Fiction
September 24
A Hope Unburied by Kimberley Woodhouse (Barbour, Sept. 24, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-7642-4170-3). Budding paleontologist Eliza is thrilled to be taking part in a high-profile dig in Utah, until she receives threats warning her to stop or be killed.
September 3
Honoring Christmas: An Amish Romance by Linda Byler (Good Books, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-68099-922-8). In 19th-century Pennsylvania, an impoverished 15-year-old bitterly anticipates the holiday season until a friendly Amish family introduces him to their beautiful daughter and the joys of Christmas.
October 1
Over the Edge by Irene Hannon (Revell, Oct. 1, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-4189-1). The sole witness in a high-profile murder case seeks help from detective Jack Tucker when someone begins stalking her in an effort to undermine her credibility.
Nonfiction
September 1
Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom by H. Knox Thames (Univ. of Notre Dame, $45, ISBN 978-0-268-20867-7) argues that the U.S. should use such strategies as coalition building to combat religious oppression worldwide, from the persecution of Uyghurs in China to Middle Eastern terrorism.
September 3
Disciple Them Like Jesus: Leading Your Kids the Way Christ Led the Twelve by Barrett Johnson (Bethany House, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-7642-4382-0) explains how parents can use biblical strategies to instill faith in their children.
Yonder Come Day: Exploring the Collective Witness of the Formerly Enslaved by Jasmine L. Holmes (Baker Books, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5409-0317-4) draws from more than 3,000 interviews conducted with formerly enslaved people in the 1930s to trace the life of a composite character from her birth into slavery to her old age.
Soul Care: Find Life-Giving Rhythms, Live Restored, Avoid Burnout, Discover Unspeakable Joy by Debra Fileta (Harvest House Sept. 3, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-7369-8821-6) “persuasively reassures readers that caring for one’s body and mind can be holy,” per PW’s review.
Cultivating Deeper Connections in a Lonely World by Becky Harling (Moody, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-8024-3093-9) sketches a “theology of belonging”—the idea that humans are created in relation to God and one another—to inspire believers to strengthen their bonds at church and beyond.
The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance by Jemar Tisby (Zondervan Reflective, $29.99, ISBN 978-0-310-14485-4) spotlights little-known activists who agitated for racial equality, spanning from the country’s founding to the present.
September 10
Teach Me How to Prosper: Biblical Keys to Supernatural Abundance by Kynan Bridges (Chosen Books, $18.99 , ISBN 978-0-8007-6261-2) unpacks what scripture has to say about poverty, prosperity, and divine favor.
What About Me? Get Out of Your Own Way and Discover the Power of an Unselfish Life by Joyce Meyer (Faithwords, $29,
ISBN 978-1-5460-4698-1) posits that true happiness stems from serving God and others. 350,000-copy announced first printing.
Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations—and Take Over Our Lives by J.W. Ocker (Quirk, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-68369-412-0). From David Koresh’s Branch Davidians to Nxivm, Ocker investigates how cults work and why they attract followers. 75,000-copy announced first printing.
The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World by Mustafa Akyol. (St. Martin’s, $30, ISBN 978-1-250-25609-6). Framing Moses as the “historical precedent for Mohammad,” journalist Akyol outlines a Judeo-Islamic tradition that began in seventh-century Medina and continues to the present.
September 13
Aching for Greatness: Discover God’s Love in the Restless Search for More by Tanner Kalina (Ave Maria, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-64680-342-2) chronicles the author’s forays into stand-up comedy, acting, and surfing before he found lasting fulfillment in his faith.
September 17
The Bible: A Global History by Bruce Gordon (Basic, $35, ISBN 978-1-5416-1973-9). Gordon, a historian, traces how the Bible took shape and traveled across continents, adapting to locals’ needs even as it stirred up resistance as a symbol of imperialism.
Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground by Mirabai Starr (HarperOne, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-331719-2) offers an “openhearted” invitation for readers to find the sacred in the mundane, according to PW’s review.
White Boy/Black Girl: What Our Differences Can Teach Us, One Honest Conversation at a Time by Adaeze and Chad Brinkman (Tyndale, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-7493-3) offers insights that the authors, a married couple, have gleaned from difficult discussions about race.
When Doing It All Is Undoing You: Meeting God in Your Unmet Expectations by Alyssa Joy Bethke (Worthy, $28, ISBN 978-1-5460-3408-7) urges women to abandon their endless and unsatisfying quests for social approval and happiness, and seek fulfillment in God.
September 24
Budding Lotus in the West: Buddhism from an Immigrant’s Feminist Perspective by Nhi Yê´n Đô˜ Trâ´n (Broadleaf, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-5064-9514-9) combs through Buddhist texts to critique the male-centric nature of modern American Buddhism.
Exvangelical and Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That’s Fighting Back by Blake Chastain (TarcherPerigee, $28, ISBN 978-0-593-71707-3). An increasingly toxic right-wing evangelical movement has driven away a swath of Christians who are now speaking out about the movement’s harms.
Reading the Margins: Encounters with the Bible in Literature by Michael J. Gilmour (Fortress, $36.99, ISBN 978-1-5064-6935-5) analyzes the moral questions raised in works of fiction and poetry—such as what it means to be a peacemaker—from a scriptural perspective.
Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church by Hahrie Han (Knopf, $29, ISBN 978-0-593-31886-7) profiles four participants in a racial reconciliation program at a Chicago megachurch during the Trump presidency.
September 25
A Bowl of Perfect Light: Stories of Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Repairing the World by Megan McKenna (Orbis, $25, ISBN 978-1-62698-589-6) surveys Christian scripture, Jewish midrashes, and Native American teachings to consider the nature of forgiveness and how it can renew the world.
October 1
Dying to Live: Letting Go of Earthly Pleasures to Find Eternal Joy by Margaret Burke (Leafwood, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-68426-063-8) urges believers to swap their preoccupations with social status and material possessions for a more fulfilling relationship with God.
Your New Life with Adult Children: A Practical Guide for What Helps, What Hurts, and What Heals by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell (Northfield, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-8024-3480-7). The author of The 5 Love Languages teams up with psychiatrist Campbell to tackle such parenting challenges as clashes over lifestyle choices and adult kids moving back home.
The Coming Golden Age: 31 Ways to Be Kingdom Ready by David Jeremiah (Thomas Nelson Oct. 1, $29.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-5238-2). Turning Point founder Jeremiah follows up The Great Disappearance with a guide to Christ’s second coming and earthly reign that encourages Christians to draw strength from those events in the here and now.
Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith by April Ajoy (Worthy, $28, ISBN 978-1-5460-0668-8) recounts how the author untangled herself from the evangelical culture in which she was raised, and how it’s reshaping the political arena.
Face Forward: Reclaiming Hope When Everything Falls Apart by Bethny Ricks (Zondervan Reflective, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-310-15722-9) recounts the author’s personal and professional challenges to explore how believers can
harness their faith to surmount their own obstacles.
October 8
Your Jesus Is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values over the American Dream by Steve Bezner (Brazos, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-631-4) urges readers to prioritize service, charity, and other biblical values over the obsessions with power, money, and politics that dominate today’s society, according to the author.
Plundered: The Tangled Roots of Racial and Environmental Injustice by David W. Swanson (IVP, $18, ISBN 978-1-5140-0774-7) posits that greedy Western attitudes have spurred environmental abuses and the exploitation of the poor and marginalized, and offers a Christian framework for creating a more sustainable and equitable world.
Rage Prayers by Elizabeth Ashman Riley (Morehouse Oct. 8, $18.95, ISBN 978-1-64065-748-9) invites the faithful to channel their anger, frustration, and other difficult emotions into an honest dialogue with God.
Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church by Gareth Gore (Simon & Schuster, $30.99, ISBN 978-1-6680-1614-5). Over the course of more than 60 years, journalist Gore claims, the Catholic sect Opus Dei stole billions of dollars from a Spanish bank to spread its ultraconservative agenda across the globe.
Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments by Rachel Wojo (Skyhorse, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-5107-8162-7) calls on readers to establish a strong prayer connection to God in moments of both crisis and peace.
Deconstructing: Leaving Church, Finding Faith by Karla Kamstra (St. Martin's Essential, $28, ISBN 978-1-250-29275-9) encourages believers to excavate the patriarchal roots of their faith and build a freer, less dogmatic spirituality.
Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself—and to God—When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering by Chuck DeGroat (Tyndale Refresh, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-4964-8314-0) uses the story of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace to meditate on reconnecting with one’s truest self in moments of personal crisis.
October 15
Psalms and Songs of Solace by Martyn Percy (Bloomsbury Contimuum, $18, ISBN 978-1-3994-1411-1) meditates on 50 psalms that offer comfort to believers in moments of suffering.
American Christian Nationalism: Neither American nor Christian by Michael W. Austin (Eerdmans, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-8028-8435-0) contends that nationalism runs counter to biblical values and advocates instead for the Christian model of the beloved community, which envisions a society that takes care of all.
I Bet You Think This Book Is About You: How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Pride and Gain the Rewards of Humility by Chad Veach (Faithwords, $28, ISBN 978-1-5460-0703-6). Christians should keep their egos in check to grow their faith in an increasingly narcissistic culture, according to this biblically grounded study.
Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years by Paula Fredriksen (Princton Univ., $29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-15769-6) charts how Christianity emerged in a society teeming with gods and evolved from a form of Jewish messianism into the official faith of the Roman empire.
Building Belonging: The Church’s Call to Build Community and House Our Neighbors by John Cleghorn (Westminster John Knox, $25, ISBN 978-0-664-26850-3) outlines how churches can use their resources to help shelter vulnerable members of their communities.
October 22
The Hope of Heaven: How the Promise of Eternity Changes Everything by Sheila Walsh (Baker Books, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-5409-0027-2) aims to break down the nitty-gritty details of the afterlife, and how Christians can use that knowledge to live more faithfully in the present. 50,000-copy announced first printing.
Inherit Your Freedom: Break Generational Curses and Reclaim the Future God Has for You by Mike Signorelli (Chosen Books, $18.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-7260-4).
Captivating Conversations: How Christians Can Reclaim the Lost Art of Listening by Brian Davies (Concordia, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-7586-7434-0) asserts that becoming a better listener can help believers to strengthen their relationships and spread the gospel.
Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway by Stephanie Duncan Smith (Convergent, $26, ISBN 978-0-593-72775-1) reveals how enduring infertility and a miscarriage taught the author to embrace experiences of loss and love.
The Mystics Would Like a Word: Six Women Who Met God and Found a Spirituality for Today by Shannon K. Evans (Convergent, $26, ISBN 978-0-593-72727-0) spotlights six female mystics—Teresa of Ávila, Margery Kempe, Hildegarde of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux—who forged a Christian spirituality that engaged with sex, desire, and motherhood.
October 29
Swing Low, Vol. 1: A History of Black Christianity in the United States by Walter R. Strickland II (IVP Academic, $28, ISBN 978-1-5140-0420-3) surveys the theology that has shaped African American Christianity from the 17th century until the present, covering key ecclesiastical and social developments such as the rise of Black evangelicalism.
The Beginner’s Guide to Karma: How to Live with Less Negativity and More Peace by Lama Lhanang and Mordy Levine (New World Library, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-60868-872-2) draws from scripture, metaphysics, and psychology to explore the intricacies of the Buddhist concept.
Two Equals One: A Marriage Equation for Love, Laughter, and Longevity by Jimmy and Irene Rollins (Thomas Nelson, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-7852-8983-8) explains how couples can harness their faith to rebuild trust and restore healthy communication.
