl Berk. Baker, Sept. 6
Bricker tells her story of determination and faith, and of becoming a world-class gymnast and international speaker, despite being born without legs.
Jesus Always
Sarah Young. Thomas Nelson, Oct. 4
Young, the bestselling author of Jesus Calling, returns with another 365-day devotional, this time focusing on biblical teachings of joy.
Making Sense of God
Timothy Keller. Viking, Sept. 20
Keller, a pastor, addresses the place of Christianity within an increasingly secularized world, arguing that Jesus’s teachings are still essential for finding meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope.
The Murderous History of Bible Translations
Harry Freedman. Bloomsbury, Nov. 15
In this wide-ranging look at the history of Bible translation, academic Freedman describes the passions and strong emotions that arise when deeply held religious convictions are threatened or undermined.
Shaken
Tim Tebow, with A. J. Gregory. WaterBrook, Oct. 25
Former star quarterback and Heisman Trophy–winner Tebow pulls the curtain back on his biggest career moments and explains how his faith has bolstered him through good and bad.
The Undoing of Saint Silvanus
Beth Moore. Tyndale, Sept. 20
The first novel from bestselling author Moore follows Jillian Slater, who flies to New Orleans to attend her father’s funeral and finds an eerie adversary in the apartment building where he lived.
Village Atheists
Leigh Eric Schmidt. Princeton Univ., Sept. 27
Schmidt looks at atheism in America via four key figures: minister Samuel Porter Putnam (1838–1896); Watson Heston (1846–1905), a political cartoonist; revivalist preacher Charles B. Reynolds (1832–1896); and radical Elmina Drake Slenker (1827–1908).
Fall 2016 Religion Listings: Fiction
Abingdon
Seasons in Paradise by Barbara Cameron (Aug. 2, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-426771-92-7). Sam left an Amish community and followed his older brother, David, into the Englisch world, walking away from a chance for love. Sam had clashed with his father, but is there more to his leaving the community than he says?
Barbour
Brides of Iowa: Three Loves Are Sweet Surprises Along Willow Creek by Connie Stevens (Aug. 1, trade paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-628362-35-0). Journey back in time to Iowa, where three women find healing and hope through the love God brings to their lives. 15,000-copy announced first printing.
Bethany House
From This Day Forward by Lauraine Snelling (Oct. 4, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-764211-07-2). When the women of Blessing decide to give Toby Valders a push to propose to Deborah MacCallister, their matchmaking scheme yields unexpected results. Facing a crossroads in her life, Deborah finds she is no longer certain which path she should choose.
A Love Transformed by Tracie Peterson (Sept. 6, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-764213-26-7). The riveting final story in the Sapphire Brides Series. Widowed and penniless, with two small children, Clara Vespers returns to her uncle’s ranch in Montana, the only place she has ever been happy.
Howard
Baxter Family Christmas by Karen Kingsbury (Oct. 25, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-4516-8756-9). From bestselling author Kingsbury comes a life-changing story of love and hope featuring the Baxter family.
Kensington/Zebra
Christmas at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard (Sept. 27, mass market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-420139-43-3). As the year draws to a close, the new colony of Promise Lodge is thriving. It’s a welcoming community that offers three Amish sisters a fresh start.
Revell
Tangled Webs by Irene Hannon (Oct. 4, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-800724-54-2). After a disastrous Middle East mission ends his six-year Army Ranger career, Finn McGregor needs some downtime. A peaceful month in the woods sounds like the perfect way to decompress. But peace isn’t on the agenda once he crosses paths with publishing executive Dana Lewis.
This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick (Sept. 6, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-800722-33-3). Tabitha Brown’s son makes the fateful decision to strike out for Oregon from Missouri in the mid-19th century, and, despite his concerns, Tabitha hires her own wagon to join the party. Based on true events.
Shiloh Run
The Hawaiian Quilt by Wanda E. and Jean Brunstetter (Sept. 1, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-634092-24-1). Join Mandy Frey as she and three friends leave their Amish community in Indiana for the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii. But when Mandy and one of her friends miss the cruise ship after a port of call on Kauai, they must learn to adjust and find a way home.
Thomas Nelson
Because You’re Mine by Colleen Coble (Jan. 10, trade paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-0-718083-80-9). Alanna has been plagued by tragedy. But when her husband is killed by a car bomb while their band is on tour, she doesn’t know where to turn. After her father-in-law threatens to take custody of her baby, she must consider the offer of a marriage of convenience or forge ahead alone.
The Dog Who Was There by Ron Marasco (Jan. 31, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-718083-92-2). Marasco tells the heartwarming story of a dog named Barley who wanders the harsh landscape of first-century-C.E. Judea. From the cruelty of a farmer to the compassion of the Christ, this unforgettable story will pull readers in with every page.
Tyndale
The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore (Sept. 20, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-496416-47-6). Jillian Slater agrees to return to New Orleans on the news that her father has finally drunk himself to death, but she is unprepared for the eerie nature of the apartment building where he lived.
WaterBrook
The Angel of Forest Hill: An Amish Christmas Romance by Cindy Woodsmall (Oct. 4, hardcover, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-601427-05-2). This novella promises to warm the hearts of Woodsmall’s fans with its Old Order Amish ways, touching romance, realistic faith experiences, and holiday-season family drama.
Zondervan
The Cherished Quilt by Amy Clipston (Nov. 29, paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-310341-96-3) weaves a beautiful story of friendship and love that follows two young hearts and their journey to find true love.
The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck (Aug. 16, paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-310341-54-3). This split-time romance novel tells a story of heartbreak and forgiveness, following the evolution of a renowned but neglected wedding store in Heart’s Bend, Tenn., over decades.
Nonfiction
Abingdon
Creed: What Christians Believe and Why by Adam Hamilton (Dec. 20, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-501813-71-9). In this book for Lent, Easter, and beyond, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth.
Atria
How The Secret Changed My Life by Rhonda Byrne (Oct. 4, hardcover, $22.95, ISBN 978-1-5011-3826-3). A compilation of the most uplifting and powerful real-life stories from readers of Byrne’s bestselling The Secret.
Ave Maria
Great Catholic Parishes: A Living Mosaic by William E. Simon Jr. (Sept. 20, trade paper, $18.95, ISBN 978-1-59471-417-7). Businessman, professor, and philanthropist Simon, founder of Parish Catalyst, looks at insights gained from a study of 244 vibrant parishes to show what makes them great.
B&H
She Reads Truth: Holding Tight to Permanent in a World That’s Passing Away by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams (Oct. 4, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-4336-8898-0). Born out of the experiences of hundreds of thousands of women whom Myers and Williams have interacted with through their online devotional platform, this book will help readers understand the place of God in their lives.
Baker
Everything Is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams by Jen Bricker, with Sheryl Berk (Sept. 6, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-1930-2). Champion gymnast, performer, and motivational speaker Bricker, who was born without legs, offers readers the hope that they can overcome any obstacle when they learn to confront life with humble acceptance, a commitment to live on-mission, and a never-say-can’t attitude.
Baker Academic
When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel According to Paul by Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Nov. 15, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-9738-6). Gaventa invites readers to linger in the Epistle to the Romans, staying with the letter long enough to see how it reframes our tidy categories and dramatically enlarges our sense of the gospel.
Barbour
The Top 100 Women of the Bible Devotional Journal: Who They Are and What They Mean to You Today by Pamela L. McQuade (Oct. 1, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-634098-71-7) features brief biographies of the 100 most important women in the Bible—from Abigail to Eve, Jezebel to Mary, and Rahab to Zipporah—along with thought-provoking devotional and inspirational takeaways.
Beacon
Interfaith Leadership: A Primer by Eboo Patel (Aug. 16, trade paper, $18, ISBN 978-0-807033-62-3). Interfaith leader Patel offers a clear, detailed, and practical guide for students, groups, and organizations seeking to foster interfaith dialogue and promote understanding across religious lines.
Bethany House
Caring for Creation: The Evangelical’s Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment by Mitch Hescox and Paul Douglas (Sept. 20, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-7642-1865-1). Connecting the dots between science and faith, a meteorologist and a pastor explore the climate debate and share practical ways evangelicals can take the lead in stewarding God’s creation.
Home: How Heaven and the New Earth Satisfy Our Deepest Longings by Elyse Fitzpatrick (Aug. 2, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-7642-1802-6). Popular speaker Fitzpatrick explores heaven and the afterlife, offering a biblical glimpse of our eternal home, the New Earth—not a dull space in the clouds but a wondrous physical place to enjoy.
Black Dog & Leventhal
Pope Francis: The Story of the Holy Father by Marie Duhamel (Oct. 18, hardcover, $50, ISBN 978-0-316317-75-7). This is the only Vatican-sanctioned illustrated biography of the beloved pontiff, filled with rarely seen photographs and 50 removable document facsimiles. 45,000-copy announced first printing.
Bloomsbury
The Murderous History of Bible Translations: Power, Conflict, and the Quest for Meaning by Harry Freedman (Nov. 15, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-632866-01-1) tells the remarkable, and bloody, story of those who dared translate the word of God.
Brazos
Biblical Authority after Babel: Retrieving the Solas in the Spirit of Mere Protestant Christianity by Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Oct. 18, hardcover, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-393-1). Vanhoozer argues for retrieving the Reformation’s core principles as a response to recent critics of Protestant biblical interpretation.
Chalice
Better: Waking Up to Who We Could Be by Melvin Bray (Sept. 20, hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-8272-0308-2). Bray insists that a better world is possible if the stories around which we organize our lives begin to match the beauty we imagine is possible. Bray puts forth his own daring yet faithful reimaginings of classic faith stories.
Columbia Univ.
The Miracle Myth: Why Belief in the Resurrection and the Supernatural Is Unjustified by Lawrence Shapiro (Sept. 13, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-231178-40-2). Helping us think more critically about our belief in the improbable, Shapiro breaks down our mythmaking strategies to better understand how attempts to justify belief in the supernatural fall short.
Convergent
Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower: Finding Answers in Jesus for Those Who Don’t Believe by Tom Krattenmaker (Oct. 4, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-101906-42-2). USA Today columnist Krattenmaker explains why the teachings and example of a Jesus freed from religious and political misappropriation can fill a vacuum of meaning and inspiration in secular America.
David C. Cook
This Invitational Life: Risking Yourself to Align With God’s Heartbeat for Humanity by Steve Carter (Aug. 1, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-7814-1397-8) argues that only through risking it all will we discover God’s true heartbeat for humanity.
Counterpoint
Red Thread Zen: Humanly Entangled in Emptiness by Susan Murphy (Oct. 11, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-619027-83-1). Murphy sets out to explore every corner of the magnificent Buddhist koan of being “still attached to the red thread,” or “line of tears.”
Crossway
Parenting: The 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp (Sept. 30, hardcover, 22.99, ISBN 978-1-4335-5193-2). Tripp sets forth 14 practical and gospel-centered principles that aim to help parents view their role through the lens of God’s grace, changing the way they think about interacting with their children.
Eerdmans
Light When It Comes: Trusting Joy, Facing Darkness, and Seeing God in Everything by Chris Anderson (Nov. 14, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-802873-99-6). Drawing on an ancient prayer tradition, the examen of conscience, Anderson relates personal anecdotes, short scenes, and stories in a collage style that stimulates readers to reflect on their own lives.
FaithWords
God vs. Religion: 10 Reasons to Break Free from the Bondage of Religious Tradition by Creflo Dollar (Sept. 6, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4555-7732-3). This book attempts to give readers an empowering understanding of beliefs that transforms church going into a full, authentic, and meaningful relationship with God.
Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To: Spirituality Without Stereotypes, Religion Without Ranting by Lillian Daniel (Sept. 20, hardcover, $22, ISBN 978-1-4555-9589-1). Daniel believes churches must deal with present-day issues and be intellectually open rather than dispensing old, easy answers. In nonacademic yet nonfacile terms, she explains Christian ideas and practices.
Flatiron
Kindness Boomerang: How to Save the World (and Yourself) Through 365 Daily Acts by Orly Wabha (Jan. 3, trade paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-250066-93-0). The first book by the creator of the Kindness Boomerang video (with more than 20,000,000 views on YouTube) shows readers how to make kindness something they can practice every day.
Fortress
Theologian of Resistance: The Life and Thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Christiane Tietz, trans. by Victoria J. Barnett (Sept. 1, hardcover, $23.99, ISBN 978-1-506408-44-6). In this biography, Tietz masterfully reveals the interconnectedness of Bonhoeffer’s life and thought, and theology and politics, tracing the path from his childhood to his imprisonment and execution.
Hampton Roads
Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints, and Sages by Carl McColman (Oct. 1, trade paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-571747-30-3) celebrates the many types of mystics, visionaries, wisdom keepers, and nondualists whose spiritual insight and perceptive teachings have illuminated the Christian tradition for the past two thousand years.
HarperOne
Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith by D.L. Mayfield (Aug. 16, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-062388-80-3). A social justice activist and writer shares her experiences working with refugees and describes the ways her faith has been challenged and strengthened—leading her to experience the power of God’s love and find her true spiritual calling.
Harvard Univ.
The Market as God by Harvey Cox (Sept. 12, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-674659-68-1). Cox argues that the way the world economy operates is neither natural nor inevitable but shaped by a global system of values and symbols that can be best understood as a religion.
Harvest House
Hearing the Voice of God: He Knows You, He Loves You, He’s Always with You by David Chadwick (Oct. 1, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-736967-29-7). Drawn from the Gospel of John, the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” these devotions reflect God’s desire for intimacy and relationship with us.
Hay House
Making Life Easy: A Simple Guide to a Divinely Inspired Life by Christiane Northrup (Dec. 13, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-401951-46-7). Drawing on fields ranging from astrology and past-life regression to epigenetics and Western medicine, Northrup presents a comprehensive user’s guide to a healthy, happy, radiant life.
Herald
Very Married: Field Notes on Love and Fidelity by Katherine Pershey (Sept. 27, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-513800-17-2). With humor and intelligence, Pershey writes about the challenges and consolations of modern marriage and shares her own tales of bliss and blunder, temptation and deliverance, inviting readers to commit once again to the joyful and difficult work of cherishing another person.
Howard
Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away by Ben Utecht (Aug. 23, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-5011-3660-3). After five major concussions, NFL tight-end Utecht of the Indianapolis Colts is losing his memories. This is his love letter to his wife and daughters—whom he someday may not recognize—and an inspiring message for all to live every moment fully.
Image
A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve by Mother Teresa (Aug. 16, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0-451498-20-5). Published to coincide with Pope Francis’s Year of Mercy and the Vatican’s canonization of Mother Teresa in September 2016, this new book of unpublished material from the Nobel Peace Prize winner brings together the holy woman’s teachings on mercy and compassion.
Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Psychedelic Marine: A Transformational Journey from Afghanistan to the Amazon by Alex Seymour (Aug. 25, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-620555-79-8). Seymour argues that ayahuasca frees your consciousness from inherited beliefs and fears, offering a truly transformative rite of passage.
InterVaristy
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile (Oct. 16, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-0-8308-4619-1). Bestselling author Cron and enneagram master teacher Stabile partner to break down the complex spirituality of the enneagram.
Jewish Lights
Praying the Bible: Finding Personal Meaning in the Siddur, Ending Boredom & Making Each Prayer Experience Unique by Mark H. Levin (Aug. 5, trade paper, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-58023-869-4). Levin argues that the Jewish prayer book is churning with the existential realities of human life and the struggles of the Jewish people.
Jewish Publication Society
Thinking about the Torah: A Philosopher Reads the Bible by Kenneth Seeskin (Nov. 1, trade paper, $21.95, ISBN 978-0-827612-62-4). Drawing on Western philosophy and, in particular, Jewish philosophy, Seeskin delves into 10 core biblical verses and the powerful ideas that emerge from them.
Judson
From Classism to Community: A Challenge for the Church by Jini Kilgore Cockroft (Oct. 3, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-817017-73-6). Cockroft examines the biblical ideas that all persons are made in the image of God, and that persons who are transformed through faith in Jesus become members of equal standing in the Christian church.
Jessica Kingsley
Towards Better Disagreement: Religion and Atheism in Dialogue by Paul Hedges (Sept. 21, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-78592-057-8). Hedges rejects the popular perception of atheism and religion as polar opposites and advocates better understanding, and more constructive disagreement, between the two.
Koren
Essays on Ethics by Jonathan Sacks (Sept. 15, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-59264-449-0). Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the 2016 Templeton Prize recipient, explores the Torah in an attempt to uncover the moral dimension of existence.
Kregel
He Knows Your Name: How One Abandoned Baby Inspired Me to Say Yes to God by Linda Znachko (Sept. 27, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-8254-4404-3). When the news reported a dead baby abandoned in a dumpster, Znachko’s comfortable life changed dramatically. She was suddenly convinced that God was asking her to provide a dignified burial for this tiny lost child.
Liguori
You Are the Catholic Brand: Questions for Skeptical Young Catholics by Matthew Kilmurry (Aug. 1, trade paper, $15, ISBN 978-0-7648-2641-2). Drawing on brand management principles used by successful companies, marketing executive Kilmurry explores how Catholics can help Pope Francis rebrand the Church while evangelizing others.
Lion Hudson
Christ: The First Two Thousand Years by Martyn Whittock, illus. by Esther Whittock (Sept. 28, trade paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-0-745970-45-5), traces the history of Christ through the crusades, the Reformation, and the wars that followed.
Liturgical Press
One Love: A Pastoral Guide to The Order of Celebrating Matrimony by Paul Turner (Aug. 15, trade paper, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-8146-4923-7). The publication of the second edition of The Order of Celebrating Matrimony provides new liturgical and pastoral opportunities for presiders and parishes. Turner—at expert in Catholic liturgy—provides sound guidance and instruction on the rite.
Llewellyn
For the Love of the Gods: The History and Modern Practice of Theurgy by Brandy Williams (Sept. 8, trade paper, $21.99, ISBN 978-0-738744-69-8) features imagined dialogues between influential Western philosophers and their students, and hands-on instructions for theurgic practices.
Moody
Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul by Hannah Anderson (Oct. 4, trade paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-0-802414-59-5). Exploring Jesus’s “come unto me” invitation, in Philippians 2, and various texts from the Gospels, Anderson examines the cause, nature, and dangers of busyness and self-dependence.
Multnomah
Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small by Mark Batterson (Sept. 6, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-601428-85-1). In this manifesto, bestselling author Batterson challenges readers to chase the lions in their lives and to be prepared to act accordingly when they catch them.
National Geographic
Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries from Genesis to the Roman Era by Jean-Pierre Isbouts (Oct. 25, hardcover, $40, ISBN 978-1-426217-04-3). From ancient holy sites to buried relics and treasures, this book explores history and archaeological discoveries from the biblical world.
NavPress
Dirty Glory: Go Where Your Best Prayers Take You by Pete Greig (Oct. 18, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-631466-15-1). Greig tells story after story of God’s faithful interaction with human prayer to change lives and cultures.
New Hope
Everyday Peace: Standing Firm in His Provision by Katie Orr (Sept. 5, trade paper, $11.99, ISBN 978-1-59669-960-1). Designed for women who are pressed for time but crave depth from their Bible study, this book aims to help readers experience God’s promised peace amid everyday conflicts and concerns.
New World Library
Dropping the Struggle: Seven Ways to Love the Life You Have by Roger Housden (Sept. 6, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-608684-06-9) aims to be an antidote to readers’ anxiety and stress of constantly feeling that they have to battle their way toward a life of meaning, love, and personal significance, offering an alternative view and vocabulary to the language of struggle and competition.
New York Univ.
The Jews of Harlem: The Rise, Decline, and Revival of a Jewish Community by Jeffrey S. Gurock (Oct. 25, hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-1-4798-0116-9) traces the history of Jews living in Harlem in New York City, from the 1920s to today.
Norton
The People and the Books: 18 Classics of Jewish Literature by Adam Kirsch (Oct. 4, hardcover, $28.95, ISBN 978-0-393241-76-1) examines central questions and themes of history and culture as reflected in the Jewish literary canon: the nature of God, the right way to understand the Bible, the relationship of Jews to their promised land, and the challenges of living in the diaspora.
Orbis
I Believe: The Promise of the Creed by Pope Francis (Oct. 13, hardcover, $20, ISBN 978-1-62698-188-1). Drawn from Francis’s writings, interviews, and homilies, this book provides an intimate window on his personal faith and an introduction to the Apostle’s Creed.
Oxford Univ.
All Things Made New: The Reformation and Its Legacy by Diarmaid MacCulloch (Sept., hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-19-061681-6). Historian MacCulloch offers new insights into the Protestant Reformation on the eve of its 500th anniversary.
Christmas in the Crosshairs: Two Thousand Years of Denouncing and Defending the World’s Most Celebrated Holiday by Gerry Bowler (Oct., hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-19-049900-6) recounts Christmas’s controversial 2,000-year history, complete with cross-dressing priests, ranting Puritans, and atheist witches.
Paulist
What Does It All Mean? Faith’s Big Questions by Richard Leonard (Jan. 3, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-8091-0641-7). Leonard does not shy away from the biggest challenges to faith inside and outside of the Church, outlining a contemporary and accessible response to the issues that confront and sometimes confound believers today.
Penguin/TarcherPergiee
The Five Elements: Understand Yourself and Enhance Your Relationships with the Wisdom of the World’s Oldest Personality Type System by Dondi Dahlin (Sept. 27, trade paper, $16, ISBN 978-0-399-17629-6). Based on the ancient Chinese notion that the universe is comprised of five elements, this book examines the interplay of these elements in an effort to help readers discover their spiritual, emotional, and physical balance.
Picador
Letters to a Young Muslim by Omar Saif Ghobash (Jan. 3, hardcover, $22, ISBN 978-1-250119-84-1). Ghobash, the ambassador of the U.A.E. to Russia, offers a personal narrative that explores what it means to be a Muslim in the 21st century.
Plough
You Carried Me: A Daughter’s Memoir by Melissa Ohden (Jan. 23, hardcover, $20, ISBN 978-0-87486-788-6). An abortion survivor finds and forgives her mother, who never knew her daughter was alive. 10,000-copy announced first printing, $30,000 ad/promo budget.
Princeton Univ.
American Prophets: Seven Religious Radicals and Their Struggle for Social and Political Justice by Albert J. Raboteau (Sept. 27, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-16430-4) sheds light on the lives and thought of seven major prophetic figures in 20th-century America whose social activism was motivated by a deeply felt compassion for those suffering injustice.
Village Atheists: How America’s Unbelievers Made Their Way in a Godly Nation by Leigh Eric Schmidt (Sept. 27, hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-0-691-16864-7) examines how the secularist vision for the United States failed in a country where faith and citizenship are routinely interwoven.
Prometheus Books
An Atheist and a Christian Walk into a Bar: Talking About God, the Universe, and Everything by Randal Rauser and Justin Schieber (Dec. 6, trade paper, $18, ISBN 978-1-633882-43-0). The question of God is simply too important—and too interesting—to leave to angry polemicists: that is the premise of this dialogue between Christian theologian Randal Rauser and atheist Justin Schieber.
Random House
Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis by Mark Shriver (Nov. 29, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-812998-02-3). A down-to-earth and deeply intimate portrait of Pope Francis and his faith, based on interviews with the men and women who knew him as Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Random/Spiegel & Grau
Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy by Sadhguru (Sept. 20, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0-812997-79-8). Sadhguru, a thought leader, philanthropist, mystic, and yogi, presents Western readers with technologies to help them achieve absolute well-being.
Red Wheel/Weiser
Rosicrucian Trilogy: Modern Translations of the Three Founding Documents, trans. by Joscelyn Godwin, Christopher McIntosh, and Donate Pahnke McIntosh (Sept. 1, trade paper, $22.95, ISBN 978-1-578636-03-7). These new translations of Fama Fraternitatis (1614), Confessio Fraternitatis (1615), and The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz (1616) explain the historical context of the Rosicrucian Order and its origins.
Revell
She Believes: Embracing the Life You Were Created to Live by Debbie Lindell (Oct. 4, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-800724-42-9). Lindell seeks to empower women through sharing her own experiences and thoughts on the changing gender roles of the modern world, imploring readers to live out their own unique purpose and bring change to their homes, workplaces, and communities.
Riverhead
On Living: Lessons in Living from the Dying by Kerry Egan (Oct. 25, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-1-594634-81-9) passes on advice from a hospice chaplain on giving meaning to life from those taking leave of it.
Rowman & Littlefield
Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Hurt and Hope by Celia Viggo Wexler (Sept. 28, hardcover, $34, ISBN 978-1-4422-5413-8). Wexler tells the stories of nine women who have chosen to remain Catholic despite having deep disagreements with the institutional church.
Sacred Bliss: A Spiritual History of Cannabis by Mark S. Ferrara (Oct. 7, hardcover, $34, ISBN 978-1-4422-7191-3). Ferrara argues that throughout religious history, cannabis has offered access to increased imagination and creativity, heightened perspective and insight, and deeper levels of thought.
Scribner
Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty by Kate Hennessy (Jan. 24, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-501133-96-1). The life and work of Dorothy Day—a celebrated and controversial Catholic whom Pope Francis called a “great American”—is here recounted by her granddaughter.
Shadow Mountain
God Is in the House: Congressional Testimonies of Faith by Virginia Foxx (Sept. 6, trade paper, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-62972-237-5) was compiled by a congresswoman who asked colleagues in both parties to write insightful essays about their faith and how they use their religious beliefs as politicians and legislators in leadership, voting, and responding to our nation’s crises.
Shambhala
Love Hurts: Buddhist Advice for the Heartbroken by Lodro Rinzler (Dec. 13, trade paper, $12.95, ISBN 978-1-611803-54-9). Buddhist-inspired advice for working through romantic breakups and other painful emotional periods, by the bestselling author of The Buddha Walks into a Bar...
Shiloh Run
From Depths We Rise: A Journey of Beauty from Ashes by Sarah Rodriguez (Oct. 1, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-634098-62-5). Rodriguez recounts her journey—which involves infertility, a miscarriage, and her husband’s cancer diagnosis—hoping to inspire readers.
Skyhorse
God’s Generals by Richard A. Gabriel (Aug. 16, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-510708-66-2) explores the military lives of Moses, the Buddha, and Muhammad, and the role their war experiences played in their religious lives.
Sounds True
The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works by Shinzen Young (Sept. 1, hardcover, $21.95, ISBN 978-1-591794-60-8). Young offers insights into mindfulness meditation. He argues that readers can use it to enhance cognitive capacities and compassion, and experience of happiness independent of conditions.
Square One
Unexpected Recoveries: Seven Steps to Healing Body, Mind, and Soul When Serious Illness Strikes by Tom Monte (Jan. 1, trade paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-0-757004-00-1). Monte provides advice for those who suffer from chronic or life-threatening illness. 15,000-copy announced first printing.
St. Martin’s
Aphrodite and the Rabbis: How the Jews Adapted Roman Culture to Create Judaism as We Know It by Burton L. Visotzky (Sept. 13, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-08576-4). An engaging tour through Jewish life in the Roman Empire that argues that the Judaism we know today emerged as a direct product of that place and time.
Thomas Nelson
The I Factor: How Building a Great Relationship with Yourself Is the Key to a Happy, Successful Life by Van Moody (Nov. 22, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-718077-56-3). Identifying three dynamics that he says are essential to winning the battle over destructive thinking—identity, significance, and perspective—Pastor Moody here attempts to set readers on the road to personal wholeness, security, and success.
Jesus Always: Embracing Joy in His Presence by Sarah Young (Oct. 4, hardcover, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-718039-50-9). This new 365-day devotional from the author of the bestselling Jesus Calling focuses on the biblical teaching of joy.
Tyndale
Earth Psalms: Reflections on How God Speaks through Nature by Francine Rivers (Oct. 4, hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-496414-85-4). In this weekly devotional, Rivers invites readers to join her in seeking God through the natural world. She shares observations she’s gathered over a lifetime of exploring—abroad and in her own backyard—and reflects on how they might apply to daily life.
Tyndale Momentum
The Missing Matisse: A Memoir by Pierre H. Matisse (Oct. 15, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-496413-83-3). Spanning the insider art world of 1930s Paris, the occupation of France by the Nazis, and Pierre’s eventual decision to create a new life in North America, this is a story of intrigue, faith, and drama as one man journeys to discover the truth about who he is.
Univ. of North Carolina
Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England by Douglas L. Winiarski (Jan. 16, hardcover, $49.95, ISBN 978-1-4696-2826-4). This sweeping history of popular religion in 18th-century New England examines the experiences of ordinary people living through extraordinary times
Univ. of Notre Dame
I Want You to Be: On the God of Love by Tomáš Halík, trans. by Gerald Turner (Aug. 15, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0-268100-72-8). Halík examines the connection between faith and love, meditating on a statement attributed to St. Augustine (“I love you: I want you to be”) and its importance for contemporary Christian practice.
Verso
The Myths of Liberal Zionism by Yitzhak Laor (Jan. 17, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-784786-28-1). Laor dissects the complex attitudes of Western European liberal intellectuals toward Israel, Zionism, and the Israeli peace camp.
Viking
Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical by Timothy Keller (Sept. 20, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-525954-15-6). Keller invites skeptics and those outside Christianity to see the beauty and promise of following Jesus. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, the book shines a light on the value and importance of Christianity in readers’ lives.
WaterBrook
Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life’s Storms by Tim Tebow, with A.J. Gregory (Oct 25, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0-735289-86-4). Bestselling author and Heisman Trophy–winner Tebow shares a plan for Christians struggling with their identity to redefine themselves and remember that their God-given purposes aren’t tied to their successes or failures.
Westminster John Knox
A Letter to My Anxious Christian Friends: From Fear to Faith in Unsettled Times by David P. Gushee (Sept. 28, trade paper, $15, ISBN 978-0-664-26268-6). Christian ethicist Gushee explores the many social and political changes that are causing Christian anxiety, offering ways to understand and act on these issues that are grounded in hope rather than in fear.
Wisdom
Untangling Self: A Buddhist Investigation of Who We Really Are by Andrew Olendzki (Dec. 13, trade paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-614293-00-2). Drawing on Buddhist wisdom, Olendzki examines Buddhism today in essays that probe traditional Buddhist thought and contemporary issues.
What’s Wrong with Mindfulness (and What Isn’t): Zen Perspectives, edited by Robert Rosenbaum and Barry Magid (Oct. 18, trade paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-614292-83-8). Ranging from thoughtful critiques to personal accounts of integrating mindfulness into daily life, each chapter of this book offers insights to ground mindfulness in a deeper understanding of where it comes from and where it might be headed.
Worthy Inspired
Finding God When the World’s on Fire: Strength & Faith for Dangerous Times by Charles R. Swindoll (Dec. 13, hardcover, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-617958-11-3). In this newly revised and updated edition of his post-9/11 book Why, God?, Swindoll points us to the Scriptures that help allay readers’ fears.
Yale Univ.
Confessions of a Born-Again Pagan by Anthony T. Kronman (Oct. 25, hardcover, $50, ISBN 978-0-300208-53-5). Kronman defends an ancient conception of God, deepened and transformed by Christian belief—the born-again paganism on which, he says, modern science, art, and politics all vitally depend.
Zondervan
The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp (Oct. 25, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-0-310318-58-3). This much-anticipated sequel to One Thousand Gifts from bestselling author Voskamp presents the gospel in a fresh way, for desperate Christians in need of a renewed revelation of the grace of God.
No God but One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi (Aug. 30, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-310522-55-3). This comparison of Islam and Christianity is written by former Muslim and bestselling author Nabeel Qureshi (Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus).
Children’s/YA
B&H Kids
Faith, Hope, Love Devotional: 100 Devotions for Kids and Parents to Share by Amy Parker, illus. by Breezy Brookshire (Nov. 1, hardcover, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4336-9030-3). First Corinthians 13:13 shines a light on the importance of faith, hope, and love, and bestselling children’s author Amy Parker offers 100 devotions to grow these concepts early on in kids’ hearts.
The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion by Priscilla Shirer, with Gina Detwiler (Oct. 15, hardcover, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-4336-9020-4). In this second book in the Prince Warriors series from bestselling author Shirer, the Prince Warriors face new challenges on Earth and in the unseen realm of Ahoratos. Aimed at middle grade readers, the book also includes a devotional.
Reflect: Discovering the Beauty, Worth, and Wonderfulness of You by Vicki Courtney (Sept. 15, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4336-9175-1) features more than 70 articles with age-appropriate advice for teen girls on how to discover their true worth.
Barbour
Bedtime Prayers and Promises for Little Hearts by Jean Fischer (Aug 1, paper, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-630588-99-1). This new entry in Barbour’s popular Bedtime Bible series encourages kids ages 5–8 to spend time talking to God each day.
Harvest House
52 Weeks with Jesus for Kids: A Devotional by James Merritt (Oct 1, paper, $10.99, ISBN 978-0-736966-97-9). Pastor Merritt introduces kids (ages 9–12) to Jesus, explaining the ways he loves them and demonstrating what it looks like to follow him through scriptural examples.
Thomas Nelson
Say and Pray Devotions by Diane Stortz (Oct 11, board book, $9.99, ISBN 978-0-718086-91-6) is a beginner devotional that helps kids engage their faith in a personal way.
WorthyKids/Ideals
God Made the Sun by Mary Manz Simon, illus. by Lizzie Walkley (Sep 6, board book, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-824919-80-1). Beginning with the first rays of sunlight and moving through the day, this book introduces little ones to the concept of sunlight and daytime through the prism of God’s love. With illustrations and a novelty die-cut feature, the book is intended to serve as a welcome reminder of God’s presence.
Zonderkidz
The Beginner’s Bible: Holy Bible (Oct. 4, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-310757-04-7). A large-print Bible in the King James version for kids ages 6–10 that includes 20 full-color pages of three-dimensional art.
Kids’ Devotional Bible (Sept. 6, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-310744-45-0). This NIrV devotional Bible for kids ages 6–10 includes a year’s worth of devotions, questions, and activities.
Love Letters from God: Holy Bible by Glenys Nellist (Oct. 4, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-310743-25-5). From the author of the Love Letters from God picture book, this NIrV Bible introduces children to the Bible.
