Spirituality & Religion March 2015

SPIRITUALITY
&RELIGION
Features Profiles
MARCH 2015
Evergreen Topics Keep on Giving

To Readers and Publishers
Is Heaven for Real? Books About the Beyond
Spring 2015 Announcements
Spirituality & Religion
Feature
Devotionals and prayer books continue

growth pattern
Daily Bread
and Butter
By Jana K. Riess
n 1924, a new book

appeared on the scene that
did not excite high initial
sales expectations. Written
by the late Scottish pastor
Oswald Chambers, the
365-day devotional My Utmost
for His Highest seemed an
unlikely import for an American reading audience that did
not know the authors name.
Millions of copies later6.5
million of which were sold by
Barbour Publishing, which
acquired rights to Chamberss classic in
1990My Utmost for His Highest is not
only one of the bestselling religion books
of the last century, but also jump-started
the genre of the daily devotional.
Today, devotionals and books on prayer
are part of a healthy genre that keeps
publishers happy. Many houses have at
least one backlist title in this category
that is a gift that keeps on giving. Harvest House reports that Quiet Times for
Couples has sold more than 600,000 copies in all editions since its release in
1990, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing has had a massive hit on its hands
ever since Sarah Youngs Jesus Calling was
released in 2004. Over the past decade,
Jesus Calling has sold

more than 14 million
copies in multiple editions, including a
childrens version and a gift books line.
Every year we sell more than the year
before, reports Laura Minchew, senior
v-p and publisher of gift books, childrens books, and new media at Thomas
Nelson, who notes that in February, the
book again reached #1 on the New York
Times bestseller list for religion.
BIG NAMES, SMALL BOOKS
The general trend in devotionals and
books on daily spirituality is that the
bigger the name is, the better the sales
are. Of course everybody migrates to the
Dalai Lama because hes so loved and
influential, says Bonni Hamilton, direc-
tor of marketing and digital content for

Red Wheel, which distributes for Hampton Roads. Hampton Roads has enjoyed
strong sales for several little books by
His Holiness: The Dalai Lamas Little
Book of Inner Peace (2009) has sold about
33,000 copies and The Dalai Lamas Little Book of Wisdom (2010) has sold more
than 28,000, Hamilton says. She hopes
their next offering from the Tibetan spiritual leader will equal or surpass those
sales. The Dalai Lamas Little Book of Buddhism will be released in June, to be followed in October by a similar title
showcasing another wildly popular
world spiritual leader. Pope Francis
Little Book of Wisdom is aimed at
Catholicsboth lapsed and
activeand a broad Protestant
market, Hamilton says. In many
ways, Pope Francis transcends multiple sectarian boundaries.
Francis, in fact, is the star of a
number of 2015 devotionals, prayer
books, and meditative gift books. In
March, Skyhorse has The Wisdom of Pope
Francis, edited by David Birch, which
senior publicity manager Samuel Caggiula emphasizes is accessible for all
readers. You can open to any page and
read a short selection or saying, Caggiula says. In June, the Penguin Random
House imprint Image will publish
Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the
Every Day, the popes morning homilies
arranged as daily readings. Like the Skyhorse offering, Images is divided into
small papal nuggets. Each chapter is
very shortmany times just a single
pagebut it offers an intimate view of
the pope that many of us never see, says
Gary Jansen, senior editor for Image.
If one trend is that the authors of devotionals are often big names, another is
A Category Name Change
With more Americans than ever identifying themselves as spiritual but not religious and the category that we refer to as
religion comprising a broader range of books, many publishers, booksellers, librarians, and authors find the religion label
limiting or imprecise. In response to these cultural and industry changes, and to better express what the category is
about, PW is renaming its religion coverage Spirituality and Religion. Youll see this from now on in our editorial about
this segment of the publishing industry.
32 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y M A R C H 2 , 2 0 1 5
Feature |
Mindfulness and Meditation Go Mainstream

During the 2014 holiday season, celebrity
chef Giada de Laurentiss weekly digital
magazine featured a photo of her in a
meditative pose, with a copy of Lodro
Rinzlers Sit Like a Buddha: A Pocket Guide
to Meditation (Shambhala, Dec.) carefully
situated within arms reach. Steven Pomije,
Shambhalas marketing communications
manager, says this unlikely product
placement is a testament to mindfulnesss being embraced
fully by mainstream America. Shambhala, which has been
publishing books on mindfulness and meditation for 46 years,
has been a major part of that mainstreaming, staking a name
for itself in this category with its very first book, Tibetan Buddhist master Chgyam Trungpas Meditation in Action (1969).
This spring that history comes full circle as Shambhala publishes a posthumous work by Trungpa, who died in 1987.
Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself Through Meditation and Everyday Awareness will be released in April.
A pioneering publisher in mindfulness books is Wisdom
Publications; its Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante
Gunaratana, has sold more than a quarter of a million copies
since its original release 24 years ago. New and forthcoming
books this season include Buddhism for Dudes: A Jarheads Field
Guide to Mindfulness (Wisdom, Aug.), by former Marine Gerry
Stribling, who breaks down Buddhist concepts and practices
like mindfulness for ordinary dudes (and others); Silence: The
Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise (HarperOne, Jan.), from
seminal mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh; Make Me One
with Everything: Buddhist Meditations to Awaken from the Illusion
of Separation (Sounds True, May), by Lama Surya Das; and Looking at Mindfulness: Twenty-Five Ways to Live in the Moment
Through Art (Blue Rider Press, Mar.), by Christophe Andr,
that the books themselves are getting

smaller. Weve had incredibly good luck
with small-format books, Hamilton
says. They are gifty and they usually
come with flaps. Rachel Bomberger,
director of marketing for Eerdmans, a
spirituality and religion publisher that
has several books coming this spring and
summer, agrees there is a consistent
trend toward ever more bite-sized devotional materialsneatly portioned collections designed to help readers more
easily fit moments of transcendence into
their hectic lifestyles. Abingdon Press
will even offer the words of a famous
who explores practicing mindfulness

using all of our senses.
At Llewellyn, their entire health and
healing category is on the rise, with a
12% sales increase last year. Senior publicist Kat Sanborn says books on meditation and mindfulness have become more
mainstream. Five years ago, mindfulness
was really looked upon more as a Buddhist term, she says. Now a lot of people see mindfulness as
something they can use to slow down in their own lives without thinking of it as only for Buddhists. The Mindfulness
Habit: Six Weeks to Creating the Habit of Being Present, released in
January, aims to help beginners integrate mindfulness into
their existing lifestyles, without needing to embrace Buddhism
all out. And Guy Finley, one of the companys bestselling
authors, draws from several traditions in self-realization books
like The Secret of Letting Go, a 2007 title that has sold about a
quarter of a million copies, according to Llewellyn. Finleys
newest book, The Secret of Your Immortal Self (Jan.), has already
sold out its first printing of 15,000 copies, and Sanborn thinks
it might eventually outsell The Secret of Letting Go.
Whats next for mindfulness books? Pomije says a major
trend in the category is the application of mindfulness techniques to everyday problems, with, for example, Parenting in
the Age of Attention Snatchers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Balancing
Your Childs Use of Technology (Apr.). Shambhala is also actively
exploring digital complements to its meditation books. The
online courses we launched in 2014 have proven wildly successful, and we continue to ramp up our roster with our most
well-known and well-loved teachers, including a rare opportunity to learn online with Pema Chdrn in early summer,
he says.
J.K.R.
Protestant leader in small daily chunks via

a desktop calendar. John Wesleys Words &
Wisdom Devotional Calendar 2016 quotes
briefly from the sermons and writings of
the cofounder of the Methodist Church.
The trend toward small books and
short quotations crosses many religious
traditions. Marketing communications
manager Steven Pomije cites recent considerable popularity for smaller-formatted books on meditation released by
Shambhala Publications. Lodro Rinzlers
Sit Like a Buddha: A Pocket Guide to Meditation has sold about 8,000 copies since
its release in December; Mindfulness on the
Go: Simple Meditation Practices You Can Do

Anywhere, a December release by Jan
Chozen Bays, has sold more than 9,000.
Well continue to experiment and research
smaller formats appealing to beginners and
people on the go, Pomije says.
PACKAGING IS KING
The growing appeal of small-format
books is often paired with consumers
desire for those products to be beautiful.
The better a book looks, the more it
appeals to both readers and gift-givers,
Pomije says. Annie Tipton, senior acquisitions editor at Barbour, says that it is
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 33

imperative that devotional books be
packaged gorgeously. A colorful design
on the interior, quality paper, ribbon
markers, even special paper treatment
like a deckled edge or gilding can make
the experience all the more appealing.
Readers feel like theyre giving themselves an extra treat.
In 2010, Westminster John Knox
Press published God Is in the Manger, an
Advent devotional compiled from writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The cover
was attractive, but it was a paperback,
says David Dobson, v-p and executive
director of publishing. It sold very well,
but we heard from people that it would
be nice to have a better edition. So in
2012 we came out with a jacketed hardcover edition that sold almost twice as
many copies.
Paraclete Press has also made memorable design a stock-in-trade. We only
publish daily devotionals and prayer
books as physical books when we can
make them beautiful, and, of course, this
is much more important now than ever
before, Paraclete publisher Jon Sweeney
says. In fact, we take it as our challenge
to appeal to the long-standing tradition
of a book of prayer and devotion that feels
just right in the palm of the hand. Thats
our market. This fall, Paraclete has the
leatherette-covered Holy Spirit, I Pray:
Prayers for Morning and Nighttime, for Discernment, and Moments of Crisis (Sept.), by
Jack Levinson, and Vinita Hampton
Wrights The St. Teresa of Avila Prayer
Book (Oct.), which will appear in a
French-flap paperback. The latter is part
of a popular series that includes Sweeneys own The St. Francis Prayer Book,
which has sold 21,000 copies since 2004.
SCREEN ADAPTATIONS
All this focus on the extra bells and whistles of print packaging raises the question of whether devotionals and books on
daily inspiration are as successful in
e-book format as they are in print. In a
word: no. Or at least not yet.
Religion books in general are somewhat insulated from the digital shift, says
Andrew Yankech, business development
| Feature
manager for Loyola Press. But prayer

books in particular tend to be printfocused because readers are more often
than not seeking a respite from the pressures of the daily grind, and that includes
modern technology. At Loyola, Yankech
says, the sales ratio of print prayer books
to digital ones is 10-to-oneor higher.
The figures at Harvest House tell a similar
story. Of its top 10 nonfiction e-book categories, devotionals have the lowest percentage of sales in e-book format, with
e-book versions accounting for just 6% of
total sales for all devotionals.
Bomberger of Eerdmans agrees: Despite
the ubiquity of screen-based devotional
resources, there will always be at least a
small marketand perhaps even a growing marketfor slow resources as readers
push back from the frantic glare of tablets
and smartphones and consciously opt for
more low-tech meditational material.
At Image, Jansen says that while various apps now offer devotional experiences
for cheaper than the cover price of a
bookand the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has begun sending out daily
emails that include assigned scripture
readingsthe print experience remains
important for many readers. Theres
something about the tactile experience of
a physical book that connects the reader
to the words and to their faith in a unique
way, Jansen says. Theyre like rosaries.
People like to feel the beads in their
hands; it grounds them. A physical book
does the same thing.
Whatever their format, the content of
devotionals and prayer books has shown
a definite trend toward nichinghaving
a more personalized product based on a
persons gender, occupation, or stage of
life. Barbours line is replete with nichespecific products for various markets:
this spring, it has separate devotionals for
moms, dads, and grads, says Mary
Burns, v-p of marketing. Bryce Williamson, marketing director of Harvest
House, expects that such niching is the
wave of the future. Consumers are
expecting authentic and compelling
experiences built especially to match
their lifestyle. Focusing on products that
put this consumer mind-set first will be

key in 2016 and beyond, he says.
Thomas Nelsons Minchew says that
books can combine a favorite pastime
or hobby and a spiritual message, like
Devotions from the Garden (Mar.), with 90
reflections for gardeners, and Seeing God in
America (June), which appeals to those who
like to travel. Viva Editions offers Earth
Blessings: Prayers, Poems and Meditations
(Apr.) for environmentally conscious readers who want a daily touchstone of writings
about nature and ecological stewardship.
Sometimes niches come not from
favorite hobbies or interests, but from
challenging seasons of life, like Barbours
Prayers for Difficult Times, which has sold
a combined 115,000 copies since it came
out in 2013. To that pastoral end, Eerdmans offers two books of meditations this
year by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre. A
Faithful Farewell: Living Your Last Chapter
with Love (May) and A Long Letting Go:
Meditations for Those Who Mourn (July)
help terminal patients and their caregivers find comfort in prayer.
BLENDING OLD AND NEW
Books on prayer remain a staple in the
spirituality and religion market, but one
emerging trend is to blend tradition with
new ideas for spiritual practice. Paraclete
Press, for example, sees a greater emphasis on whole-body prayer. Nearly a
decade ago, its Active Prayer Series was
launched with Sybil MacBeths nowclassic guide Praying in Color, which
encouraged practitioners to doodle their
prayers. Over the last decade, weve seen
the books in this series used in thousands
of workshops in and out of church settings as praying people seek ways to take
prayer out of their heads and into some
sort of action, appeal to the senses, and
physical activity, Sweeney says. This
spring, the series will feature Pray Like a
Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul
(May), by David Brazzeal, who is a pastor
in Paris. The book compares prayer life to
culinary life: it can be the same fast food
every day, which is neither nourishing nor
interesting, or it can become a creative
adventure, like a fine French meal.
Feature |
Publishers note that another trend in

prayer books is a swing toward communal reading and devotion, not just individual use. Westminster John Knox has
had a hit book on the spiritual life for the
last 20 years in Soul Feast by Marjorie
Thompson, which introduces readers in
a welcoming way to spiritual practices
like Lectio Divina and contemplative
prayer. In 2014, the press reissued Soul
Feast in a large-format edition with
hand-drawn illustrations and room for
taking personal notes. It has succeeded
in large part because it has been used by
groups, Dobson says. We see a lot of
sales in 20-, 30-, or 40-at-a-time church
study groups. And at Eerdmans, communal prayer is one of the directions of
With All Our Prayers: Walking with God
Through the Christian Year (Feb.), which
arose from worship experiences that the
author, the retired pastor John B. Rogers
Jr., had with his Presbyterian congregation during the liturgical year.
These books value tradition, but reinterpret it for a new era. In Loyolas Reimagining the Ignatian Examen (Feb.), Mark
E. Thibodeaux, guides readers through
the 400-year-old spiritual practice of
examen using 30 fresh, creative ways to
pray. Ave Maria unveils a new daily
prayer book series throughout 2015
called Sacred Space, with a large annual
book complemented by smaller booklets
for Advent and Lent. According to Karey
Circosta, v-p and director of sales and
marketing, the series engages and
inspires readers with the daily Scripture
readings and introduces Catholics and
other Christians to Lectio Divina, or
sacred reading, in a new way. And, at
InterVarsity Press, Quaker authors J.
Brent Bill and Jennie Isbell challenge
readers to go deeper than traditional
words in Finding God in the Verbs: Crafting
a Fresh Language of Prayer (Mar.).
Whats next for devotionals, prayer
books, and daily guides to faith? Publishers are generally optimistic about this
bread-and-butter category, which has
continued to grow despite new competition from online resources and prayer
apps. But, in the years to come, the
Holiday Books Sell Well Despite

Logistical Limits
Passover. Ostara. Easter. Beltane. Those are just a few of the spring holidays that
publishers will make the most of this year, with resources to help adult readers
better understand and celebrate their faiths.
In April, Urim Publications will reissue in paperback a book that sold out in
its first week in hardcover last spring. The Night that Unites Passover Haggadah
compiles stories and commentary about the Jewish observance from three
famous 20th-century rabbis. Urim publisher Tzvi Mauer says the response last
year was remarkable but also a bit problematic. Because Haggadahsthe texts
recited on the first two nights of the Passover Sedersell primarily in the three
weeks leading up to the holiday, it is not unusual for such new or popular titles
to sell out during the season and not see the book back in print until the following year. The short seasonal window for holiday books means that titles cant
go back to press quickly enough during the holiday rush to meet the demand, so
some sales might be lost.
Jeff Crosby, associate publisher and director of sales and marketing at InterVarsity Press, agrees that seasonal books are a difficult proposition. Your window
of promotional opportunity is narrow, and its easy to blow it on reprints. But
we continue to pursue select books in the categories in a lower-cost, lower-risk
manner. In past years InterVarsity has published a number of readers, devotionals,
and Bible studies for Lent and Easter. In September, for example, the press released
Walking the Labyrinth, a 40-day Lenten devotional by Travis Scholl.
Westminster John Knox Press has begun publishing Advent and Lent resources
in greater numbers in the past few years, spurred by the success of such titles as
Dietrich Bonhoeffers God Is in the Manger. If we put out two or three resources
for Lent and two or three for Advent, they invariably all sell well, says David
Dobson, v-p and executive director of publishing. In January, Westminster John
Knox published Meeting God in Mark, by Rowan Williams, a seven-week plan to
read through the Gospel during Lent. And, in fall, it will offer Advent in Narnia,
by Heidi Haverkamp, which guides readers in the weeks before Christmas
through the lens of C.S. Lewiss beloved Narnia series.
In pagan traditions, holidays can occur about once every six weeks, so practitioners are always looking for resources to make those festivals special. Senior
publicist Kat Sanborn says that because of strong customer demand, Llewellyn
decided to create an eight-book Sabbat Essentials series for 2015, with the first,
Ostara: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Spring Equinox, released in January and the
seventh coming out a month or two before particular celebrations. These books
will be accessible to more than just pagans, but also to historians, since many of
our modern holidays have sprung from these pagan roots, Sanborn says. To that
end, they are designed to be as friendly as possible for beginners, with a small
57 trim size and a cohesive, branded feel.
J.K.R.
strong preference for print may erode as

todays older readers give way to a new
generation of digital natives. Many customersespecially younger customersare not drawn to the excerpt-created daily devotionals from well-known,
well-established, and often boomer writ-
ers of faith, says Jeff Crosby, InterVarsitys associate publisher and director of
sales and marketing. I believe that as the
boomer population ages and the millennials become even more the focus of a
publishers readership, that type of devotional product will not fare well.
Feature
New titles help readers cope with aging,

illness, and death
Comfort & Counsel

By Henry L. Carrigan Jr.
his spring, spirituality and religion publishers once again have

a host of new titles to help the
reader navigate the choppy
waters of aging, a devastating
diagnosis, or the death of a
loved one.
Out of the 1520 new books we publish each year, five of them deal with
aging and illness, says Stuart Matlins,
publisher of Jewish Lights and SkyLight
Paths. So this is an important area for us
and one in which we pioneer. In Jewish
Wisdom for Growing Older: Finding Your
Grit & Grace Beyond Midlife (Jewish
Lights, Mar.), Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman
(see profile, p. 41) offers reflections drawn
from Jewish traditions to help seekers of
all faiths find resilience as they age. For
the practical matters that must be
attended to with death, there is Ethical
Wills & How to Prepare Them: A Guide to
Sharing Your Values from Generation to Generation (Jewish Lights, Apr.), by Rabbi
Jack Riemer and Nathaniel Stampfer.
Other faiths weigh in, tooin Youll
Never Be Younger: A Good News Spirituality
for Those Over 60 (Orbis, Mar.), William J.
OMalley provides a Catholic view of what
it means to lead a good life in later years.
From Protestant publisher Eerdmans
comes Loving Later Life: An Ethics of Aging
(Apr.), by Frits de Lange, who shows how
an ethics of love can help with facing and
overcoming the fear of aging, as well as
change attitudes toward the elderly.
Of course, illness can strike at any age.
When he was 39, Christian theologian J.
Todd Billings (see profile, p. 40) was
diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer. In Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling with
Incurable Cancer and Life in Christ (Brazos,
Feb.), Billings grapples with the hard

questionsWhy me? Why now?
Brazos editorial director and associate
publisher Jim Kinney says, Rejoicing in
Lament offers no easy answers, for there
are none. But there is real help and hope
as we come to see our stories of pain and
grief incorporated into Gods larger story
of redemption.
When speaker and writer Michele
Cushatt got the bad cancer news at 39,
she wondered who would care for her
children, and how she could live with her
fear of death. Cushatt writes of the surprising ways her fear has turned into joy
in Undone: A Story of Making Peace with an
Unexpected Life (Zondervan, Mar.).
No one is prepared for the death of a
child, whether by illness, accident, or,
harder still, suicide. Three new books
recount losses of sons who died too young
and too suddenly.
In Finding Peter: A True Story of the
Hand of Providence and Evidence of Life
After Death (Regnery, Mar.), The Exorcist
author and screenwriter William Peter
Blatty relates the supernatural events he
believes he experienced in the midst of
his grief following the death of his young
son Peter from a rare heart condition. He
became convinced that Peter was sending
messages to him from the afterlife and
living on in Blattys life. The book has a
100,000-copy first printing.

In The Hope of Heaven: Gods Eight Messages of Assurance to a Grieving Father
(Thomas Nelson, Mar.), Alan M. Hallene
Jr. writes of experiencing eight visions of
heaven just after he discovered his college student son Alexs body when the
young man hanged himself. In the
visions he and his son were reunited in
the afterlife.
When Jan Harrisons 27-year-old son,
James, died unexpectedly of pneumonia,
she struggled to weather grief that
threatened to swamp her. In Life After the
Storm: God Will Carry You Through (Harvest House, Apr.), Harrison tells readers
that Jesus will walk you through your
storm and take you to the other side of
the crisis.
Several spring books deal with losing
a spouse. Following the death of her husband, Gayle Roper writes about what it
means to be alone in A Widows Journey:
Reflections on Walking Alone (Harvest
House, Mar.). Funeral director Dee Oliver brings a unique perspective to the
subject of widowhood and grief in The
Undertakers Wife: A True Story of Love,
Loss, and Laughter in the Unlikeliest of
Places (Zondervan, Mar.).
In A Faithful Farewell: Living Your Last
Chapter with Love (Eerdmans, Apr.), Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, professor of
medical humanities at UC Berkeley,
asks, When the time comes for us to die,
how do we say goodbye to our friends,
our families, and the lives we have lived?
How do we remain faithfulto God, to
ourselves, and to loved onesas we face
our final journey? She offers 52 brief
meditations on topics ranging from
anger and doubt to loss of privacy and
family conflict.
Feature
Spring books offer guidance to parents

and spouses
All in the Family

By Ann Byle
arents always need a

little extra help, families need support,
and marriages need
fine tuning. Publishers want to pitch in
with books that address such
issues, and readers of all religious stripes will find
resources galore this season.
Jewish Lights offers readers
Jewish Spiritual Parenting: Wisdom, Activities, Rituals and Prayers for Raising Children with Spiritual Balance and Emotional
Wholeness (May), by Rabbi Paul Kipnes
and Michelle November. The two have
been married 25 years and have parented
three children.
Our goal is to help people understand
the relevance of Judaism to their everyday lives, says Stuart Matlins, publisher
of Jewish Lights. Our audience is often
trying to understand how to be Jewish in
a world unlike any Jewish people have
ever lived in previously. Life cycle books
such as this help them to achieve the
goals of being modern American parents
while doing it from a uniquely Jewish
perspective. The bestselling backlist
book on parenting from Jewish Lights is
Parenting Jewish Teens: A Guide for the Perplexed (2006), by Joanne Doades.
Last summer, Jewish Lights sister
imprint SkyLight Paths, which publishes books from a variety of spiritual
traditions, released its first marriage
bookSecrets of a Soulful Marriage: Creating and Sustaining a Loving, Sacred Relationship, by Jim and Ruth Sharon, noted
couples therapists who draw on more
than 40 years of professional and personal
experience. We expect this book will be
followed by others on this topic from the

unique SkyLight Paths spiritual perspective, Matlins says.
Famed author and Oprah teacher Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now) has written
the foreword to Susan Stiffelmans Parenting with Presence: Practices for Raising
Conscious, Confident, Caring Kids, to be
published in April under the new Eckhart Tolle Editions imprint of New
World Library. Stiffelman (see profile, p.
40) is a marriage and family therapist
who shows parents how to recognize
their own problems and nurture emotional connections with their children.
Evangelical Christian publishers
release many books on parenting, marriage, and family, and some make the
topics a major emphasis of their publishing programs.
David C. Cook publishes about 60
titles per year, with books about parenting, marriage, and family life making up
roughly 5% of the total. In June, Cook
will release How to Ruin Your Child in 7
Easy Steps: Tame Your Voice, Nurture Their
Virtues, by Patrick Quinn and Ken Roach.
Parents are looking for help and looking for foundations, says Cook publisher
Dan Rich. A healthy spiritual home is
critical. None of us are experts, and we
make mistakes. When we [at Cook] look

at these kinds of parenting books, we see
them offering foundational, biblical
truths.
In May, Cook will publish a parenting
book by Mark and Jan Foreman, parents
of Jon and Tim Foreman of the band
Switchfoot. Raising Kids Who Matter:
Helping Children Grow Beyond Themselves
offers guidance for parents who want to
foster creativity, build
community, and help
their children see the
bigger world from a
Christian viewpoint.
We look for a unique
message that makes a
manuscript stand out, is
built on a firm foundation, and has a fresh
voice, Rich says,and
these books carry their
weight, profitwise.
Books aimed at helping families are a
significant part of Harvest Houses publishing program. Recent releases include
10 Ways to Say I Love You: Embracing a
Love That Lasts (Feb.), by Josh McDowell; 52 Things to Pray for Your Kids (Feb.),
by Jay Payleitner; One-Minute Romance for
Couples (Feb.), by Grace Fox; and Happy
Habits for Every Couple (Jan.), by Kathi
and Roger Lipp.
Harvest Houses list of forthcoming
titles is just as comprehensive: 52 Things
Sons Need from Their Moms (Apr.), by
Angela Thomas; The Dad Book (Apr.), by
Jay Payleitner; What Makes a Man Feel
Loved (Mar.), by Bob Barnes; and Raising
Body-Confident Daughters (Apr.), by Dannah Gresh.
Barbour Publishing combined efforts
with ministry organization Back to the
Bible in 2014 to create the new GoTandem Books imprint, designed to offer
practical resources to help readers live
their faith. Barbour and GoTandems list
is full of books for parents and families.
These books are all very relationship
focused, with the goal of making families
better and stronger through biblical
guidance and wisdom, says Kelly McIntosh, v-p of editorial for Barbour.

For instance, Everyday Finances for the
Everyday Family (Feb.), by Mike Yorkey,
offers families commonsense principles to
help them wisely budget, spend, and save
money. Also under the GoTandem
imprint are 101 Ways to Strengthen the
Parent-Child Connection: Devotions, Tips,
and Activities (June), by Michael and Tiffany Ross, and 101 Family Mealtime Devotions and Prayers (Oct.), by Greg Johnson.
Barbour is releasing 3-Minute Devotions for
Families, by Janice Thompson, in May.
These books fit our mission in that
they offer solid biblical encouragement
and inspiration to families, plus theyre
practical, McIntosh says, adding that
the titles are frontlist driven, as authors
and readers look for fresh approaches to
todays issues. Inspirational familyfocused books are always in season in the
Christian market, she notes.
Barbour/GoTandem is one of two publishers addressing the needs of families in
our high-tech world, with books like
Managing Your Familys High-Tech Habits:
(From Video Games to the Dark Side of the
Web), by Arnie Cole and Pam Ovwigho,
which is due in June. The authors help
parents sort through the good and bad
sides of virtual living, including how to
navigate social media choices and set
healthy boundaries.
Moody Publishers also deals with the
digital world in its March title, Screens and
Teens: Connecting with Our Kids in a Wireless
World, by Kathy Koch. The author
applauds the positive aspects of the digital age, but also warns parents that technology can contribute to self-centeredness, negative behaviors, and spiritually
detrimental beliefs.
Even Bethany House, a division of
Baker Publishing Group best known for
its fiction, is publishing books on family
life. More Than Just the Talk: Becoming Your
Kids Go-To Person About Sex (Mar.), by
Jonathan McKee, shows parents how to
move past awkwardness and into ongoing
conversations about sex.
And publishers never forget the books
specifically for mothers. From Thomas
Nelson comes Be the Best Mom You Can Be:
A Practical Guide to Raising Whole Children
| Feature
in a Broken Generation (Apr.), by Marina

and Gregory W. Slayton, who reveal
secrets to finding true joy in motherhood.
In June, Concordia House will release
Raising Godly Girls: Encouragement for
Moms of 21st Century Daughters, by Deb
Burm, which helps mothers prepare their
daughters to live in todays culture.
Harvest House offers Hope for the Weary
Mom: Let God Meet You in the Mess (Feb.),
by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin, which helps overwhelmed moms
remember that God knows them by name.
In April, Ballantine will publish Strong
Mothers, Strong Sons: Lessons Mothers Need
to Raise Extraordinary Men, by Meg
Meeker, which provides mothers with a
spiritual approach to making great men
out of rough-and-tumble boys.
MARRIED WITH
CHALLENGES
Marriage also is a perennial topic for evangelical publishers, with many spring and
summer books coming on the subject.
In May, Bethany House will release
The Smart Stepfamily Marriage: Keys to Success in the Blended Family, by Ron L. Deal
and David H. Olson. The two marriage
authorities offer couples hope for healthy
marriages based on advice gleaned from
the National Survey of Couples Creating
Stepfamilies.
Zondervan will publish 7 Secrets to an
Awesome Marriage: Strengthen Your Most
Intimate Relationship, by Kim Kimberling, in July. The author is a Christian
counselor who offers tools for communication and intimacy.
On Tyndales list is The Unveiled Wife:
Embracing Intimacy with God and Your
Husband (Mar.), by Jennifer Smith. Smith

helps struggling wives know theyre not
alone.
In August, WaterBrook Press will
release Nine Thoughts That Can Change
Your Marriage: Because a Great Relationship Doesnt Happen By Accident, by Sheila
Wray Gregoire. The author says women
can create better marriages by altering
how they think about themselves, their
spouses, and their relationship goals.
Also coming from WaterBrook is
Visual: What Women Need to Know About
the Visual Nature of Men (July), by Shaunti
Feldhahn and Craig Gross. Feldhahns
previous titles, including For Women
Only: What You Need to Know About the
Inner Lives of Men (Multnomah, revised
and update in 2013), have sold more than
two million copies combined. Gross is
pastor and founder of XXXchurch.com,
a website to help those struggling with
porn or sex addictions.
In March, Harvest House will publish
a reissue (with a new cover) of the popular What Makes a Man Feel Loved: Understanding What Your Husband Really Wants,
by Bob Barnes.
BOUNCING BACK,
MOVING ON
Finally, readers seem drawn to tales of
families recovering from life-changing
events. Two books offer encouragement
and emotional support for those who
have experienced loss, or who want to
learn from those who have.
In May, WaterBrook will release Lets
Pretend Were Normal: Adventures in Rediscovering How to Be a Family, by Tricia Lott
Williford. The authors husband died in
2010, and, since then, she and her
sons have created a new life.
Kate Braestrup described her life
after the loss of her husband in Here
If You Need Me (Back Bay, 2008);
now she faces the possibility of
losing her son when he joins the
Marines. Braestrup examines the
twin emotions of faith and fear in
Anchors and Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and Service, due out in
July from Little, Brown.
Feature
Is Heaven
for Real?
By Ann Byle
A Growing Number of Books Say So
he mysteries of the afterlife continue to fascinate readers eager

to know how they or their loved
ones might fare after death, and
publishers are just as eager to
help them answer these age-old
questions. People are looking for proof
that their loved ones are still around,
says Amy Glaser, acquisitions editor at
Llewellyn, publisher since 1901 of books
for mind, body, and spirit. They are
clinging to the belief that heaven exists
and that their loved one is there. People
want comfort and assurance.
In March, Llewellyn will release Evidence of Eternity: Communicating with Spirits
for Proof of the Afterlife, by Mark Anthony,
and, in April, Three Journeys to Heaven: The
True Stories of My Near Death Experiences by
Marilou Trask-Curtin, who finally succumbed in February. Kristy Robinetts
third book, Its a Wonderful Afterlife:
Inspiring True Stories from a Psychic Medium,
will be released in August.
Many other publishers also believe
that readers want these books, a desire
confirmed by the success of titles like
Eben Alexanders Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeons Journey into the Afterlife (Simon
& Schuster, 2012), which spent more
than 90 weeks on the New York Times
bestseller list and more than 50 on the
PW trade nonfiction list. Spring releases
include After This: When Life Is Over,
Where Do We Go? (Avery, Apr.), by Claire
Bidwell Smith, and The Hand on the Mirror: A True Story of Life Beyond Death
(Grand Central, Apr.), by Janis Heaphy
Durham (see profile, p. 41). In early
2016 HarperOne will follow Jeffrey
Longs popular Evidence of the Afterlife:
The Science of Near-Death Experiences
(2011) with God and the Afterlife: The
Groundbreaking New Evidence of

Near-Death Experience, by Long
and coauthor Paul Perry.
Evangelical Christian publishers have had megasellers with
accounts of what skeptics are
calling heaven tourism. Chief
among them are 90 Minutes in
Heaven: A True Story of Death and
Life (Revell, 2004), by Don Piper, which
has spent over five years on the Times list
and sold more than seven million copies,
and Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boys Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
(Thomas Nelson, 2010), by Todd Burpo,
with 212 weeks on the Times list and more
than 10 million sold. Both remain popular,
even after now-16-year-old Alex Malarkey
recanted the experiences he detailed with
his father, Kevin, in 2010s The Boy Who
Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable
Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life Beyond
This World, which was taken out of print by
Tyndale in January.
Nelson Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, has The
Hope of Heaven: Gods Eight Messages of
Assurance to a Grieving Father (Mar.), by
Alan M. Hallene Jr. Hallene writes that
God gave him eight visions of heaven during the 10 minutes he spent waiting for
the authorities after finding the dead body
of his young son, who hanged himself.
He believes that what most people
long for is assurance about what awaits
them and their loved ones after death,
says Brian Hampton, senior v-p and publisher. Hallenes book is so grounded in
the reality of pain and sorrow in our lives
that it makes the eight assurances he
offers all the more powerful.
Tyndale continues to publish on the
topic of the afterlife. David Jeremiah
offers his Bible-based Answers to Your

Questions About Heaven (Feb.). In Visits to
Heaven and Back: Are They Real? (Mar.),
Mark Hitchcock takes on claims of experiencing heaven firsthand, including
those in recent bestsellers.
In November, Baker Books, a division
of Baker Publishing Group, will publish
Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences,
Gods Promises, and the Exhilarating Future that Awaits You, by
John Burke. Burke examines
accounts of near-death experiences from people of different
ethnicities, genders, countries,
and core religious beliefs, finding remarkable similarities
across cultures.
Academic books abound as
well. Harvard University Press will release
Peter Browns The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early Western Christianity
in April; Baker division Brazos has published Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory: Rethinking the Things That Matter Most (Feb.), by
Jerry L. Walls; and Jewish Lights has
released a second edition of Rabbi Elie
Kaplan Spitzs Does the Soul Survive?: A
Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past
Lives & Living with Purpose (Feb.). Oxford
University Press has weighed in with
Greg Garretts Entertaining Judgment: The
Afterlife in Popular Imagination (Jan.).
Believers will always want to understand more about our hope of heaven,
says Hampton of Nelson Books. We
want to publish unique books that convey
a biblically sound message about such
topics.
Additional books on the topic include
Love Never Dies: How to Reconnect and Make
Peace with the Deceased (Hay House,
2014), by Jamie Turndorf; Miracles from
Heaven: A Little Girl, Her Journey to
Heaven, and Her Amazing Story of Healing
(Hachette, Apr.), by Christy Wilson
Beam; Touched by Heaven: Inspiring True
Stories of One Womans Lifelong Encounters
with Jesus (Chosen, Mar.), by Nancy
Ravenhill; and The Hard Road: What if
Almost Dying Was the Very Thing That
Saved Your Life? (Red Arrow Media,
Apr.), by Michael S. Pruett.

IN
Profiles
Profile
photo credit
Susan Stiffelman
The Parents
Are Alright
Years ago counselor and family therapist
Susan Stiffelman had an epiphany: I can
get further [with kids] by working with
the parents, she thought. This inspired
her to write Parenting Without Power
Struggles (Atria, 2010). In her new book,
Parenting with Presence: Practices for Raising Conscious, Confident, Caring Kids
(Apr.), from the new Eckhardt Tolle Edition imprint of New World Library, she
writes from the premise that to parent
well, parents first need to be gentle with
themselves.
Stiffelman, who taught herself Hindi
and practices meditation, laid the
groundwork for Parenting with Presence in
her first book, by picturing the good parent as the calm, confident captain of the
family ship. This parent neither abdicates responsibility nor uses bribes and
threats in an attempt to control.
Parenting with Presence emerged from a
series of telesummits that Stiffelman
held with people ranging from chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall to Pulitzer
Prizewinning author Marianne Williamson. Inspired by their wisdomand
quoting in the book luminaries such as
Arianna Huffington and the neuropsychiatrist Daniel SiegelStiffelman
guides parents in how to stay grounded
as they navigate the inevitable upheavals
and meltdowns that come with the job.
It is very difficult to raise children,
Stiffelman says. But these challenges can

make parenting a spiritual experience,
especially if we understand spirituality
as a way to live in the midst of everyday
chaos. Were not always going to want to
make lunches or do long division with
our children, Stiffelman notes, but we
need to stay present with themeven
when they push all our buttons. I talk a
lot in the book about forgiveness and
compassion and apologies, she says.
We often project our own unresolved
issues onto our children, or use our
children to meet our own needs, she says.
Instead of expecting children to endlessly excel, Stiffelman writes in the
book: Couldnt the ordinary be
extraordinary?
Each chapter introduces a concept,
such as compassion or self-care, and
includes anecdotes and advice, as well as
a section called Now Its Your Turn,
with an exercise to do, queries to answer,
and suggestions for handling different
situations. Practical questions that real
parents might askWhat if I really do
want my child to excel at piano?are
among those that Stiffelman answers.
Stiffelman says that when she can
understand a past event from her now24-year-old sons point of view, hes getting to watch me grow. When she can
apologize to him for a past misunderstanding, he learns from her that he
doesnt have to do everything perfectly.
Jason Gardner, senior editor at New
World Library, says, The type of parents
who read parenting books sometimes
beat themselves up about falling short of
their parenting ideal. In Parenting with
Presence, Susan guides those parents with
compassion. She covers all sorts of modern parenting conundrums with very
concrete advice and practices, and she
presents it all with terrific storytelling
and subtlety.
Stiffelman echoes that: I hope people

get the sense it is a very welcoming
book.
Diane Reynolds
J. Todd Billings
Hope in the
Midst of Fear
When our dreams crumble, our idols
can crumble with them, theologian J.
Todd Billings says, when asked about
being diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of cancer, which he writes
about in his memoir, Rejoicing in Lament:
Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life in
Christ (Brazos, Feb.). I didnt want to be
on the road of cancer, but many others
have rockier roads than my own. And
yet, in prayer, in returning to scripture
and classical sources in the Christian tradition, my book points to a hope both in
and beyond my cancer story, the story of
God in Christ.
Billings, research professor of reformed
theology at Western Theological
Seminary in Holland, Mich., and an
ordained minister of the Reformed
Church in America, has made significant
theological contributions over the years.
Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and
Ministry for the Church (Baker Academic,
2011)his study of the basic tenet of
Christian faith and its effects on social
justice, mission, and observant life
won a 2012 Christianity Today Award of
Merit in the Theology/Ethics category.
But when he received the news of his terminal illness at age 39, Billingss world
was shaken, and he faced the most personally difficult theological questions of
his life.
Gods story does not annihilate our
personal stories, but God incorporates us
into a larger drama in which darkness
will not have the final word, Billings
says. This leaves us with raw, unanswered questions. But it also points us
toward a durable hope.
In Rejoicing in Lament, Billings says he
wrestles with the problem of evil, prayer
for healing, the meaning of death and
loss, but he also expresses a durable
hope via prayers of both sorrow and
thanksgiving. He writes of how life has
led him toward hope in Gods promises,
rather than down a road of endless questions and simplistic answers. We need
to avoid easy, theoretical answers and
always keep in mind the basics: listen to
and grieve with the suffering. Dont just
pray for a quick fix, but pray in lament
and petition, he says.
The book is part autobiography, part
cultural commentary, and includes others stories of joy and grief. Billings shows
how human sorrow can bring people
closer to their faith. We want to look
successful and competent, he says. Ive
come to see how the ravaging enemy of
cancer spoils our pretensions of control.
But my hope is that my true life is now
hiddenin union with Christeven if
my life appears to be going off the rails.

Kathleen Samuelson
sigrid estrada
Janis Heaphy Durham
Reaching
Across the
Divide
Janis Heaphy Durham didnt have herself in mind when she decided to write
The Hand on the Mirror: A True Story of Life
Beyond Death (Grand Central, Apr.). She
wrote it for her husband Max Besler, who
died in May 2004.
The nature of what occurred after
Max died was so extraordinary that I had
to do my part, says Durham, who has
since remarried. I believe Max found a
way to reach across. If his life went on in

another realm, it was my duty to tell the
story.
Durham was devastated when Besler
died of cancer just four years into their
marriage. She and her son by a previous
marriage mourned their loss and tried to
move on, but were brought up short on
the one-year anniversary of Beslers
death. A powdery handprint appeared on
the mirror of the bathroom he had used
in the final months of his life. Another
image appeared a year to the day later,
and a third the year after.
These events, along with a host of other
mysteries that occurred over eight
yearssuch as flickering lights and moving rugsprompted Durham to begin
talking to spiritual practitioners, experts
and experimenters in consciousness and
paranormal activities, ghost experts, and
all manner of physicists and scientists.
Hers was no visit to the neighborhood
tarot card reader, but instead a measured,
deliberate approach to learning whatever
she could to understand Max and what he
was trying to communicate.
As I began to learn and understand, I
felt that Max really had achieved something by going from the other side into
our physical reality, Durham says. I
also discovered that many have been in
contact with those they love, but were
often afraid to talk about it for fear of
being ridiculed.
So Durham, a former publisher of the
Sacramento Bee, set out to build what she
calls a legitimate platform to talk
about such experiences. If I can come
forward with this book, maybe others
will feel less intimidated in telling their
stories, she says.
Durham has created a website to facilitate discussion (thehandonthemirror.
org) and developed a newsletter to share
information on the phenomenon. If
more people are talking about this topic,
there will be more funding for more
studies, and better and more media coverage, she says. This will be healthy for
us in general as a society.
Durham is contemplating a second
book about cancer, based on her experi-
ence as a caregiver for her current husband, Jim Durham, who was diagnosed
with the disease in spring 2013 and continues to fight it.
Death has taught me a lot about life,
Durham says. I dont waste time anymore. I dont judge people like I used to.
And I pay closer attention to everyday
moments.
Ann Byle
Dayle A. Friedman
JO RESNICK ROSEN
Profiles |
Embracing
Age
Contemporary
culture greets
aging with fear
and loathing, Dayle A. Friedman says.
We dread dying, and anything that
hints of it. Rabbi Friedmanfounder of
Hiddur: The Center for Aging and Judaism at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College in Wyncote, Pa.is the author
of Jewish Wisdom for Growing Older: Finding Your Grit & Grace Beyond Midlife
(Jewish Lights, Mar.). We idealize independence, and cannot fathom how one
could be dependent and yet whole,
Friedman says. Jewish tradition, on the
other hand, has a healthy respect for the
wisdom that comes with life experience.
The tradition expects those who are older
to share of their perspective as guides and
nurturers of the future.
Friedman trains, consults, and provides spiritual guidance at her
Philadelphia-based practice, Growing
Older. She teaches that Jewish tradition
doesnt sugarcoat the inevitability of
hardships that come with aging, but
rather does recognize the possibility of
becoming more sage as the body weakens. She says, We are not defined by
our physical prowess, nor is our worth
contingent on health and independence.
Friedman says that once people
acknowledge their sadness and grieve as
losses and trials become more prevalent

in midlife and beyond, they have the
opportunity at these junctures to search
for sparks of light and to begin again.
This is an existential choice: we can dwell
in darkness or seek light. We see this
choice in people who pass through retirement and find new passion in paths of
service or creativity, in those who lose
their homes and independence and manage to find nourishing new relationships
in assisted living communities, and in
elders who face dying with determination
to leave a legacy through sharing their
stories or values with their dear ones.
Telling true stories of people she has
encountered in her work, Friedman
wrote Jewish Wisdom for Growing Older for
readers at every stage along the continuum from midlife through end of life.
That includes my contemporaries, who
are in our 50s, caring for aging parents,
and thinking ahead to our own third
chaptersnew work or pursuits that will
capture our passion in years ahead.
Im also thinking of people in their
60s and 70s who are perhaps glimpsing
early signs of physical changes, perhaps
making new beginnings in downsized
homes, and seeking ways of contributing
meaningfully to their communities,
Friedman says. And Im thinking of
people who are further along in the aging
process, in their 80s and 90sfolks who
have seen their share of loss, and who are
facing or anticipating physical or cognitive frailty while very much engaged in
vibrant living.
Friedmans hope for the book is that
all of them will find the tools to grow
deeper and wiser as they grow older.

Kathleen Samuelson
Harvey Cox
Whos Afraid of Biblical Criticism

Harvey Cox didnt plan to write about the
Bible. His classic book The Secular City
caused a sensation when it was first published by Collier in 1965 and had surprising popular appeal for a book by a theologian, leading to a Time magazine profile
that produced the famous (or infamous)
God Is Dead cover. Coxwho was the
| Profiles
harvard divinity school
Hollis Research
Professor of
Divinity at Harvard until his retirement in 2009later
wrote many books, including Religion in
the Secular City (S&S, 1985), on Pentecostalism and liberation theology; Many
Mansions (Beacon, 1988), on world religion; and The Future of Faith (HarperOne,
2009). Though Cox is not a biblical studies scholar, in 2011, when Roger Freet,
then his editor at HarperOne, asked him
to write a popular guide to biblical criticism, he agreed, and it became his newest
book, How to Read the Bible (HarperOne, Apr.). I really enjoyed writing it,
Cox says. One of the most enjoyable
things was talking to people in the field.
Coxs family didnt read the Bible at
home, but he grew up hearing the stories
in Sunday school. He thought of the
Bible as a collection of stories until he
discovered, while in seminary, that it can
be approached critically as a historical
document. Although hes certainly not a
fundamentalist, Cox wondered how to
reconcile his narrative reading of the
Bible with a critical/historical one.
In September 1963, during his
involvement with the civil rights movement (he was an early supporter and
friend of Martin Luther King Jr.), Cox
spent a night with protestors in a smalltown Southern jail. Some of the protestors read from the Biblemainly from
Exodus and the Gospelsas if the stories
were meant specifically for them and
their situation. In that moment, Cox
realized that the Bible could be read
another waynot only as a beguiling
collection of stories or a quasi-historical
document to be analyzed, dated, and
classified but also as a sacred book that
has meaning for his own life and that
speaks to todays world.
By framing How to Read the Bible

within his own life history, Cox says, I
could show people how I went through
those three stages of reading the Bible
and concluded that the best way to grasp
any biblical passage involves a combination of all three approaches: the narrative, the historical, and the spiritual. He
writes, First, never forget that story is
utterly fundamental and ask, What is
happening here?; second, become an
amateur history detective and uncover the
who, when, where, and why about a particular text; and, finally, get into a dialogue and start to engage the text in a
no-holds-barred wrestling match; if you
open your mind and your heart to it, the
meaning for any text will find its way
across the centuries.
Most people read the Bible in a devotional fashion, through the lens of faith,
Cox notes; biblical studies scholars, on
the other hand, take a technical, critical
approach. Those two kinds of Bible readers rarely interact. My goal is to build a
bridge, Cox saysto allow devotional
Bible readers not to be apprehensive
about biblical scholars. He notes, They
are trying to clarify many of the same
issues youre studying.
Gently introducing various critical
methods, Coxs book illustrates how different interpretations can add meaning
to Bible stories. For example, source
criticismthe idea that the Hebrews
used multiple earlier sources for their
own purposesallows readers to identify
and become familiar with the numerous
written and oral traditions that were
patched together to compile Genesis.
Cox himself learned something important from writing the book. Here we are,
in this age of great religious pluralism,
and I came to realize that the Bible itself
is very pluralistic, he says. Its written
in different voices, in different eras, and
contains different theologies, but it has a
coherent message. And its helpful to
know it was like that from the beginning. Cox hopes How to Read the Bible
will help readers grasp what it is I have
in my handpoetry, gospel, history.

Henry L. Carrigan Jr.
SPRING 2015
SPIRITUALITY &
RELIGION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Bible and Beyond

By Marcia Z. Nelson
The Bible and the pope. What else is there to write about
in religion? A few things...
RELIGION
Memoir, for one. Kate Braestrup, whose 2007 memoir, Here If You
Need Me, established her voice, looks again at turning points in life
in Anchor and Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and
Service, which chronicles her emotional battle between faith and
fear after her eldest son joined the Marines.
Also, spiritual advice and consolationespecially when given by
acclaimed writer and Benedictine nun Joan Chittister. Her Between
the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of
Life is filled with beautifully crafted short reflections, according to
PWs starred review.
Cosmology and theology embrace in A God That Could Be Real:
Spirituality, Science, and the Future of Our Planet, by Nancy
Ellen Abrams, who argues for an emergent God.
On a more mundane plane, Gods Bankers: A History of Money
and Power at the Vatican, by Gerald Posner, is a gimlet-eyed
historical investigation into the centrality of money in the Catholic
Church. A journalistic lens is turned on a world hot spot in Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual
Revolution, by Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy. And
womens issues are the subject of The Mother and Child Project:
Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope, a collection of essays by
activists working to improve the lot of women and children in places
where women die in childbirth and children die young.
There are many hundreds of books out there on How to Read the
Bible, but only one is by Harvey Cox, whose life and long career in
public religion have made him a deeply learned guide. Coxs interpretive work here is a great gift, according to PWs starred review.
Informed commentary on the Bible is found in Strong as Death
Is Love: Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Jonah, and Daniela
Translation with Commentary, by Robert Alter, who continues
his work of masterful translation. And Bewilderments: Reflections
on the Book of Numbers, by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, goes back
to the biblical Book of Numbers, as the author continues to plumb
the spiritual and psychological depths of sacred text.
Pope Francis gets in a word or threeon Easter, of coursein
Walking with Jesus: A Way Forward for the Church. Believers
can always use a good trail buddy.
W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M
43
Spirituality & Religion Announcements
PWS TOP 10:

SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION
Anchor and Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and Service
Kate Braestrup. Little, Brown, July 14
Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life
Joan Chittister. Image, Mar. 31
Bewilderments: Reflections on the Book of Numbers
Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Schocken, Feb. 24
Gods Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican
Gerald Posner. Simon & Schuster, Feb. 3
A God That Could Be Real: Spirituality, Science, and the Future of Our Planet
Nancy Abrams. Beacon, Mar. 10
Nelson Dooley, Nancy J. Farrier, Pamela

Griffin, Diann Hunt, Loree Lough, Sandra
Petit, and Gail Sattler (Mar. 1, paper,
$14.99, ISBN 978-1-61626-546-5). A collection of nine romances introduces modern
couples who hope to make it to the altar
someday.
BARBOUR/SHILOH RUN
The Decision by Wanda E. Brunstetter

(Mar. 1, paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-61626088-0). Moving from Pennsylvania to find
rewarding work and leave heartbreak behind
is the best decision Jonah Miller ever made.
But is he ready to consider love again when
he meets Elaine Schrock?
BETHANY HOUSE
A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

(June, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-76421280-2). Stone Hammond is the best tracker
Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution
in Texas at the turn of the last century, and
Mona Eltahawy. FSG/Faber and Faber, Apr. 21
when a wealthy railroad investor hires him
to find his abducted granddaughter, he
How to Read the Bible
eagerly accepts. Charlotte Atherton, former
Harvey Cox. HarperOne, Apr. 14
headmistress of Sullivans Academy for
Exceptional Youths, will do anything to
The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope
keep her charges safe, especially the little girl
Preface by Melinda Gates, foreword by Kay Warren. Zondervan, Mar. 31.
entrusted to her care. When the teacher
Stone is after shows shes the little girls legal
Strong as Death is Love:
guardian, Stone must re-evaluate everything
Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Jonah, and Daniel: A Translation with Commentary
hes been led to believe.
Robert Alter. Norton, Mar.
Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund
(June, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-7642 Walking with Jesus: A Way Forward for the Church
1238-3) Caroline Taylor has grown confident
running the Windmill Point Lighthouse,
Pope Francis. Loyola, Apr. 5
but in 1865 Michigan, women arent supposed to have such roles. Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran
given the post of lighthouse keeper, and the isolation where he can
drown in drink and hide from his past is appealing. Both quickly
ABINGDON
realize hes in no shape to run the lighthouse, but can they look past
As Waters Gone By by Cynthia Ruchti (May 5, paper, $14.99,
their losses to a future filled with hope... and possibly love?
ISBN 978-1-4267-8727-0). Emmalyn and Max Ross may have to
endure the fight of their lives to mend their marriage. His actions
DESERET/ENSIGN PEAK
put him in prison, giving their relationship a court-mandated fiveMaximus by Richard L. Black (Mar. 3, hardcover, $25.99,
year time-out. On Madeline Island in Lake Superior, Emmalyn has
ISBN 978-1-60907-985-7). Word has reached Rome of a man
just a few months left to figure out if and how they can ever be a
named Jesus who is causing a stir in faraway Judea. Roman gencouple again.
eral Maximus and Androcles are sent to ascertain the truth of the
Fatal Trauma by Richard L. Mabry (May 19, paper, $14.99,
situation. Disguised as a Jew, Maximus
ISBN 978-1-63088-116-0). When Dr.
slowly begins to understand the true
Mark Baker and Nurse Kelly Atkinson are
teachings of Jesus. 40,000-copy announced
held at the mercy of a gunman, the lives of
first printing.
emergency room patients are at stake. The
standoff is ended, but the killing is not,
FAITHWORDS
because revenge is not far behind.
Daughter of the Regiment by Stephanie
Grace Whitson (Mar. 24, paper, $15,
BARBOUR
ISBN 978-1-4555-2903-2). Two women
8 Weddings and a Miracle Romance
who are Missouri neighbors are drawn into
Collection: 9 Contemporary Romances
the heart of the Civil War from opposite
Need a Little Divine Intervention by
sides.
Tracie Peterson, Janet Lee Barton, Lena
FICTION
The Animals Are Talking Again!

Hi!
Im big an d furry an d
Im Le wis, the Sa int Be rna rd.
che esy kin d. Im als o
I like cru nchies, especi ally the
. Im tra veling wit h
Ge org e Gib son s furry best frie nd nd som eti me s in
a
him aroun d the cou ntry in his RV in the scoote r!
cut e
his Ve spa motor scoote r. I loo k
his wife, but Im here
Ge org e is pretty sad aft er los ing k to me a litt le
to tal
to che er him up. He s sta rtin g
a rea lly good art ist. I
s
he
mo re, so thats good. An d
nch y?
wo nd er if he can dra w me a cru
re vis itin g lot s of
Wa nt to com e alo ng wit h us? We never see n be fore.
ha ve
fun pla ces that Ge org e an d I
jou rne y!
the
on
Bu y our novel an d join us
Luv,
Le wis
som e
P. S . Do nt forg et to bri ng me
treats!
PAPER | 9781426791604 | $14.99

HARDCOVER | 9781630889272 | $24.99
Also Available
Judge this book by its
cover and be charmed.
Publishers Weekly
A moving and powerful read,

inspirational long after the
last page has been turned.
A whimsical and
thoroughly delightful story
that will make you smile.
Ane Mulligan, Novel Rocket
New York Journal of Books
PAPER | 9781426742569 | $14.99

HARDCOVER | 9781630888084 | $24.99
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To learn more about Abingdon Press books, please

visit AbingdonPress.com or call 800.251.3320
HOWARD
Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury (Apr. 7, hardcover,

$22.99, ISBN 978-1-4516-8750-7). The second novel in a series
about divine intervention and the trials and triumphs of life tells
of a woman desperate to find deeper meaning in her life.
Tiffany Girl by DeeAnne Gist (May 5, paper, $15.99, ISBN
978-1-4516-9244-0) is a historical novel about a progressive New
Womanthe girl behind Tiffanys chapeland the love that
threatens everything.
978-0-8024-1232-4). After breaking her engagement with a rising

politician, Summer Snow is adrift in life and love. Again. She discovers that her dearest childhood companion, Martin Langtree, who
made the ideal friend when they were growing up, could now make
the ideal husband.
THOMAS NELSON
An Amish Man of Ice Mountain by Kelly Long (Apr. 28, mass

market, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-4201-3546-6). Amish Joseph King
has good reasons to work an oil rig far from his beloved Ice Mountain, but no honorable man would let Priscilla Allen and her fouryear-old daughter remain homeless. When his guilt and her secrets
threaten the trust growing between them, they need miracles to
put the past to rest.
Center of Gravity by Laura McNeill (July 14, paper, $15.99,

ISBN 978-0-7180-3090-2). Avas life in the coastal South appears
nearly perfect after her recent marriage to the powerful and handsome Mitchell Carson. Outwardly, Mitchell appears to be a caring
husband and doting father, but as Ava soon discovers, there is a dark
side to her husband that she never imagined.
The Curiosity Keeper by Sarah E. Ladd (July 7, paper, $15.99,
ISBN 978-0-7180-1178-9). Born into two different classes, James
and Camille shouldnt even know each other, in this historical. But
when the pursuit of a missing ruby brings them together, much
more than a mere acquaintance is ignited.
MENNOMEDIA
TYNDALE
KENSINGTON/ZEBRA
Josephs Dilemma by Ervin R. Stutzman (June, paper, $15,

ISBN 978-0-8361-9909-3). The second book of the Return to
Northkill series chronicles the experiences of Amish teenager
Joseph Hochstetler, who was taken captive by Native Americans
during the French and Indian War.
NAV PRESS/TH1NK
Beneath the Forsaken City by C.E. Laureano (Feb. 1, paper,

$14.99, ISBN 978-1-61291-631-6). In book two of the Song of
Seare fantasy series, Conor and Aine have barely escaped Seare with
their lives. Surrounded by despair and thrown into as much danger
as they left behind, Conor and Aine must cling to Comdius plans
for them. But at what cost?
REVELL
The Crimson Cord by Jill Eileen Smith (Feb., paper, $14.99,

ISBN 978-0-8007-2034-6). When Israelite spies enter Jericho and
come to lodge at her house, Rahab, forced into prostitution to cover her husbands debt, sees a glimmer of hope
and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Buried Secrets by Irene Hannon (Apr., paper,
$14.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-2126-8). Smalltown police
chief Lisa Grant needs the assistance of detective Mac
McGregor, an ex-Navy SEAL, when a human skeleton
is unearthed in her town. As they work to solve the
mystery behind the unmarked grave, danger begins to
shadow them.
RIVER NORTH
Spy of Richmond by Jocelyn Green (Mar. 1, paper,

$14.99, ISBN 978-0-8024-0579-1). In Richmond, Va., 1863,
Union loyalist Sophie Kent risks everything to help end the war.
Former slave Bella Jamison sacrifices her freedom to come to
Richmond, where her Union soldier husband is imprisoned, and
her twin sister still lives in bondage in Sophies home. Harrison
Caldwell, a Northern freelance journalist who escorts Bella to
Richmond, infiltrates the Confederate War Department as a
clerk, but is conscripted to defend the citys fortifications. The
Civil War is reimagined from these perspectives.
Summers List by Anita Higman (June 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN
By Your Side by Candace Calvert (Mar. 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN

978-1-4143-9032-1). ER nurse Macy Wynn learned essential,
gritty lessons in the California foster care system: land on your
feet and trust no one. Deputy Fletcher Holt believes in a higher
plan, a fair outcome, and his ability to handle that by himself if
necessary. When everything goes wrong, where do they put their
trust?
Chance of Loving You by Terri Blackstock, Susan May Warren,
and Candace Calvert (May 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-49640537-1) is an anthology by three bestselling romance authors.
Three different main characters are given a chance to change their
lives, but will love be the real prize?
WATERBROOK
When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Mar. 17, paper,

$14.99, ISBN 978-0-307-73133-3). In a contemporary Old Order
Mennonite story of family secrets and the rocky road to romance,
two women are on the cusp of finding out what is real
and uncovering an elaborate scheme to hide the truth.
The Woods Edge by Lori Benton (Apr. 21, paper,
$14.99, ISBN 978-1-60142-732-8). Two families, one
haunted by a twins absence, the other now an ocean
away, are caught in a web of lies in the 18th century.
ZONDERVAN
Love Arrives in Pieces by Betsy St. Amant (June 9,

paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-0-310-33847-5). Former
pageant queen Stella Varland doesnt trust beauty since
her divorce. Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to
live a life of no regrets after losing his fiance in a car
crash. When he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the towns
old theater, he is shocked to learn former flame Stella is the
designer for the project. Forced to work together, Chase and Stella
battle their chemistry and their pasts.
Murder Freshly Baked by Vannetta Chapman (June 8, paper,
$15.99, ISBN 978-0-310-32217-7). The Amish Artisan Village is
the setting for a Race for a Cure. When runner Ryan Duvall crosses
the finish line of the race and falls down dead, police hunt the
murderer. Amber Bowman, who manages the artisan village, looks
to her young Amish friend Hannah Troyer to help her find the killer
Spring Titles from Kregel, Monarch, and Lion Fiction
Letters from My Fathers Murderer

Laurie A. Coombs
Against the Flow

John C. Lennox
Get Your Joy Back

Laurie Wallin
978-0-8254-4229-2 | $14.99
978-0-85721-621-2 | $19.99
978-0-8254-4339-8 | $13.99
Kregel Publications June 27, 2015
Monarch Books
Kregel Publications
Lion Fictionhistorical, detective, and literary fiction

The Boy Who Loved Rain The Babylon Contingency Blood Divide
Gerard Kelly
Clifford Longley
John Sadler
978-1-78264-129-2 | $14.99
978-1-78264-120-9 | $14.99
Order from your Noble sales rep or call 800-733-2607

www.kregel.com | In Canada contact David C. Cook
978-1-78264-089-9 | $14.99
The Abbots Agreement

Mel Starr
Direct Hit
Mike Hollow
The Chronicles of
Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon
The Blitz Detective
978-1-78264-127-8 | $14.99
978-1-78264-109-4 | $14.99
June 27, 2015
Monarch Books and Lion Fiction are imprints of Lion Hudson, plc. Oxford, England,
and are distributed in North America through Kregel Publications.
BAKER ACADEMIC
and to determine if its the Poison Poet, a mysterious

individual leaving cryptic poems and warning of poisoned pies.
Leisure and Spirituality: Biblical, Historical, and

Contemporary Perspectives by Paul Heintzman (Mar.
17, paper, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-4872-2) explores
the link between leisure and spirituality, offering a
Christian perspective on leisure concepts and issues in
contemporary society.
NONFICTION
ABINGDON
The Call: The Life and Message of the Apostle

Paul by Adam Hamilton (May 5, hardcover, $18.99,
ISBN 978-1-63088-262-4) weaves together history,
scripture, and archeology to explore the life and message
of Pauland a deeper understanding of an individuals
own call.
GreenFaith: Mobilizing Gods People to Save the
Earth by Fletcher Harper (Mar. 17, paper, $19.99, ISBN
978-1-4267-8175-9). The executive director of GreenFaithan interfaith environmental coalitiongives
concrete examples and tips to help people of faith and
worshiping communities engage in care for the planet
in bold, life-giving ways.
BARBOUR
More Precious Than Diamonds: Biblical Meditations on a Womans Worth in Gods Eyes by Darlene
Sala (Feb. 1, paper, $10.99, ISBN 978-1-62836-654-9)
includes long-form devotions for women that affirm
their value in Gods sight.
BARBOUR/SHILOH RUN
21 Great Leaders: Learn Their Lessons, Improve

Your Influence by Pat Williams and Jim Denney
(Feb. 1, hardcover, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-63058-690-4)
examines the lives of 21 great leaders, from George
Washington to Steve Jobs, using Williamss Seven Sides
of Leadership principles.
ANDREWS MCMEEL
The Unorthodox Haggadah: A Dogma-free Passover for Jews and Other Chosen People by Nathan
Phillips (Feb. 3, paper, $9.99, ISBN 978-1-4494-6031-0) offers
Passover ritual with a hilarious, irreverent twist and skips the boring parts.
ASHGATE
A Sociology of Prayer, edited by Giuseppe Giordan and Linda

Woodhead (June, paper, $39.95, ISBN 978-1-4094-5585-1),
draws from religion, sociology of religion, anthropology, and historical perspectives to examine prayer as a social as well as a personal
matter in complex late modern societies.
ARCADE
Becoming a Mountain: Himalayan Journeys in Search of

the Sacred and the Sublime by Stephen Alter (Mar. 3, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-62872-510-0). After Alter and his
wife were attacked in their home in the foothills of the Himalayas, he set out on a series of treks to prove that he had healed
mentally as well as physically and to re-knit his connection to
his homeland.

ATRIA/BEYOND WORDS
Faith: Essays from Believers, Agnostics, and Atheists, edited

by Victoria Zackheim (Feb. 24, paper, $16, ISBN 978-1-58270502-6). Twenty-four essays provide varied perspectives on what
faith means (or doesnt mean), inviting readers to ask themselves,
What do I believe?
BAKER
The Day I Met Jesus: The Revealing Diaries of Five Women

from the Gospels by Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth (Feb., paper,
$13.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-1685-1) combines narrative retelling
of scripture with guidance for daily life.
We Need to Talk: How to Successfully Navigate Conflict by
Linda Mintle (Mar., paper, $13.99, ISBN 978-0-8010-1676-9)
helps readers identify their conflict style and shares proven strategies to build and maintain healthy relationships.
BASIC
Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines

Modern Medicine by Paul Offit (Mar. 10, hardcover, $27.99,
ISBN 978-0-465-08296-4) chronicles stories of families in which
religion trumps medicine. Pediatrician Offit makes a strenuous case
that denying medicine to children in the name of religion is a rejection of the very best aspects of what belief itself has to offer. 30,000copy announced first printing.
BEACON
A God That Could Be Real: Spirituality, Science, and the

Future of Our Planet by Nancy Abrams (Mar. 10, hardcover,
$25.95, ISBN 978-0-8070-7339-1) explores the radical new possibility of a God that is real, but does not break any of the known
rules of physics and does not require a suspension of disbelief or of
reason.
BETHANY HOUSE
Facing the Blitz: Three Strategies for Turning Your Trials

into Triumphs by Jeff Kemp (Apr. 1, paper, $17.99, ISBN 9780-7642-1402-8). The former NFL quarterback argues that trials in
life are like blitzes in footballboth are opportunities you can turn
to your advantage.
How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird by Amy
Lively (May 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-7642-1700-5) offers
encouragement and hands-on ideas for how to reach out to neighbors, use ones gifts, and share faith.
B&H
Will: Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian by

Thom S. Rainer (July, hardcover, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-4336-87297) offers qualities that all church members can develop to focus on
the needs of those around them.
BLOOMSBURY
Coming Out Christian in the Roman World: How the Followers of Jesus Made a Place in Caesars Empire by Douglas
June 2015 214 pages

978-1-4422-4564-8 $18.00 Paper
978-0-7657-0989-9 $30.00 Cloth
978-0-7657-0990-5 $29.99 eBook
June 2015 192 pages

978-1-4422-3824-4 $32.00 Cloth
978-1-4422-3825-1 $31.99 eBook
2015 218 pages

978-1-4422-3467-3 $37.00 Cloth
978-1-4422-3468-0 $36.99 eBook
2015 156 pages

978-1-4422-4327-9 $32.00 Cloth
978-1-4422-4328-6 $31.99 eBook
May 2015 180 pages

978-0-7425-5891-5 $34.00 Cloth
978-1-4422-3350-8 $33.99 eBook
2015 206 pages

978-1-56699-779-9 $45.00 Cloth
978-1-56699-780-5 $20.00 Paper
978-1-56699-781-2 $19.99 eBook
www.rowman.com | 800-462-6420
Ryan Boin (Mar. 3, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-62040-317-4)

argues that life in Rome never came to a dramatic stop, but instead
a small minority movement rose to transform society politically,
religiously, and culturally.
BRAZOS
Divine Sex: A Compelling Vision for Christian Relationships in a Hypersexualized Age by Jonathan Grant (July 21,
paper, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-58743-369-6) helps Christian leaders
understand the cultural forces that make the churchs teaching on
sex and relationships ineffective in the lives of todays young adults,
and offers pastoral strategies for addressing those forces.
CHALICE
Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor

and Healing in 30 Religions by Reba Riley (Apr. 1, paper, $17.99,
ISBN 978-0-8272-3120-7). An untreatable chronic illness
prompted the author to visit 30 religions before her 30th birthday
in a quest to heal what she felt life had broken.
978-1-4335-4286-2) explores four reasons to approach God in

joyful prayer.
DAVID C. COOK
Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes by Nancy Pearcey (Mar. 1,
hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-0-7814-1308-4) simplifies the
defense of Christianity by following the apostle Pauls strategy used
in the book of Romans for engaging a pluralistic society.
DESERET/ENSIGN PEAK
Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter: Seven Traditions to

Lead Us Closer to Jesus Christ by Emily Belle Freeman (Feb. 3,
paper, $10.99, ISBN 978-1-60907-977-2). One of the few titles
for adults for the Easter holiday, this gift book tells the story of Jesus
from Crucifixion to Resurrection in short chapters, illustrated with
line art, told in the first-person narrative of seven disciples. 30,000copy announced first printing.
DESTINY IMAGE
CHOSEN
Christ in You: Why God Trusts You More Than You Trust
Yourself by Eric Johnson (Apr. 7, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-08007-9570-2) shows how to move beyond self-imposed limitations
and live with passion, power, and purpose.
COLUMBIA UNIV.
Realizing Awakened Consciousness:

Interviews with Buddhist Teachers and a
New Perspective on the Mind by Richard
P. Boyle (June 9, paper, $30, ISBN 978-0231-17075-8). A student of cognitive social
science and a Zen practitioner for more than
40 years brings his perspective to developing
a theoretical model for both ordinary and
awakened consciousness.
CONVERGENT
Flipped: The Provocative Truth That Changes Everything

We Know About God by Doug Pagitt (Feb. 17, paper, $14.99,
ISBN 978-1-60142-637-6) uses the words and thinking of St.
Paul, Jesus, and other major biblical figures to help readers live
more intentionally and faithfully.
CORNELL UNIV.
Our Lady of the Rock: Vision and Pilgrimage in the Mojave

Desert by Lisa Bitel, photos by Matt Gainer (Feb. 3, paper, $24.95,
ISBN 978-0-8014-5662-6), explores in text and pictures the
monthly religious visions of Maria Paula Acua at Our Lady of the
Rock in California.
COUNTERPOINT
The Faith to Doubt: Glimpses of Buddhist Uncertainty by

Stephen Batchelor (Apr. 14, paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-61902-5356). In this spiritual memoir, a contemporary Buddhist teacher
describes his own training, first as a Tibetan Buddhist and then as a
Zen practitioner, and his own direct struggles along his spiritual path.
CROSSWAY
Why We Pray by William Philip (Feb. 28, paper, $11.99, ISBN
Prevail by Cindy Trimm (July, hardcover, $21.99, ISBN

9780768406733) offers strategies for overcoming struggles, setbacks, and disappointments by using the strength of personal character, worth, and value.
DUTTON
Preaching: Communicating Faith in a Skeptical Age by

Timothy Keller (June 9, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-0-52595303-6) helps readers learn to present the Christian message of
grace in a more engaging, passionate, and compassionate way.
EERDMANS
A Faithful Farewell: Living Your Last Chapter with Love by

Marilyn Chandler McEntyre (Apr. 21, paper, $15, ISBN 978-08028-7260-9) offers 52 short, poignant meditations on the issues
faced by people who are dying.
Knowledge and Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga (Mar. 4,
paper, $16, ISBN 978-0-8028-7204-3) presents the ideas in Plantingas widely praised book Warranted Christian Belief (2000) in a
shorter, more accessible form.
FAITHWORDS
Get Your Hopes Up! Expect Something Good to Happen to

You Every Day by Joyce Meyer (Apr. 7, hardcover, $22, ISBN
978-1-4555-1731-2) teaches readers how to transform their lives
by tapping into the power of hope. 200,000-copy announced first
printing.
Wisdom from Women in the Bible: Giants of the Faith
Speak into Our Lives by John C. Maxwell (Apr. 7, hardcover, $16,
ISBN 978-1-4555-5708-0) sets out lessons on self improvement
and leadership drawn from the examples set by women of the Bible.
100,000-copy announced first printing.
FOR BEGINNERS
Buddha for Beginners by Stephen T. Asma (May 19, paper,

$15.95, ISBN 978-1-939994-33-2) introduces the reader to
Gautama, a real person who challenged the religious leaders of
his day, and to the ideas that made him change his life and the
philosophical debates that engaged him and formed the core of
Buddhism.
Innovative Faith Walk

Titles from Ensign Peak
FORTRESS
Journey to the Empty Tomb by Paula Gooder (Mar. 1, paper,

$19, ISBN 978-1-4514-9804-2) focuses on the events leading up
to the first Easter, examining the world of the New Testament,
its language, and culture, to offer fresh insights into familiar
stories.
Maximus
A sweepingChristian
historical fiction novelwhich
ispart detective story
and filled with intrigue,
as a war-weary general
goes undercover as a
JewtoinvestigateJesuss
claims and his potential
threat to Rome.
FRANCISCAN MEDIA
The Spirit of Saint Francis: Inspiring Words from Pope

Francis by Pope Francis (Feb. 6, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-161636-859-3). Published in cooperation with the Vatican, this
original collection looks at the life and legacy of St. Francis of Assisi
through the popes uplifting and challenging words.
Spiritual Resilience: 30 Days to Refresh Your Soul by Robert
J. Wicks (Feb. 17, paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-61636-886-9).
Drawn from a variety of spiritual traditions, these 30 reflections are
intended to help the reader rediscover spiritual resilience and psychological strength.
9781609079857/HC/$25.99
(Mar 2015)
The Kingdom and

The Crown
FSG/FABER AND FABER
Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a

Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy (Apr. 21, hardcover, $23,
ISBN 978-0-86547-803-9) is a passionate manifesto decrying
misogyny in the Arab world, by an Egyptian American journalist,
commentator, and activist.
GEORGETOWN UNIV.
Religion and the Struggle for European Union: Confessional Culture and the Limits of Integration by Brent F. Nelsen
and James L. Guth (June 18, paper, $34.95, ISBN 978-1-62616070-5) delves into the powerful role of religion in shaping European attitudes on politics, political integration, and the national
and continental identities of its leaders and citizens, comparing and
contrasting Catholic and Protestant views.
Zips right alongit belongs in public

Booklist starred
libraries everywhere. Booklist
review
An epic historical fiction
series about the life and
times of Jesus Christ.
PB/$12.99
Fishers of Men
9781609079499
GRAYWOLF
All Who Go Do Not Return: A Memoir

by Shulem Deen (Mar. 24, paper, $16,
ISBN 978-1-55597-705-4) is a debut
memoir about faith and exile, depicting
life inside one of the strictest and most
insular ultra-Orthodox U.S. sects and
Deens eventual estrangement from it and
his wife and five children.
Come Unto Me
9781609079505
Behold the Man

9781609079512
The Peter
Potential
GROUP PUBLISHING
Church Refugees by Josh Packard and

Ashleigh Hope (Apr., paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4707-2592-1).
In a major new study, two sociologists offer insights gleaned from
hundreds of in-depth interviews with people who are done with
church.
HARPERONE
How to Read the Bible by Harvey Cox (Apr. 14, hardcover,

$26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-234315-4) explains the three primary
ways people read the Bible, why each is important, and how to
integrate these approaches for a richer understanding and appreciation of key biblical texts.
How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Struggling
with Divine Violence from Genesis Through Revelation by
Discover the Life You

Were Meant to Live
This gift book invites us
to explore Peters life
from ordinary fisherman
to the rock upon which the Christian church
would be built as a template for our own lifes
potential, challenging us not to be held back by
struggles and inspiring us to see invitations for
greater faith.
9781609078836/HC/$15.99
Ensign Peak is an imprint of Shadow Mountain PubliShing

To order contact your usual wholesaler or phone: 800/453-3876
www .S hadow M ountain . coM or see our online Edelweiss catalog
John Dominic Crossan (Mar. 3, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-006-220359-5) grapples with Scriptures two conflicting visions of
Jesus and Goda loving God and a vengeful Godand explains
how Christians can better understand these passages.
Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God by Lauren Winner (Mar. 31, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-176812-5). Duke Divinity School
professor and writer Winner explores some of the Bibles more
obscure metaphors for God. Reflection and scholarship are combined to demonstrate that figurative language can help deepen an
understanding of God.
HARVARD UNIV.
The Ransom of the Soul: Afterlife and Wealth in Early

Western Christianity by Peter Brown (Apr. 14, hardcover, $24.95,
ISBN 978-0-674-96758-8) explores a shift in thinking about the
fate of the soul between 250 and 650 C.E., showing how personal
wealth in the pursuit of redemption led church doctrine concerning
the afterlife. This new relationship to money set the stage for the
churchs domination of medieval society.
HARVEST HOUSE
The Praying Womans Devotional by Stormie Omartian (Feb.,

paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-0-7369-6341-1) shows how God
designed prayer so people can better communicate and walk with
Jesus daily.
HAY HOUSE
Heart of Miracles: My Journey Back to Life After a NearDeath Experience by Karen Henson Jones (Feb. 26, hardcover,
$19.99, ISBN 978-1-4019-4217-5). After a near-death experience
at age 30, the author takes a ride through India, Italy, Bhutan, and
Israel, exploring the mysterious power of Kundalini yoga, the
transforming doctrines of reincarnation, and the teachings of Jesus.
HENDRICKSON
The Accidental Executive by Albert M. Erisman

(May, stamped case with jacket, $24.95, ISBN 9781619706217) connects Josephs life in Genesis with
lessons the author learned in business, government, and
education.
HODDER & STOUGHTON
Judas: The Most Hated Name in History by Peter

Stanford (June 1, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-44475472-8) explores 2,000 years of cultural and theological
history to investigate how the very name Judas came to
be synonymous with betrayal and human evil.
HOWARD
If You Find This Letter by Hannah Brencher (Mar. 10, hardcover, $23, ISBN 978-1-4767-7360-5) is a memoir of love and
faith from Brencher, founder of the World Needs More Love Letters.
Life Is Short by Jennifer Arnold (May 26, hardcover, $25, ISBN
978-1-4767-9470-9). The stars of TLCs The Little Couple offer a
behind-the-scenes account of how they met, fell in love, and overcame obstacles to become successful professionals and parents.
IGNATIUS
Finding True HappinessSatisfying Our Restless Hearts
by Robert Spitzer (Mar., paper, $18.95, ISBN 978-1-58617-956-4)

uses philosophy and psychology to identify the meaning of happiness, and shows how to attain it.
IMAGE
Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life by Joan Chittister (Mar. 31, hardcover, $20,
ISBN 978-0-8041-4094-2). The popular Benedictine nun pens a
new inspirational guide for those trekking the uneven terrain
between joy and the dark nights of the soul.
Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Every Day, edited
by Antonio Spadaro (June 16, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-10190301-8), is a collection of highlights from Pope Francis morning
homilies from March 2013 to May 2014.
INTERVARSITY
Fools Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion by

Os Guinness (July 1, hardcover, $23, ISBN 978-0-8308-3699-4).
The prolific Christian apologist offers a comprehensive presentation
of the art and power of creative persuasion.
Redeeming Sex: Naked Conversations About Sexuality and
Spirituality by Debra Hirsch (May 1, paper, $16, ISBN 978-08308-3639-0) sketches a holistic, biblical vision of sex and gender
that honors God and offers good news to the world.
JERICHO
Damaged Goods: New Perspectives on Christian Purity by

Dianna E. Anderson (Feb. 10, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-1-45557739-2). A young theologian offers a new look at Christian sexual
purity, engaging with bestselling contemporaries Joshua Harris,
Don Raunikar, and others.
JEWISH LIGHTS
Increasing Wholeness: Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen & Calm Body, Heart, Mind &
Spirit by Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz (Apr., paper, $19.99,
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JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY
The Heart of the Matter: Studies in Jewish Mysticism and

Theology by Rabbi Arthur Green (Apr. 1, hardcover, $45, ISBN
978-0-8276-1213-6) is a collection of Greens scholarly writings,
incorporating the history of early Hasidism and his highly personal
approach to a rebirth of Jewish spirituality today.
KOREN/MAGGID
Covenant and Conversation Leviticus: The Book of Holiness by Jonathan Sacks (Mar. 1, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-159264-022-5) features essays on the Torah portions that fuse Jewish
tradition, Western philosophy and literature.
KOREN/TOBY
Open Up the Iron Door: Memoirs of a Soviet Jewry Activist

by Rabbi Avi Weiss (Mar. 15, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-159264-385-1). Spurred by a philosophy of spiritual activism, the
author chronicles the grassroots struggle to liberate the Prisoners
of Zionrefuseniks from the Soviet Union.
KREGEL
Letters from My Fathers Murderer: A Journey of Forgiveness by Laurie Coombs (June 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-82544229-2) is the true story of how newfound faith called the author
to forgive her fathers murderer.
Take My Hand Again: A Faith-Based Guide for Helping
Aging Parents by Nancy Brummett (Apr. 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN
978-0-8254-4371-8) provides information and scripture for adult
children caring for or finding care options for parents.
LIBRARY OF AMERICA
Reinhold Niebuhr: Major Works on Religion and Politics

by Reinhold Niebuhr, edited by Elisabeth Sifton (Apr. 9, hardcover,
$40, ISBN 978-1-59853-375-0), is a definitive collection of writings by the theologian and public intellectual who was the conscience of the American Century.
LIGOURI
The Catholic Drinkies Guide to Home-Brewed Evangelism by Sarah Vabulas (June, paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-0-7648-
Johnah
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n
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2579-8) is a faith-filled discourse on the eclectic history of alcohol and the church that includes recipes from the bloggerauthor.
Vices and Virtues: Knowing, Accepting, and Understanding Yourself by Alejandro Ortega Trillo (Mar., paper,
$14.99, ISBN 978-0-7648-2608-5) is a self-help guide to conquering vices and controlling virtues from an authority in moral
behavior.
LION
Sacred in the City: Seeing the Spiritual in the Everyday by

Margaret Silf (Apr. 1, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-7459-5698-5)
takes the reader through seven cityscapes, showing how to encounter the spiritual anywhere.
LITTLE, BROWN
Anchor and Flares: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hope, and

Service by Kate Braestrup (July 14, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0316-37378-4). Memoirist Braestrup examines the twinned emotions of faith and fear, inspired by the families she meets as a chaplain and by her sons journey toward purpose and familyhood.
LOYOLA
Walking with Jesus: A Way Forward for the Church by Pope

Francis (Apr., hardcover, $22.95, ISBN 978-0-8294-4248-9;
paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-8294-4254-0) urges people to make
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comes Jonah
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and dares
dares us
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Sometimes you pick up a book at

Sometimes you pick up a book at
the perfect time and get all there is
the perfect time and get all there is
to get out of it.
to get out of it.
I havent read a more compelling
I havent read a more compelling
book in a long time
book in a long time
Available Feb 2015:

Available Feb 2015:
Trade paperback, 5.25 x 8, (108 pages), ISBN: 978-1-5057-0376-4

Trade paperback, 5.25 x 8, (108 pages), ISBN: 978-1-5057-0376-4
Wisdom Publications
Wisdom Publications
Jesus central in their individual lives and in the life of the church, ultimately walking with
him at all times and in all places. 50,000 first printing.
MENNOMEDIA
Called to Be Amish by Marlene Miller (Feb., paper, $13, ISBN 978-0-8361-9911-6).

Fewer than 100 people have joined the Old Order Amishand stayedsince 1950, and
this memoir tells one womans story of joining the Amish some 46 years ago.
MOODY
He Will Be the Preacher: The Story of Gods Providence in My Life by Erwin W.

Lutzer (May 1, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-8024-1306-2). From farm boy in Canada to
senior pastor of one of the most influential pulpits in America, Moody Church pastor Lutzer
relates his faith journey in this memoir.
MOREHOUSE
$16.95
A NEW BUDDHIST PATH

Enlightenment, Evolution, and
Ethics in the Modern World
David R. Loy
9781614290025 | $16.95
176 pages | Available Now
Engage with a new vision of

A Buddhism
NEW
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PATH
and the modern world
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Ethics in the Modern World
David R. Loy
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Engage with a new vision of

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with the bestselling author of
Money, Sex, War, Karma.
Letters from the Farm: A Simple Path for a Deeper Spiritual Life by Becca Stevens (June, paper, $18, ISBN 978-0-81923175-8). The founder of Thistle Farms passes along a tradition of
a priesthood that is grounded in the idea that love heals and healing is the central sacrament of the church.
My Church Is Not Dying: Episcopalians in the 21st Century
by Greg Garrett (Apr., paper, $14, ISBN 978-0-8192-2934-2)
reminds Episcopalians of the many gifts that the tradition can offer
a doubting and hurting world.
MULTNOMAH
Its Good to Be Queen: Becoming as Bold, Gracious, and Wise as the Queen of
Sheba by Liz Curtis Higgs (July 21, paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4000-7003-9) offers
biblical wisdom for modern women who aspire to please the king of kings through examining the life of the queen of Sheba.
Possible: A Blueprint for Changing How We Change the World by Stephan Bauman
(Feb. 17, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-1-60142-582-9) teaches how individuals and
churches can take a wiser and more creative approach to bringing about lasting change on
issues of poverty, injustice, and oppression.
NAVPRESS
Speak, Lord: Hearing Psalms in the First Person by Vic Black (July 1, paper, $12.99,
ISBN 978-1-63146-370-9) provides psalms rewritten in the first person, words of reflection,
writing prompts, and devotional thoughts to encourage engagement in the biblical Psalms.
NAVPRESS/TH1NK
Unashamed: Overcoming the Sins No Girl Wants to Talk About by Jessie Minassian
(June 1, paper, $13.99, ISBN 978-1-61291-628-6). With daring and a touch of humor,
the author breaks the silence about secret practices girls often hide, including cutting,
drinking, and anorexia.
$19.95
TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY
BUDDHISTS IN
CONVERSATION
Edited by Melvin McLeod
9781614290865 | 328 pages | March 10
Today's leading Buddhist voices

discuss the issues and ideas
important to the world today.
$19.95
NORTON
Strong as Death Is Love: Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Jonah, and Daniel: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter (Mar., hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-39324304-8) continues Alters ambitious translation project.
The Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling by Carole Satyamurti (Mar., hardcover, $39.95,
ISBN 978-0-393-08175-6). A modern retelling of the famous Sanskrit poem evokes world
myth, passion, and warfare, while exploring eternal questions of duty, love, and spiritual
freedom.
ONEWORLD
Men in Charge? Rethinking Authority in Muslim Legal Tradition, edited by Ziba

Mir-Hosseini, Mulki Al-Sharmani, and Jana Rumminger (Mar. 17, paper, $25, ISBN 9781-78074-716-3), challenges two central tenets of Islamic religious law that place women
under male authority, using feminist research into gender discrimination.
ORBIS
Morning Homilies by Pope Francis (Apr., paper, $18, ISBN 978-1-62698-111-9). The
pope reflects on the Gospel passages from his daily morning Masses at the Vatican.
Abounding in Kindness: Writings for the People of God by Elizabeth A. Johnson
(Mar., paper, $24, ISBN 978-1-62698-113-3). From the eminent Catholic theologian
comes an address to the wider People of God, providing an overview of her work in bringing fresh perspectives on the Christian faith.
Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas (May,
paper, $24, ISBN 978-1-62698-109-6) examines the myths and narratives underlying a
stand-your-ground culture, reckoning with the social and theological questions raised.
OXFORD UNIV.
After the Wrath of God: AIDS, Sexuality, and American Religion by Anthony
M. Petro (July 1, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-19-939128-8) narrates the religious
history of AIDS in America, encompassing the range of mainline Protestant, evangelical,
and Catholic groups that shaped public discussions of AIDS prevention and care in the
U.S.
Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence by Sara Moslener (July 1,
hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-19-998776-4) offers a history of the sexual purity movement that goes beyond the religious right, demonstrating a link between such rhetoric and
fears of national decline that has shaped American ideas about morality since the 19th
century.
PAULIST PRESS
Pope Francis Revolution of Tenderness and Love: Theological Roots and Pastoral Perspectives by Cardinal Walter Kasper (Mar., hardcover, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-80910623-3) outlines the influences that have led Kasper to call Francis a pope leading a radical
revolution of tenderness and love.
Family and Life: Pastoral Teachings 19992013 by Pope Francis (May, paper, $16.95,
ISBN 978-0-8091-4946-9) includes 13 documents dealing with matrimony, family, and
life that Pope Francis, as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, used for teaching when he was
archbishop of Buenos Aires.
SKY
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REL I GI ON
SPRING 2015
A fascinating
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POLEBRIDGE
The Real Paul: Recovering His Radical Challenge by

Bernard Brandon Scott (Mar. 19, paper, $27, ISBN 978-1-59815154-1) attacks the Augustinian-Lutheran reading of Paul and his
letters on three key points: Paul was called, his concern was with
the nations, and he addresses particular situations, not human universals.
PRINCETON UNIV.
Human Nature & Jewish Thought: Judaisms Case for Why Persons Matter by
Alan L. Mittleman (Apr. 26, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-691-14947-9) shows how the
Jewish tradition provides rich ways of understanding human nature and personhood in a
world of neuroscience, evolutionary biology, biotechnology, and pervasive scientism.
PROMETHEUS BOOKS
Voltaires Revolution: Writings from His Campaign to Free Laws from Religion,
The indispensable guidebook

to help the
well-meaning
guest when
visiting other
peoples
religious
ceremonies
updated and
revised.
NOW
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The Life of the Buddha by Tenzin Chgyel, trans. and intro. by Kurtis R. Schaeffer
(Feb. 24, paper, $15, ISBN 978-0-14-310720-0), offers a blueprint for a life of mindfulness,
dedicated to the easing of suffering both for oneself and for others.
The Religion of Democracy: Seven Liberals and the American Moral Tradition by Amy Kittelstrom (Apr. 21, hardcover,
$32.95, ISBN 978-1-59420-485-2) narrates a history of religions
role in the American liberal tradition through the eyes of seven
transformative thinkers.
PATHS
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Available from Ingram and Baker & Taylor

or directly from SkyLight Paths (800) 962-4544
www.skylightpaths.com
edited by G.K. Noyer (July 14, paper, $21,

ISBN 978-1-63388-038-2). Key writings
of Voltaire in defense of free thought, mostly
from his pamphleteering campaigns, are
compiled in this new edition, many translated into English for the first time.
REVELL
The Healing I Took Birth For: Practicing the Art of Compassion by Ondrea
Levine and Stephen Levine (May 1, paper,
$19.95, ISBN 978-1-57863-563-4) details
Ondrea Levines work with death and the
dying in the face of her own medical prognosis.
Youre Loved No Matter What: Freeing Your Heart from the Need to Be
Perfect by Holley Gerth (Mar., paper,
$14.99, ISBN 978-0-8007-2290-6) helps
women lay down unrealistic expectations
so they can embrace God and Gods purpose for their lives.
Its Not Who You Know, Its Who
You Are: Life Lessons from Winners by
Pat Williams (Feb., hardcover, $16.99,
ISBN 978-0-8007-2277-7) draws from
Williamss 50 years of brushing shoulders
with the greats to offer readers motivation
to do their best.
REGNERY
RIVERHEAD
RED WHEEL/WEISER
Finding Peter: A True Story of the

Hand of Providence and Evidence of
Life after Death by William Peter Blatty
(Mar. 30, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-162157-332-6). The author and Oscar
awardwinning screenwriter of The Exorcist
relates the true story of how he came to
believe in life after death. 100,000-copy
announced first printing.
New from the author of the

best-seller The Real Deal
Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected

Answers to Lifes Biggest Questions by
Timothy Keller (Mar. 3, paper, $15, ISBN
978-1-59463-353-9) shows howthe central events and meetings in Jesus life can
change peoples lives today.
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Mythologizing Jesus: From Jewish

Teacher to Epic Hero by Dennis R. MacDonald (May, hardcover, $34, ISBN 9780-7425-5891-5) shows how the stories told
in the Gospels parallel many in Greek and
Roman epics to compel their readers into
life-changing decisions to follow Jesus.
SCHOCKEN
Bewilderments: Reflections on the

Book of Numbers by Avivah Gottlieb
Zornberg (Feb. 24, hardcover, $28.95,
ISBN 978-0-8052-4304-8) is the third in
Zornbergs award-winning series of commentaries on the Hebrew Bible.
Illuminating the connection

between the lives of young
women today and biblical
women of yesterday.
Sisters of Scripture:
Mentors in Womanhood
By Billie Montgomery/Cook
978-0-8170-1757-6 $14.99
www.judsonpress.com
800-458-3766
SERVANT
Created to Relate: Gods Design for

Peace and Joy by Kelly M. Wahlquist
(Mar. 13, paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-161636-876-0) provides practical tips for
staying focused in the midst of the distractions and building life-giving connections.
SHAMBHALA
The Heart of Unconditional Love: A

Powerful New Approach to LovingKindness Meditation by Tulku Thondup
(Mar. 31, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-161180-235-1). The Tibetan Buddhist
teacher gives detailed guidance for lovingkindness meditation, prayers, and visualization in four simple stages that can be
practiced in as little as 30 minutes, a new
approach distilled from the authors life-
long study and practice.

Make Peace Before the Sun Goes
Down: The Long Encounter of Thomas
Merton and His Abbot, James Fox by
Roger Lipsey (May 19, paper, $18.95,
ISBN 978-1-61180-225-2). An esteemed
Merton scholar offers a fascinating account
of Thomas Mertons conflicted relationship
with his abbot, Dom James Fox.
SIMON & SCHUSTER
Gods Bankers: A History of Money

and Power at the Vatican by Gerald Posner (Feb. 3, hardcover, $32, ISBN 978-14165-7657-0) investigates the political
intrigue and inner workings of the Catholic
Church, examining the churchs accumulation of wealth and its byzantine entanglements with financial markets across the
world.
SKYHORSE
The Wisdom of Pope Francis, edited

by David Birch (Mar. 3, hardcover, $12.99,
ISBN 978-1-63220-351-9), is a collection
of wisdom from the Catholic pontiff, gathered from his speeches, homilies, sermons,
and more.
SKYLIGHT PATHS
TeachingThe Sacred Art: The Joy

of Opening Minds & Hearts by Rev. Jane
E. Vennard (Apr., paper, $16.99, ISBN
978-1-59473-585-1) explores many ways
to uncover the wonder and joy of teaching
and learning in all areas of life.
Theres a Woman in the Pulpit:
Christian Clergywomen Share Their
Hard Days, Holy Moments & the Healing Power of Humor by Martha Spong
(Apr., paper, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-59473588-2) collects stories and prayers on the
work of the church from the unique perspective of Christian clergywomen from
the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
SNOW LION
Always Present: The Luminous Wisdom of Jigme Phuntsok, edited by

Khenpo Sodargye (Apr. 28, paper, $16.95,
ISBN 978-1-55939-450-5), offers personal
teachings on the Buddhist path by an influential Tibetan lama of the 20th century.
SOUNDS TRUE
Make Me One with Everything: Buddhist Meditations to Awaken from the

Illusion of Separation by Lama Surya Das
(May 1, paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-162203-412-3) is based on Tibetan Bud-
dhisms core insights, offering teachings of

shared spirituality that will show both new
and experienced meditators a better way to
live, not just on the meditation cushion or
the yoga mat, but in every moment of life.
ST. MARTINS
The Jesus Code: Six Relics That Tell

the Remarkable True Story of the Gospels by David Gibson and Michael McKinley (Feb. 24, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 9781-250-06910-8) is a companion book to
CNNs six-night, six-hour prime-time television series that takes viewers on a forensic
and archeological journey through the Bible.
THOMAS NELSON
Be the Best Mom You Can Be: A

Practical Guide to Raising Whole Children in a Broken Generation by Marina
and Gregory W. Slayton (Apr. 14, hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-0-7180-2214-3)
uses humor, empathy, common sense, and
straight talk to promote mothering.
Life Is _____: Gods Illogical Love
Will Change Your Existence by Judah
Smith (Mar. 3, paper, $16.99, ISBN 9781-4002-0477-9) invites readers to ask the
age-old question What is life? and points
to scripture to find human purpose.
Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church by Rachel
Held Evans (Apr. 14, paper, $16.99, ISBN
978-0-7180-2212-9) takes readers through
a liturgical year with stories about baptism,
communion, confirmation, confession,
marriage, vocation, and death that are
funny, heartbreaking, and sharply honest.
TIME
The Francis Miracle: Inside the

Transformation of the Pope and the
Church by John L. Allen (Mar. 3, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-61893-131-3).
One of the most respected journalists covering the Catholic Church today describes the
inner workings of the Vatican to bare the
vast machinery and the man at the helm.
TYNDALE
Counter Culture: A Compassionate

Call to Counter Culture in a World of
Poverty, Same-Sex Marriage, Racism,
Sex Slavery, Immigration, Abortion,
Persecution, Orphans and Pornography by David Platt (Feb. 3, hardcover,
$19.99, ISBN 978-1-4143-7329-4) challenges Christians to compassionately
engage with social issues.
Nobodys Cuter than You: A Memoir

About the Beauty of Friendship by Melanie Shankle (Apr. 8, paper, $15.99, ISBN
978-1-4143-9748-1) looks at the special
bond that exists between friends and examines the influence friends have on who we
were, are, and will become.
Stay: Lessons My Dogs Taught Me
About Life, Loss, and Grace by Dave
Burchett (Feb. 24, hardcover, $17.99,
ISBN 978-1-4143-9793-1) is a heartwarming tale of a dog who knew how to
live... and showed her owner how.
UNIV. OF NORTH CAROLINA
What Is a Madrasa? by Ebrahim Moosa

(Apr. 10, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-14696-2013-8) goes inside the world of the
madrasathe most common type of school
for religious instruction in the Islamic
worldto illuminate orthodox Islam and
deeply felt needs of traditional Muslims.
Who Is Allah? by Bruce B. Lawrence
(Apr. 10, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-14696-2003-9) offers a unique approach
to understanding Allah, drawing on history, culture, theology, politics, and the
media.
UNIV. OF OKLAHOMA
Moroni and the Swastika: Mormons

in Nazi Germany by David Conley Nelson (Feb. 1, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN
978-0-8061-4668-3) is the first full
account of how Mormons avoided Nazi
persecution through skilled collaboration
with Hitlers regime and then eschewed
postwar shame by constructing an alternative history of wartime suffering and
resistance.
UNIV. OF PENNSYLVANIA
A Traveling Homeland: The Babylonian Talmud as Diaspora by Daniel Boyarin (June 12, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 9780-8122-4724-4) makes the case that the
Babylonian Talmud is a diasporist manifesto that produces and defines the practices
that constitute Jewish diasporic identity.
URIM
Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law by Rabbi Ethan Tucker and Rabbi
Michael Rosenberg (May 1, hardcover,
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explores the wealth of Jewish legal material
surrounding gender and prayer.
Award-winning
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uzanne Woods Fisher illustrates

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VIKING
The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis by

Garry Wills (Mar. 10, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-525-426967) considers a pressing question in modern religion: will Pope
Francis embrace change? Historian Wills considers the lessons Pope
Francis seems to have learned.
VIVA
Earth Blessings: Prayers, Poems and Meditations, edited by

June Cotner (Apr. 14, paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-63228-023-7),
is a collection of poems and prayers for the planet written by modern writers and those from ancient cultures.
WATERBROOK
I Tried Until I Almost Died: From Anxiety and Frustration

to Rest and Relaxation by Sandra McCollom (Mar. 3, paper, $14.99,
ISBN 978-1-60142-577-5). The author presents her transformational journey into grace and shows readers how to experience the
freedom that comes in exchanging self-efforts for the power of God.
WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX
Change of Heart: Justice, Mercy, and Making Peace with

My Sisters Killer by Jeanne Bishop (Mar., hardcover, $16, ISBN
978-0-664-25997-6). After the murder of her sister, Bishop unexpectedly found herself compelled by her faith to seek reconciliation
with the killer.
Permission Granted: Take the Bible into Your Own Hands
by Jennifer Grace Bird (Apr., paper, $16, ISBN 978-0-664-260408) encourages people of faith to explore sacred texts on their own,
freed from long-held myths and misconceptions, in order to appreciate this holy book for what it is.
WHITAKER HOUSE
Passionate Pursuit by James W. Goll (Feb., paper, $15.99

ISBN 978-1-62911-277-0) shows how to move beyond clichs into
knowing Gods heart through intentional, ongoing spiritual disciplines.
WISDOM
A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World by David R. Loy (Feb., paper, $16.95,
ISBN 978-1-61429-002-5) addresses the most pressing issues of
Buddhist philosophy today and investigates the intersection of
Buddhism and secular society.
The Way of Tenderness: Awakening Through Race, Sexuality and Gender by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel (Feb., paper, $15.95,
ISBN 978-1-61429-125-1) brings Buddhist philosophies of emptiness and appearance to bear on race, sexuality, and gender, to
reframe understandings of identity and privilege.
WORLD WISDOM
To Have a Center: A New Translation with Selected Letters

by Frithjof Schuon (July, paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-936597-444) offers guidance on modern dilemmas such as genius, intelligence, character, and prayer in 14 retranslated essays.
YALE UNIV.
Kabbalah: A Neurocognitive Approach to Mystical Experiences by Shahar Arzy and Moshe Idel (June 30, hardcover, $50,
ISBN 978-0-300-15236-4). Idel, an eminent scholar of Jewish
mysticism and thought, and cognitive neuroscientist and neurologist Shahar Arzy combine expertise to explore the mysteries of the
Kabbalah from an entirely new perspective: that of the human brain.
Spiritual Defiance: Building a Beloved Community of
Resistance by Robin Meyers (Apr. 28, hardcover, $26, ISBN
978-0-300-20352-3) casts the nature of faith as a force that stands
against everything that engenders death and indignity, and
invites to recover the Jesus Movement as a Beloved Community
of Resistance.
ZONDERVAN
The Case for Grace: A Journalist Explores the Evidence of

Transformed Lives by Lee Strobel (Feb. 24, hardcover, $22.99,
ISBN 978-0-310-25917-6) presents true stories of lives that have
been revolutionized and renewed by Gods grace, including neverbefore-told details of Strobels own journey of transformation.
The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for
Health and Hope, edited by Melinda Gates with Christine Caine
(Mar. 31, paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-310-34161-1), provides a
personal yet fact-based narrative exploring the plight of women and
children living in extreme poverty, in an effort to educate and
inspire the church to speak up in support of maternal and child
health issues in the developing world.
CHILDRENS
BARBOUR
Know Your Bible for Kids: All About

Jesus by Donna K. Maltese (Apr. 1, paper,
$4.99, ISBN 978-1-63058-852-6). Ageappropriate text explains Jesuss story. Each
chapter includes key verses and a What
Does That Mean? section for personal
application.
Know Your Bible for Kids: Noahs
Ark: My First Bible Reference for 58 Year Olds by Ed Strauss
(June 1, paper, $4.99, ISBN 978-1-63058-913-4) describes life in
Noahs time, how the ark was built, how the animals rode out the
storm, and what happened after the flood.
CANDLE
My Very First Bible by Juliet David, illus. by Helen Prole (Apr.

27, paper, $4.99, ISBN 978-1-78128-169-7), features text edited
for younger ages, illustrations, and scripture references.
EERDMANS
Just for Today by St. John XXIII, illus. by Bimba Landmann

(Apr. 27, hardcover, $16, ISBN 978-0-8028-5461-2). The newly
canonized saints daily decalogue for living provides a reminder of
how to make the most of each day.
HACHAI
BrachaDo You Know? A Lift-the- Flap Book by Ariella

Stern (Feb., hardcover, $9.95, ISBN 978-1-929628-76-6). Rhyming riddles pose questions about Jewish blessings on food, with
answers under the flaps.
If I Went to the Moon by Sara Blau (Mar., hardcover, $12.95,
ISBN 978-1-929628-80-3). A boy prepares for an imaginary space
journey by packing all the traditional Jewish objects he needs to do
mitzvot on the moon.
HOLIDAY HOUSE
The Story of Passover by David A. Adler, illus. by Jill Weber (Feb., paper, $6.99, ISBN
978-0-8234-3304-9). The miraculous story of how Moses was saved as an infant and grew
up to lead his people out of slavery unfolds in text with acrylic paintings.
Celebrate
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KAR-BEN
And Then Another Sheep Turned Up by Laura Gehl, illus. by Amy Adele (Feb. 1,
hardcover, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-4677-1188-3). As the sheep familys Passover seder begins,
more and more guests show up.
Jodies Shabbat Surprise by Anna Levine, illus. by Ksenia Topaz (May 1, hardcover,
$17.95, ISBN 978-1-4677-3465-3). A Shabbat walk leads to a perfect birthday gift for her
father in Jodies latest adventure.
Joey and the Giant Box by Deborah Lakritz, illus. by Mike Byrne (May 1, hardcover,
$17.95, ISBN 978-1-4677-1953-7). One childs love of collecting becomes an opportunity
to do a mitzvah for his whole school.
KREGEL
Andrea Carters Tales from the Circle C Ranch by Susan K. Marlow (Mar. 1, paper,
$7.99, ISBN 978-0-8254-4379-4) is a collection of short stories set in northern California
during the 1880s.
LION
Missing Jack by Rebecca Elliott (Apr. 1, hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-7459-6502-4)

addresses the difficult subject of a childs first experience of a pets death.
Saint Francis: The Good Man of Assisi by Mary Joslin and Alison Wisenfeld (Apr. 1,
hardcover, $9.99, ISBN 978-0-7459-6492-8) retells the story of St. Francis.
And Then Another Sheep Turned Up

Laura Gehl, illus. Amy Adele
Ages 38
$17.95
TOMMY NELSON
Duck Commander Devotions for Kids by Korie Robertson and Chrys Howard (Feb.,
hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-7180-2249-5) collects inspirational messages, scripture
passages, prayers, and stories about the Robertson family of Duck Dynasty.
TYNDALE
Snuggle Time Devotions That End with a Hug! by Stephen Elkins (Feb. 1, hardcover,
$14.99, ISBN 978-1-4143-9948-5) is an interactive illustrated book of 52 devotions to
help children to spend time with God and bond with loved ones.
WORTHY/IDEALS
God Made You Special! by Greg Fritz, illus. by Lisa Reed (Feb. 1, board book, $7.99,
ISBN 978-0-8249-1947-4). Veggie Tales figures Bob and Larry and their friends spread
the message that God made each of us special.
WORTHYKIDS
Noahs Ark: A Lesson in Trusting God by Veggietales (Mar. 1, paper, $6.99,

ISBN 978-1-61795-550-1). Based on the 2015 VeggieTales video Noahs Ark, this
retelling of the Bible story shares the message of trust in Gods plans and promises;
includes a three-song music CD.
Engineer Ari and the Passover Rush

Deborah Bodin Cohen, illus. Shahar Kober
Ages 59
$17.95
Visit
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Passover Activities!
ZONDERKIDZ
Bunnys First Spring by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illus. by David McPhail (Feb. 3, hardcover, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-310-73386-7) celebrates the Easter season and rebirth
through the story of one young rabbits discovery of life, death, and natures miraculous
transformation.
Only God Can Make a Kitten by Rhonda Gowler Greene, illus. by Laura J. Bryant
(Feb. 3, hardcover, $12.99, ISBN 978-0-310-73170-2), follows a rhyming conversation
between a mother and child as the child asks, Mama, who made...?
Prayers That Changed History: From Christopher Columbus to Helen Keller,
How God Used 25 People to Change the World by Tricia Goyer (July 21, paper, $12.99,
ISBN 978-0310-74801-4). This collection highlights 30 historical figures whose lives were
changed by the power of prayer.
wing Jewish li
A gro
brary for children!
Passover 2015 begins at sunset Friday, April 3, and
ends at nightfall Saturday, April 11.

Spirituality &amp; Religion March 2015

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SPIRITUALITY

Evergreen Topics Keep on Giving

Spirituality & Religion

Devotionals and prayer books continue

n 1924, a new book

Jesus Calling has sold

tor of marketing and digital content for

A Category Name Change

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Mindfulness and Meditation Go Mainstream

that the books themselves are getting

who explores practicing mindfulness

Protestant leader in small daily chunks via

Go: Simple Meditation Practices You Can Do

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manager for Loyola Press. But prayer

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Publishers note that another trend in

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New titles help readers cope with aging,

Comfort & Counsel

his spring, spirituality and religion publishers once again have

Feb.), Billings grapples with the hard

100,000-copy first printing.

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Spring books offer guidance to parents

All in the Family

arents always need a

followed by others on this topic from the

make mistakes. When we [at Cook] look

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in a Broken Generation (Apr.), by Marina

Husband (Mar.), by Jennifer Smith. Smith

July from Little, Brown.

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A Growing Number of Books Say So

he mysteries of the afterlife continue to fascinate readers eager

Groundbreaking New Evidence of

offers his Bible-based Answers to Your

Apr.), by Michael S. Pruett. 

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Stiffelman says. But these challenges can

Stiffelman echoes that: I hope people

Janis Heaphy Durham

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way to reach across. If his life went on in

losses and trials become more prevalent

Whos Afraid of Biblical Criticism

harvard divinity school

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By framing How to Read the Bible

The Bible and Beyond

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PWS TOP 10:

Nelson Dooley, Nancy J. Farrier, Pamela

The Decision by Wanda E. Brunstetter

A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

The Animals Are Talking Again!

PAPER | 9781426791604 | $14.99

A moving and powerful read,

New York Journal of Books

Spirituality & Religion March 2015

Spirituality & Religion March 2015

July from Little, Brown.

Apr.), by Michael S. Pruett.