This season’s offerings investigate scriptural authorship, wrestle with Christian nationalism, and advise readers on combating racial inequality and climate change in the church and beyond.
Top 10
Being Muslim Today: Reclaiming the Faith from Orthodoxy and Islamophobia
Saqib Iqbal Qureshi. Rowman & Littlefield, May 7 ($25 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5381-8932-0)
Qureshi, a fellow of the London School of Economics and Political Science, traces Islam’s evolution over the last 1,400 years, seeking to dismantle the binary stereotypes that obscure its message.
Brown Faces, White Spaces: Confronting Systemic Racism to Bring Healing and Restoration
Latasha Morrison. Waterbrook, May 21 ($27, ISBN 978-0-593-44482-5)
Believers can harness Christian principles to uproot racial inequality and bias in the economy, journalism, and church, suggests the author of Be the Bridge.
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church
Sarah McCammon. St. Martin’s, Mar. 19 ($30, ISBN 978-1-250-28447-1)
NPR national political correspondent McCammon presents a “clear-eyed look at the mass disaffiliation from evangelical churches and culture in recent years,” according to PW’s review.
A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living with Hope and Joy
Pope Francis. Worthy, Feb. 20 ($28, ISBN 978-1-5460-0702-9)
Gratitude, social justice, and unconditional love for others are among the values spotlit in this gathering of life lessons from the Pope.
Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life
Shai Held. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Mar. 26 ($35, ISBN 978-0-374-19244-0)
Love forms the backbone of Jewish theology and ethics, contends rabbi Held in this “paradigm-shifting study,” per PW’s review, that challenges notions of Judaism as a predominantly law-focused faith.
The Life of the Qur’an: From Eternal Roots to Enduring Legacy
Mohamad Jebara. St. Martin’s Essentials, Feb. 27 ($30, ISBN 978-1-250-28236-1)
Philologist Jebara chronicles the Quran’s origins and heritage, exploring interpretations across history and the holy text’s place in modern Islam.
Loving Life as It Is: A Buddhist Guide to Ultimate Happiness
Chakung Jigme Wangdrak. Shambhala, June 11 ($19.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64547-316-9)
Seekers should embrace suffering to understand its roots and make room for joy, posits the spiritual director of the Abhaya Fellowship, a Buddhist community in California.
Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere
Savannah Guthrie. Thomas Nelson, Feb. 20 ($29.99, ISBN 978-1-4003-4112-2)
Drawing on a childhood in a strict Baptist church and marital and career hurdles, Today Show co-anchor Guthrie traces the evolution of her faith and its embrace of imperfections.
The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to Deeper Faith
James Stump. HarperOne, Apr. 2 ($29.99, ISBN 978-0-06-335094-6)
Stump, a vice president at Christian science advocacy group BioLogos, explores evolution, the history of the universe, and the existence of the soul in this study of how science enriches spirituality.
Who Really Wrote the Bible: The Story of the Scribes
William M. Schniedewind. Princeton Univ., June 18 ($29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-23317-8)
Mining ancient inscriptions, archaeological artifacts, and a close reading of the Bible, Schniedewind, a professor of biblical studies at UCLA, asserts that groups of scribes and apprentices collectively wrote scripture to pass on communal traditions.
Religion & Spirituality longlist
Fiction
Barbour
The Girl from the Hidden Forest by Hannah Linder (May 1, $15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63609-833-3). In this gothic-tinged Regency, Eliza Ellis attempts to recover repressed memories that could shed light on an unsolved murder.
Mary’s Calico Hope (The Heart of the Amish #5) by Anne Blackburne (June 1, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63609-855-5). Badly injured in a childhood buggy accident, 29-year-old Mary Yoder sparks an unlikely romance with a Mennonite doctor who wants her to have a surgery to improve her mobility.
Bethany House
Chasing the Horizon by Mary Connealy (Feb. 13, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-4265-6). After Beth Rutledge discovers that her father plans to commit her to an asylum, she and her mother escape westward on a pioneer wagon, dodging bad actors who believe Beth matches the description of a wanted criminal.
Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl (July 16, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7642-4047-8) wraps up the Ryland & St. Clair series as the two private investigators track down a missing true crime podcaster who might have uncovered the existence of a previously unknown serial killer.
Meet Me at the Starlight by Rachel Hauck (July 2, $18.99 trade paper,
ISBN 978-0-7642-4098-0). A former supermodel retreats to a Florida beach town to heal from heartbreak, and is swept into an unlikely romance and a local woman’s quest to save the community’s century-old skating rink from demolition.
IVP Formatio
The Surface of Water by Cynthia Beach (Apr. 9, $20 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5140-0753-2). To help meet the demands of his flock, megachurch pastor Matthew Goodman hires a 25-year-old administrative assistant, who turns out to have hidden motives for taking the job.
Kregel
8 Down by Kimberley Woodhouse (Feb. 20, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-4773-0). Investigator Carrie Kintz teams up with security specialist Scott Patteson to hunt down a crossword-obsessed serial killer.
Revell
Hidden in the Night by Elizabeth Goddard (June 4, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8007-4206-5). When a young girl goes missing with an unpublished Jack London manuscript, former FBI agent Ivy Elliott attempts to unravel the mystery while battling a harsh Alaska winter.
Tyndale Fiction
All My Secrets by Lynn Austin (Feb. 6, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-3744-0). After a business magnate dies and unexpectedly leaves his fortune to an uncle, the women of his high-society family consider what they’re willing to sacrifice to remain among Gilded Age New York City’s upper crust.
Waterbrook
The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Apr. 9, $18 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-60081-8) sees a young and penniless woman escaping a 19th-century Texas brothel with a sympathetic preacher and his son, who might become a love interest if she can surmount insecurities that her past has rendered her impure in God’s eyes.
Nonfiction
Ayin
The Place of All Possibility: Cultivating Creativity Through Ancient Jewish Wisdom by Adina Allen (July 16, $19.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-961814-03-5) reinterprets stories from the Torah that can help readers unlock their creative sides.
B&H
Who Did You See Today? The Power of Outrageous Kindness by Dustin Schadt (May 28, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4300-8552-2) suggests that Jesus’s love can inspire cynical Christians to better care for friends, family, and strangers.
Baker
Pastors’ Wives Tell All: Navigating Real Church Life with Honesty and Humor by Stephanie Gilbert, Jessica Taylor, and Jenna Allen (Apr. 30, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5409-0374-7). The hosts of the eponymous podcast dish on parenting, relationships, setting boundaries, and why God embraces believers’ imperfections.
Brazos
Empowered to Repair: Becoming People Who Mend Broken Systems and Heal Our Communities by Brenda Salter McNeil (May 28, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-448-8) explains how activists can leverage resources, organize their peers, and avoid long-term burnout through rest and prayer.
Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks Is the Key to Our Well-Being by Cornelius Plantinga (Feb. 6, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-622-2) supplies, per PW’s review, “an astute response to the perennial question, ‘How can I seriously thank God when the world seems so awful?’ ”
How Ableism Fuels Racism: Dismantling the Hierarchy of Bodies in the Church by Lamar Hardwick (Feb. 20, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-58743-612-3) delivers a “searing indictment of the ableist theology that has fueled racial bias in the American church and society,” according to PW’s starred review.
Broadleaf
A Faith of Many Rooms: Inhabiting a More Spacious Christianity by Debie Thomas (Mar. 19, $23.99, ISBN 978-1-5064-8145-6) recounts how the author broke from the religious fundamentalism of her youth, deconstructed her faith, and discovered a more inclusive Christianity.
Columbia Univ.
Hell: In Search of a Christian Ecology by Timothy Morton (May 7, $26.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-231-21471-1) explores evangelical Christianity and white supremacy’s role in fueling the climate crisis and seeks to establish a healthier relationship between religion and ecological politics.
Convergent
Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith by Sarah Bessey (Feb. 20, $26, ISBN 978-0-593-59367-7) offers “down-to-earth guidance to those ‘deconstructing’ their conservative Christian pasts,” according to PW’s review.
David C. Cook
Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire by Preston M. Sprinkle (Mar. 5, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8307-8578-0) encourages believers to engage in political dialogue by foregrounding their spiritual convictions.
Dexterity
Engage Your Destiny: Practical Ways to Run After Your God-Given Purpose by Ben Peterson (May 7, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-947297-96-8). The author, an Army veteran, mines his struggles with addiction, trauma, and abuse to contend that God is present in believers’ darkest moments.
Eerdmans
Deconstructing Your Faith Without Losing Yourself by Angela J. Herrington (Feb. 20, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-8328-5) promises that readers can reshape their religious beliefs while practicing self-compassion.
An Introduction to the Making and Meaning of the Bible by Michael B. Shepherd (Apr. 2, $26.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8028-8393-3) chronicles the formation of the biblical canon and proposes a mode of scriptural interpretation centered on Jesus’s promise of salvation.
Esther Press
Life Is Messy, God Is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life by Cynthia Yanof (Feb. 6, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8307-8533-9) assures believers that daily challenges, messes, and slipups can spur spiritual growth.
Faithwords
Do the New You: 6 Mindsets to Become Who You Were Created to Be by Steven Furtick (Feb. 13, $28, ISBN 978-1-5460-0682-4) implores the faithful to stop chasing a perfect and unattainable version of themselves and embrace their God-given identity.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson (Mar. 12, $29, ISBN 978-0-374-29940-8) presents, per PW’s review, a “dense yet immersive” close reading of the first book of the Old Testament, focusing particularly on God’s covenant with man.
Herald
Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet by Leah Reesor-Keller (June 25, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5138-1335-6). Tackling climate anxiety begins in communities rooted in faith, environmental activism, and collective healing, according to the author.
IVP
Enduring Friendship: Sticking Together in an Age of Unfriending by Bryan C. Loritts (Mar. 12, $20, ISBN 978-1-5140-0844-7) champions the value of bridging social divides in a contentious era.
When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity by Grace Ji-Sun Kim (May 7, $18 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5140-0939-0) unearths how depictions of a white, male Jesus were fashioned by European Christians and used to undergird colonial societies.
The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross by Brian Zahnd (Feb. 6, $24, ISBN 978-1-5140-0562-0) fashions an “illuminating reappraisal of the central Christian symbol” of the cross, per PW’s review, as a reminder of both Jesus’s crucifixion and the hope for a better world.
Jewish Publication Society
Ethics at the Center: Jewish Theory and Practice for Living a Moral Life by Elliot N. Dorff (Mar. 1, $45, ISBN 978-0-8276-1565-6) compiles selections from rabbi Elliot Dorff’s scholarship on Jewish morality across nearly five decades.
Kregel
Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style by Janet McHenry (Feb. 13, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8254-4818-8) seeks to guide believers in how to best connect with God based on their individual spiritual gifts, enneagram type, and more.
Lexham
The End of the World as You Know It: What the Bible Really Says About the End Times (and Why It’s Good News) by Matthew L. Halsted (Feb. 7, $24.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-68359-712-4) challenges common end-times assumptions and looks to scripture for answers.
How Should We Then Die? A Christian Response to Physician-Assisted Death by Ewan C. Goligher (Apr. 3, $18.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-68359-747-6) makes a case, rooted in scriptural principles, against euthanasia.
Little, Brown
God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible by Candida Moss (Mar. 26, $30, ISBN 978-0-316-56467-0) examines how enslaved people helped to create, interpret, and spread scriptural texts.
Lorenz
Catholicism: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Faith, History, Saints, Popes by Charles Phillips (Mar. 1, $45, ISBN 978-0-7548-3551-6) surveys the philosophy, practices, and key figures of the faith, including 100 saints and all 266 popes.
Mandala
Colonial Hinduism: An Introduction by Amiya P. Sen (Apr. 30, $39.99, ISBN 979-88-87620-75-6) tracks the far-reaching consequences of British rule in India, including the rise of a Hindu nationalism that eventually fell victim to its own excesses.
Monkfish
30 Rights of Muslim Women: The Definitive Guide by Daisy Khan (May 21, $29.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-958972-33-5) outlines Muslim women’s religious freedoms and how they can be harnessed through faith-based activism.
Moody
The Kindness of God: Beholding His Goodness in a Cruel World by Nate Pickowicz (Feb. 6, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8024-3180-6) seeks to motivate the faithful to celebrate and emulate God’s kindness even in seemingly hopeless times.
Morehouse
The Spirit of Fatherhood by Larry Hagner (May 28, $18.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64065-711-3). The founder of Stronger Families shares advice for parenting with faith and purpose, including how to create a Godly home and instill moral values.
Multnomah
Defiant Joy: Find the Hope to Light Your Way, Even in the Darkness by Jennifer Michelle Greenberg (Feb. 27, $17 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-44542-6) debunks toxic positivity and prosperity gospel beliefs, and argues that God’s joy can coexist with suffering, disappointment, and anxiety.
NavPress
Courage and Confidence: A Bold Guide to Unboxing Who You Were Created to Be by Nicole O. Salmon (Apr. 9, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64158-833-1) sets forth guidance on how Christians can stop second-guessing their actions, dismantle harmful thought patterns, and embrace their true selves.
Say Good: Speaking across Hot Topics, Complex Relationships, and Tense Situations by Ashlee Eiland (May 7, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64158-700-6) aims to help readers engage with diverse perspectives and confidently express their convictions in fraught conversations.
Thomas Nelson
Gospeler: Turning Darkness into Light One Conversation at a Time by Willie Robertson (May 14, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4003-3848-1). The Duck Dynasty star shares ways Christians can discuss their faith with friends, family, and neighbors without preaching.
Power Moves: Ignite Your Confidence and Become a Force by Sarah Jakes Roberts (Apr. 30, $29.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-9190-9) details how believers can tap into their authentic selves to connect with God and lead empowered lives.
Northfield
Loving Adopted Children Well: A 5 Love Languages Approach by Gary Chapman and Laurel Shaler (Feb. 6, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-8024-3187-5) applies lessons from Chapman’s bestselling The 5 Love Languages to the adoptive parent-child relationship.
Orbis
In the Shadow of Freedom: The Enduring Call for Racial Justice by Alessandra Harris (May 15, $35 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-62698-542-1) takes on mass incarceration, the death penalty, and the war on drugs for a scripturally grounded look at dismantling systemic racism in America.
Oxford Univ.
Jerusalem Through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades by Jodi Magness (Mar. 26, $39.99, ISBN 978-0-19-093780-5) traces the contested city’s history, from its Bronze Age founding through the construction and destruction of the first and second temples to the Crusaders’ 11th-century conquest.
The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith by Michael O. Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey II (Apr. 30, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-19-774628-8) argues that Christian nationalism and its perpetuation of racial inequality has assumed a religious importance for a majority of American believers.
Rowman & Littlefield
The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors by Tony Jones (Apr. 2, $24, ISBN 978-1-5381-8444-8) details how spending time outside helped the author connect with God after a personal crisis, and reflects on the transcendence and chaos found in nature.
Love Is Greater Than AIDS: A Memoir of Survival, Healing, and Hope by A. Stephen Pieters (Apr. 2, $29, ISBN 978-1-5381-8657-2) recounts the tumultuous life of an activist pastor who survived a notorious HIV antiviral trial and became a pioneering spokesman for those with the disease.
Shambhala
Lifting as They Climb: Black Women Buddhists and Collective Liberation by Toni Pressley-Sanon (Feb. 13, $24.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-64547-076-2) delves into the life and work of prominent Black Buddhist thinkers Faith Adiele, bell hooks, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, Spring Washam, Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, and Jan Willis.
SPCK
Notes on Feminism: Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men by Lauren Windle (Mar. 8, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-281-08767-9) investigates why the Bible has been deployed to silence women and considers how it might inform a more equitable Christianity.
St. Martin’s
Cloistered: My Years as a Nun by Catherine Coldstream (Mar. 12, $30, ISBN 978-1-250-32351-4) documents the author’s time in a traditional Carmelite monastery in England and the reasons for her eventual departure.
St. Martin’s Essentials
The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy by Jim Wallis (Apr. 2, $30, ISBN 978-1-250-29189-9) denounces white supremacist beliefs that Wallis claims have infiltrated American Christianity and calls for a return to core biblical tenets.
Tyndale Elevate
Does Christianity Still Make Sense? A Former Skeptic Responds to Today’s Toughest Objections to Christianity by Bobby Conway (Apr. 23, $17.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4964-7643-2) tackles 20 faith-based questions, including why there is evil in the world and whether there is evidence to support God’s existence.
Verso
The States of the Earth: An Ecological and Racial History of Secularization by Mohamed Amer Meziane, trans. by Jonathan Adjemian (Apr. 9, $29.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-80429-177-1), dissects how the intertwined forces of empire, climate, and secularization have shaped the modern world.
W Publishing
Grieve, Breathe, Receive: Finding a Faith Strong Enough to Hold Us by Steve Carter (May 7, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7852-3561-3). The author, a pastor, describes how he found peace through God following a professional crisis and advises readers on healing after setbacks of their own.
Waterbrook
Do It Anyway: Don’t Give Up Before It Gets Good by Tasha Cobbs Leonard (May 7, $26, ISBN 978-0-593-60087-0). The Grammy Award–winning artist recounts how God’s strength has fueled her through triumphs and trials, from suffering a devastating miscarriage to releasing her Billboard top 10 gospel album.
Untangle Your Emotions: Naming What You Feel and Knowing What to Do About It by Jennie Allen (Feb. 13, $27, ISBN 978-0-593-19341-9) promises that processing uncomfortable feelings fosters personal growth and a closer relationship with God.
Watkins
Paths on the Tree of Wisdom: A Course in 21st Century Kabbalah by Mike Bais (Feb. 13, $22.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-78678-792-7) surveys the school of Jewish mysticism, its links to ancient Egyptian religious traditions, and how it brings science and spirituality into conversation.
WEISER
Alive with Spirits: The Path and Practice of Animistic Witchcraft by Althaea Sebastiani (May 6, $18.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-57863-825-3) breaks down a magical practice centered on communing with the land and local spirits.
Westminster John Knox
Creating a Culture of Repair: Taking Action on the Road to Reparations by Robert Turner (Apr. 23, $20 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-664-26807-7) lists more than 100 ways to alleviate racial injustice in believers’ communities, churches, and personal lives.
Wisdom
Abiding in Emptiness: A Guide for Meditative Practice by Bhikkhu Anˉalayo (Mar. 12, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-61429-917-2) unpacks early Buddhist teachings on emptiness and meditations designed to put them into practice.
Worthy
Flirting with Disaster: True Travel Tales of Fear, Failure, and Faith by Angie Orth (Mar. 12, $27, ISBN 978-1-5460-0469-1) recalls how quitting a cookie-cutter corporate job, putting off motherhood, and traveling the world ultimately brought the author a sturdier and more expansive faith.
Zondervan
Create a Life You Love: How to Quiet Outside Voices So You Can Finally Hear Your Own by Stephanie May Wilson (Apr. 30, $19.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-310-36755-0) aims to help believers cast off societal pressures in order to pinpoint and pursue their goals.
This article has been updated with further information.
