People often ask us for books that we would recommend to learn and grow. So here are few:

Biblical Study:

• Bible for Everyone Series, by N.T. Wright

• Inspired, by Rachel Held Evans

• What is the Bible?, by Rob Bell

• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart

• The Africana Bible, edited by Hugh R. Page Jr.

• The Bible Tells Me So, by Peter Enns
  
• Womanist Midrash, by Wil Gafney
  

• The Blue Parakeet, by Scot McKnight

• Prophetic Lament, by Soong-Chan Rah

• Short Stories by Jesus, by Amy-Jill Levine

• Fire By Night, by Melissa Florer-Bixler

• Bible of the Oppressed, by Elsa Tamez

Christian Theology: 

• Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright 

• Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis
  
• The Cross and the Lynching Tree, by James Cone 
  
• Mujerista Theology, Ada-Maria Isasi-Dias
  

• Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, by Brian Zahnd 

• Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr. 

• Practicing Christian Doctrine, by Beth Felker Jones 

• Cross Vision, by Greg Boyd 

• The Divine Dance, by Richard Rohr
  

• The Powers that Be, by Walter Wink

• Stand Your Ground, by Kelly Brown Douglas 

• The Very Good Gospel, by Lisa Sharon Harper 

• Reconciling All Things, by Emmanuel Katongole & Chris Rice

Creation Care:

• Serve God Save the Planet, by Matthew Sleeth

• What are People For, by Wendell Berry

Discipleship:

• Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard

• Making All Things New, by Henri Nouwen

• The Cost of Discipleship, by Deitrich Bonhoeffer

• Community and Growth, by Jean Vanier

• Flee, Be Silent, Pray, by Ed Cyzewski

• Reconstructing the Gospel, by Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove

• Long Days of Small Things, by Catherine McNiel

• Wearing God, by Lauren Winner

• Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster

Emotional and Mental Health:

• Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, by Peter Scazzero

• Listening for God, by Renita Weems

• Boundaries, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

• Glorious Weakness, by Alia Joy

• I’m Still Here, by Austin Channing Brown
  
• Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission, by Amy Simpson
  

Faith Shift and Doubt: 

• Know Doubt: The Importance of Embracing Uncertainty in your Faith, by John Ortberg 

• The Sin of Certainty, by Peter Enns 

• Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the idol of Certainty, by Greg Boyd 

• Learning to Walk in the Dark, by Barbara Brown Taylor 

• How to Survive a Shipweck, by Jonathan Martin 

• Out of Sorts, by Sarah Bessey 

• Finding God in the Waves, by Mike McHargue 

• Water into Wine, by Brian Zahnd

Forgiveness:

• Free of Charge, by Miroslov Volf

• No Future Without Forgiveness, by Desmond Tutu

• Beyond Retribution, by Christopher D. Marshall

• The Little Book of Restorative Justice, by Howard Zehr

• Forgiving As We’ve Been Forgiven, by L. Gregory Jones & Celestin Musekura

• Roadmap to Reconciliation, by Brenda Salter McNeil

Heaven and Hell:

• Reviving Old Scratch, by Richard Beck

• The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis

Incarceration:

• The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander

• Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson

• Rethinking Incarceration, by Dominique Gilliard

• Executing Grace, by Shane Claiborne

Immigration, Asylum and Refugee Resettlement:

• Welcoming the Stranger, by Matthew Soerens

• Seeking Refuge, by Stephan Bauman

• The God Who Sees, by Karen González

• Love Undocumented, by Sarah Quezada

LGTBQ+:

• Us versus Us, by Andrew Marin

• A Letter to my Congregation, by Ken Wilson

• God and the Gay Christian, by Matthew Vines

• Oriented to Faith, by Tim Otto

• Torn, by Justin Lee

• Changing Our Mind, by David Gushee

• Outside the Lines, by Mihee Kim-Kort

Marriage: 

• Beyond Companionship: Christians in Marriage, by Diana S. Richmond Garland & David E Garland 

• The Mystery of Marriage, Mike Mason 

• Marriage at a Crossroads: Couples in Conversation about Discipleship, Gender Roles, Decision Making & Intimacy, by William & Aida Spencer and Steve & Celestia Tracy 

• Boundaries in Marriage, by Henry Could & John Townsend 

• Sex and Love in the Home, by David Matzko McCarthy 

Materialism and Simplicity:

• 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, by Jen Hatmaker 

• The More of Less, by Joshua Becker

• Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, by Ron Sider
  
• Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table by Jennifer Halteman Schrock

Mission and Evangelism: 

• The Open Secret, by Leslie Newbegin 

• Faithful Presence, by David Fitch 

• Toxic Charity, Dr. Bob Lupton 

• Making Neighborhoods Whole, by John Perkins & Wayne Gordon 

• Dangerous Presence: Following Jesus into the City, by Jason Butler

• In the Name of Jesus, by Henri Nouwen 

• A Public Faith, by Miroslov Volf

Parenting and Caregiving:

• How Children Raise Parents: The Art of Listening to Your Family, by Dan B. Allender

• Habits of a Child’s Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines, by Valerie E Hess & Marti Watson Garlett

• Wouded Children, Healing Homes, by Jayne Schooler, Betsy Keefer Smalley and Timothy J. Callahan

• Elevating Child Care, by Janet Lansbury

• Living Simply With Children, by Marie Sherlock

• Relationship Empowerment Parenting, by Judy and Jack Balswick

• Raising White Kids, by Jennifer Harvey

• Adopted: The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World, by Kelley Nikondeha

• Boundaries with Kids, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Politics:

• The Myth of a Christian Nation, by Greg Boyd

• Jesus for President, Shane Clairborne

• Resident Aliens, by Stanley Hauerwas & William Willimon

• Still Evangelical?, edited by Mark Labberton  

• Left, Right and Christ, by Lisa Sharon Harper  
  

Race:

• The Soul of Black Folk, by W.E.B DuBois

• Race Matters, by Cornell West

• Divided by Faith, by Michael Emerson & Christian Smith

• Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys, by Richard Twiss

• Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, by Beverly Daniesl Tatum

• Disunity in Christ, by Christina Cleveland
  
• The Color of Compromise, by Jemar Tisby 
• Women, Race and Class, by Angela Davis

Sabbath:

• 24/6, Dr. Matthew Sleeth

• The Sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel

• Sabbath as Resistance, Walter Brueggemann

• Keeping the Sabbath, by Marva J. Dawn

Singleness: 

• Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must be Reinvented in Today’s Church, by Christine Colon and Bonnie Field 

• Party of One, by Joy Beth Smith 

Spirituality:

• Glory Happening, by Kaitlin Curtice 

• Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians, by Lawrence Kushner 

• Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, by Richard Rohr 

• The Way to Love, by Anthony DeMello 

• Life of the Beloved, by Henri Nouwen 

• The Ragammufin Gospel, by Brennan Manning 

• Love Does, by Bob Goff

Suffering and Grief:

• Everything Happens for A Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved), by Kate Bowler 

• Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope, by Joan D. Chittister 

• Praying our Goodbyes, by Joyce Rupp 

• Walking Through Twilight, by Douglas Groothuis
  
• The View from Rock Bottom, by Stephanie Tait

Vocation: 

• Let Your Life Speak, by Parker Palmer 

• Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert 

Women:

• Jesus Feminist, by Sarah Bessey 

• The Year of Biblical Womanhood, by Rachel Held Evans 

• Discovering Biblical Equality, by Ronald W Pierce & Rebecca Merrill Groothuis 

• Good News for Women, by Rebecca Merrill Groothuis 

• Half the Church, by Carolyn Custis James    

Worship:

• The Next Worship, by Sandra Maria Van Opstal

• The Dangerous Act of Worship, by Mark Labberton