New and Noteworthy Books Winter 2026
Here are some of the upcoming books we are most looking forward to set to be released between January - April 2026! If you are interested in any of these or would like to know more, please give us a call (604-228-1820) or send us an email ([email protected]) to inquire about reserving a copy or shipping.
Many people assume evangelicals are Republican, Democrats aren't religious, and moderate Christians no longer exist. But that wasn't always true. In the 1980s, evangelicals were just as likely sit beside a Democrat as a Republican at church.
What changed?
In this groundbreaking book, data scientist Ryan Burge reveals
● how religious polarization reshaped America and caused many to leave church,
● why faith became an identity in the culture wars,
● the hidden truth that Americans are more moderate than the media suggests,
● why polarization in our churches affects all aspects of social connection and community, and
● a path forward for churches to bridge political divides.
This book reveals how political polarization transformed American Christianity over the past fifty years and why this divide impacts every aspect of society. Drawing on extensive data, Burge shows how churches that embraced conservative politics during the culture wars drove away millions of moderate and liberal Christians, hollowing out congregations that once bridged political divides.
Burge makes a compelling case that America needs churches now more than ever--not as political battlegrounds but as spaces where people of different backgrounds and beliefs can come together. Blending personal stories with rigorous, up-to-date research, The Vanishing Church offers hope that faith communities can help heal our divisions and restore the common ground essential for democracy to thrive.
Available for in-store purchase only.
From award-winning authors and Yale Divinity School colleagues Christian Wiman and Miroslav Volf—two world-renowned scholars exchange letters on the problems of faith today and the presence of divine love that persists through it all.
Whether you’re seeking something to believe in or no longer feel at home in your traditions, the spiritual search can be deeply lonely.
In Glimmerings, leading Christian theologian Miroslav Volf and celebrated poet Christian Wiman engage the tensions of belief felt by many. In an exchange of personal letters, Volf and Wiman give voice to and validate the most pressing spiritual questions of our time. Close friends and Yale colleagues, they reveal through their letters visions of faith that are sometimes sharply divergent, yet always honest and punctuated by warmth, humor, and apology. The result is a vivid, consoling collection in which questions are dignified and the spiritual search in all its complexities is honored.
Whether they’re discussing Scripture’s most problematic texts, Christianity’s most preposterous claims, or their own experiences of God’s presence and absence, Volf and Wiman are united in their shared refusal to oversimplify the realities of human pain. Instead, we are invited to share an honest hope: While certainty can never be ours, perhaps God shows up in “glimmerings.” As we accompany each other in our tensions, we can find strength in solidarity, beauty in mystery, and love that persists even as our faith perplexes.
Available for in-store purchase only.
We all want to make sense of life—the good, the painful, the miraculous. Who are we? Why are we here? What should we do with our lives? How do we hold on to hope, in a world that is both beautiful and broken?
Through eight lyrical and reflective essays, one of today’s most thoughtful spiritual writers Steven Garber explores the idea of the “proximate”—a word from the Latin “proximatus,” to draw near. Garber invites us to draw near to the deepest realities of life and to see with greater clarity and compassion—recognizing what is true, right, and beautiful in the world, even as we see the suffering all around us.
Hints of Hope probes what it means to be human; to wrestle with the contradictions we all face in our marriages, in our workplaces, in our friendships and vocations. We all experience beauty and brokenness, wonder and despair, joy and sorrow. We live with disappointment and grief and pain . . . wanting more, expecting more, but never being completely fulfilled. Paradoxically, as we make peace with the proximate, our vision is expanded to see more clearly the glimmers of beauty and grace that thread their way through our lives. Garber suggests that those hints of hope are enough in this frail world of ours, “a world stretched taut between what is and what someday will be.”
Written in memoir form, Hints of Hope weaves together decades of Garber’s travels, teaching, and personal musings to offer a tapestry of wisdom on vocation, culture, faith, and hope. Readers of Wendell Berry, Parker Palmer, Marilyn McEntyre, Philip Yancey, and Frederick Buechner will find a rich, soul-nourishing feast within these pages.
Available for in-store purchase only.
Discover the Beauty and Depth of Ordinary Time
Most days in Jesus' life were ordinary. Most of ours are too. And that's exactly where the power of Ordinary Time lies. It reminds us that normal is necessary, and routines are for things that matter―things worth repeating.
Ordinary Time by Amy Peeler invites Christians to see the beauty and significance in the longest, yet often overlooked, season of the church year. Far from being mundane, this season is a vital time for spiritual growth and maturity―a time when the routine helps sustain and nurture faith. This time in the church calendar isn't just a placeholder―it's a vibrant and essential season in its own right.
Amy Peeler skillfully explores the history and deeper meaning of what the church has historically called Ordinary Time, unpacking how this season fosters both personal and communal transformation. With pastoral wisdom and scholarly insight, this short but profound volume enriches understanding of the church calendar and inspires readers to engage deeply with their faith.
In Ordinary Time, Peeler
- explores the history and practice of the season, inviting readers to engage more deeply with its observance,
- highlights how Ordinary Time fits within the larger context of the church calendar, and
- shows how the rhythms of the season teach us how to live faithfully in both the "normal" moments as well as the highs and lows of life.
Whether you've long walked in the rhythms of the church year or are just beginning to explore them, Ordinary Time will open your heart to the quiet, steady growth God invites us into every day. Get your copy today!
Available for in-store purchase only.
● Get to know the character and teachings of Jesus
● Understand how John writes about eternal life
● Perfect for devotional use during Lent and Easter
Whether you're reading John's Gospel for the first time or returning to this beloved book of the Bible, Meeting God in John helps you experience the Fourth Gospel with fresh insight and deeper spiritual understanding.
David Ford, one of the world's most respected theologians, offers an accessible introduction to John's Gospel that speaks to Christians at every stage of their faith journey. This inspiring guide is filled with profound insights into the character and teachings of Jesus, revealing how the Gospel of John continues to transform lives today.
Meeting God in John explores the central biblical themes of John's Gospel--God's love, eternal life, and the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God. Each chapter includes reflection questions for personal Bible study or small group discussion, making this an invaluable resource for Sunday school classes, discipleship groups, and individual spiritual formation.
Simple yet profound, Meeting God in John is an invitation to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of the Gospel of John, and through it, meet the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ.
Available for in-store purchase only.
Generously Reformed offers a fresh, centrist vision of the Reformed tradition--moving beyond slogans and caricatures to reveal a theology that is historically grounded, globally engaged, and full of hope.
Like a tree with deep roots and wide branches, this book shows how Reformed theology anchors itself firmly in Scripture and the catholic tradition while it reaches out in witness, service, and friendship. The authors
● correct common misconceptions about Calvinism and Reformed doctrine, offering nuanced clarity on key theological concepts that are often misunderstood or oversimplified;
● explore the breadth of Reformed tradition from its historical foundations in the Protestant Reformation to its contemporary global expressions, showing how this theological framework remains vital for church life today;
● center on the Triune God's redemptive story, presenting systematic theology not as abstract debate but as joyful discipleship rooted in God's Word and shaped by the gospel narrative; and
● equip church leaders, students, and curious Christians to understand and inhabit the Reformed tradition with wisdom and grace.
Rather than offering defensive arguments, Generously Reformed invites readers into a theological journey that is Christ-centered, Scripture-saturated, and hope-filled. Ideal for pastors, students, and anyone curious about Reformed Christianity, this volume presents a generous vision of a tradition deeply rooted in biblical truth, shaped by ancient church wisdom, and alive with transformative hope for contemporary faith communities.
Available for in-store purchase only.
· A fresh approach to keeping children in the church and equipping them to grow as disciples
· Emphasizes the importance of integrating kids into corporate worship and taking advantage of intergenerational activities
· Both theologically sound and practical for real life
As both a pastor and a parent, Cameron S. Shaffer is alarmed by the mass exodus of young people from the church over the past couple decades. The rise of the Nones and exvangelicals is clear evidence that our current children's and youth ministry practices are ineffective and must change if we want to stem the tide of dechurching. Whatever we're doing now is not creating lifelong disciples.
Combining biblical and theological insights with the latest sociological research, Shaffer presents a comprehensive and compelling case not for retooling the system of child discipleship we already have in place but for reevaluating and reshaping it entirely. He explains just how conversion works, the importance of parental involvement, and the necessity of keeping kids and youth in church and involved with the whole community of faith rather than continually sending them away to do youth-centered activities. He also covers the big question of how to keep young people committed to their faith when they grow up, go to college, enter the workforce, and start families of their own.
In this thoughtful book, pastors, children's and youth ministers, church leaders, and Christian parents alike will find a clear path forward to keep kids Christian and keep them involved in the church.
Available for in-store purchase only.
The first American Pope’s words for the world reveal themes to his leadership: peace, hope, and unity.
"I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you!"
With his first public appearance before the world, Pope Leo XIV expressed hope for an “unarmed and disarming” peace. Collected in this beautiful edition are the sermons and speeches Pope Leo XIV has delivered since his May 8, 2025, election, including:
- his First Apostolic blessing, delivered to the Central Loggia of the Vatican Basilica
- “Called to Be a Light of Hope,” his video message to the young people of Chicago and the whole world
- “The compass of natural law,” his Address to Members of the International Inter-Parliamentary Union
- and more.
These first addresses convey some of Pope Leo XIV’s vision for the future: the primacy of God, communion in the Church, and the pursuit of peace. His countless calls for reconciliation are addressed not only to politics, but to the heart of every person: “Peace begins with each of us: from the way we look at others, listen to others, speak about others.” He shows us that unity is possible, and it begins in our hearts.
In his own words, Pope Leo XIV welcomes us all into communion and calls us to act to protect our shared humanity and our precious home.
Available for in-store purchase only.
A creative masterclass for aspiring and established writers alike
After decades of writing award-winning books on subjects ranging from poetry to art to liturgical seasons, celebrated author Marilyn McEntyre turns her attention to the vocation that has shaped her life. Start with a Word: On the Craft and Adventure of Writing is a literary masterclass that eschews drills and formulas in favor of close readings and refreshingly playful advice.
A veteran teacher, Marilyn understands that the best writing instruction doesn’t come from rigid rules or rote approaches to filling the blank page. Instead, she demonstrates how the writers whose works we have enjoyed can become our tutors. She calls us to move beyond asking “What does this text say?” to a more revealing question: “How does this text work?” This shift in perspective—from passive consumption to active apprenticeship—transforms how we encounter literature and how we create it.
More than a how-to manual, Start with a Word is an invitation into a way of being that honors both the precision and the mystery of words. It offers short lessons on essential elements of literary craft, close readings of passages from a range of works, writing prompts, and, above all, encouragement for authors to find their unique path into work only they can create.
“Reading and writing keep alive in us the desire to be precise, lively, surprising, generous, inviting, challenging, wise. They make us want to be good, if only in the sense that choosing exact and appropriate words is a matter of choosing the good. . . . I don’t think you can be an excellent writer without developing some virtues, if only fidelity to a practice that honors the gift of language.”
Available for in-store purchase only.
The work of cultivating the common good starts in your own neighborhood.
In Becoming Neighbors, Amar D. Peterman explores how the common good can be cultivated through the practice of neighbor love. And he encourages Christians to join their neighbors at what he calls “the shared table”—a space where communities gather across differences to work towards the flourishing of the whole.
Within every neighborhood, people have daily opportunities to show up for each other and share the best of their traditions, cultures, and beliefs. But too often, Christians keep to themselves—and when they do show up, many spend more time talking than listening. Peterman encourages Christians to adopt a different posture: to sit side by side with their neighbors at the community table, share a meal, engage in mutual listening and learning, and actively commit to each other’s flourishing.
Peterman illuminates the faith-based insights that Christians can bring to the table, such as the biblical call to love others, to seek goodness, and to build communities of belonging. And he offers tangible practices of neighbor love—including compassion, resonance, lamentation, and accompaniment—that translate across diverse populations. Peterman also demonstrates how Christ’s example as prophet, priest, and king serves as a guide for how Christians might live faithfully in their communities today.
At the heart of this book is a simple but critical question: How will we live? Amid our differences and disagreements, through the strife and terror of our world, through the reality of death and the hope of resurrection, the answer for Christians is clear: We live as neighbors.
Available for in-store purchase only.
A philosopher journeys back to the mystics to learn how to live with uncertainty in the twenty-first century
How do we live when we don’t know what to believe, or who to believe, or how we could even know? In this deeply felt book, philosopher James K. A. Smith explores how radical uncertainty can be liberating, opening us to another way of being. The pain of his own profound uncertainty led Smith to a surprising source for modern consolation: the mystical experiences of St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and the author of The Cloud of Unknowing. These mystics testify to a deeper truth beneath distraction, anxiety, and fear: love.
Drawing on ancient traditions of contemplation as well as on contemporary novels, poetry, film, and paintings, Smith speaks to the fundamental yearnings that persist in late modernity, including the philosophical quest for knowledge and certainty. He shows us how the gifts of the Christian contemplative tradition and the riches of creative works embody a liberating spirituality that recovers the fullness of being human.
In bringing a philosopher’s questions to the mystics, Smith brings a mystical heart back to philosophy.
Available for in-store purchase only.
Joy won't cure you, but it will carry you.
After surviving a stage-four cancer diagnosis, Kate Bowler knew she was supposed to be grateful. Alive. Blessed. But she still ached—for more connection, more surprise, less resentment on an ordinary day.
So she went looking for joy. Not the toxic positivity kind. Not a 5-step plan. But the type that sneaks in unexpectedly, seemingly out of nowhere. A lemur sunbathing. A belly laugh at a funeral. A dive into the Atlantic with a shark wrangler.
In Joyful, Anyway, Bowler takes us on a hilarious and tender journey through big questions and small delights. With wry wit and deep honesty, she explores how joy can surprise us even in the middle of pain, boredom, and longing.
This is not a book about fixing your life. It is about how we can all find more—feel more—by making room for small extraordinary moments.
For anyone who has ever felt stuck, who is achy for meaning, who feels undone by loss, who feels that joy is just out of reach, who wants, simply, to have more fun, Joyful Anyway is a delicious, insightful tour through the questions that sit in the deepest part of our souls. It proves that for every time we ask: Is this it? Joy will answer: there is more.
Available for in-store purchase only.
As church attendance falls, suicide rates climb, and birth rates plummet, Christian pundits have suggested disenchantment and the loss of tradition are to blame for our spiritual malaise. But what if the problem is both much simpler and much more serious?
In The Desecration of Man, Carl Trueman argues that modern man's crisis of meaning stems from a rejection of a simple fact—that he was made in the image of God. Unmoored from the basic moral fact that secures human dignity, we violently disrespect our own minds and bodies through abortion, pornography, casual sex, gender transitions, and more—and in this disrespect we blaspheme against God himself, with devastating practical and spiritual consequences.
With gentle pastoral wisdom, deep insight into church history, and an impressive command of philosophical genealogies, The Desecration of Man speaks to those troubled by the spiritual sickness of our time and points toward consecration to a God who is alive and loving as a solution. The Early Church triumphed over Rome because it offered life in place of death. It is time for modern Christians to offer the same kind of vision.
Available for in-store purchase only.
In a culture that prizes outrage over reconciliation, forgiveness is increasingly seen as weakness--an outdated concept that fails to take harm seriously. But what if forgiveness isn't about minimizing justice but about restoring hope?
In Forgiveness, public theologian Amy Orr-Ewing reclaims the transformative power of the biblical call to forgive and explains why it remains Christianity's most radical gift to a world in crisis. Drawing from theology, psychology, history, and literature, she explores numerous themes:
● why forgiveness remains a cornerstone of human flourishing
● the impact of forgiveness on both personal and cultural levels
● how forgiveness upholds justice rather than undermining it
● what makes Christian forgiveness unique from secular ideas of grace and justice
For pastors, leaders, and all Christians who long to see a healthier, less punitive culture, this book offers a reimagined vision of forgiveness that brings healing to individuals, communities, and society.
Available for in-store purchase only.
Discover a path to healing and understanding in The Traumatized Church by New Testament scholar Scot McKnight and therapist Adrienne Gibson. Whether you're a pastor, counselor, church leader, or someone who has been hurt by the church, this book provides a compassionate and practical framework to address the wounds of trauma and learn how to develop how churches can become trauma-informed spaces. McKnight examines the life of the apostle Paul and his complex relationship with the Corinthian church, offering biblical wisdom from Paul's life that helps us shape a renewed response to trauma within the church.
This book dives deeply into the realities of trauma--how it impacts individuals, communities, and ministries--and uses theological insights to guide readers through the four R's of trauma care: Realize, Recognize, Respond, and Resist. From understanding the symptoms of trauma in today's church members to providing actionable steps to foster safety, trust, support, collaboration, and empowerment, this book creates a roadmap for healing. With stories of real experiences, practical advice, and scriptural grounding, McKnight and Gibson encourage a Kingdom-minded approach to community, rooted in love and restoration rather than re-traumatization. Together, we can create churches that reflect Christ's healing and compassion.
If you're ready to transform your understanding of trauma and begin building spaces of redemption, The Traumatized Church is an essential resource for your ministry or personal growth.
Available for in-store purchase only.
