Best Sociology & Religion Books
Here you will get Best Sociology & Religion Books For you.This is an up-to-date list of recommended books.
1. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
Author: by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Liveright (June 8, 2021)
English
384 pages
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe paradigm-influencing book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalismor in the words of one modern chaplain, with a spiritual badass.
As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sexand they have a silver ring to prove it.
Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroesmythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of Christian America.
2. Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
Author: by Esau McCaulley
English
208 pages
083085486X
2021 Christian Book Award program – Faith and Culture2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist – Religion2021 Outreach Resources of the Year – Christian Living2021 Christianity Today Book Award – Beautiful Orthodoxy2020 The Gospel Coalition Book Award – Popular Theology – Honorable Mention 2020 Emerging Public Intellectual AwardGrowing up in the American South, Esau McCaulley knew firsthand the ongoing struggle between despair and hope that marks the lives of some in the African American context.
A key element in the fight for hope, he discovered, has long been the practice of Bible reading and interpretation that comes out of traditional Black churches. This ecclesial tradition is often disregarded or viewed with suspicion by much of the wider church and academy, but it has something vital to say.
Reading While Black is a personal and scholarly testament to the power and hope of Black biblical interpretation. At a time in which some within the African American community are questioning the place of the Christian faith in the struggle for justice, New Testament scholar McCaulley argues that reading Scripture from the perspective of Black church tradition is invaluable for connecting with a rich faith history and addressing the urgent issues of our times.
3. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigia Edition
Author: by Ernest Hemingway
0684843323
Scribner
English
The complete, authoritative collection of Ernest Hemingway’s short fiction, including classic stories like “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” along with seven previously unpublished stories. In this definitive collection of the Nobel Prize-winning author’s short stories, readers will delight in Hemingway’s most beloved classics such as “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” “Hills Like White Elephants,” and “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and will discover seven new tales published for the first time in this collection, totaling in sixty stories.
This collection demonstrates Hemingway’s ability to write beautiful prose for each distinct story, with plots that range from experiences of World War II to beautifully touching moments between a father and son. For Hemingway fans, The Complete Short Stories is an invaluable treasury.
4. Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion
Author: by Sam Harris
Simon & Schuster
English
256 pages
For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s latest New York Times bestseller is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology. From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history.
Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow, and that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives. Waking Up is part memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality.
No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harrisa scientist, philosopher, and famous skepticcould write it.
5. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
Author: by Jon Krakauer
Anchor (June 8, 2004)
English
432 pages
This extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside America’s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities, where some 40,000 people still practice polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God.
At the core of Krakauer’s book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith.
Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
6. The Power of Myth
Author: by Joseph Campbell
Anchor (June 1, 1991)
English
293 pages
The national bestseller, now available in a non-illustrated, standard format paperback edition The Power of Myth launched an extraordinary resurgence of interest in Joseph Campbell and his work. A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, he has had a profound influence on millions of people-including Star Wars creator George Lucas.
To Campbell, mythology was the song of the universe, the music of the spheres. With Bill Moyers, one of America’s most prominent journalists, as his thoughtful and engaging interviewer, The Power of Myth touches on subjects from modern marriage to virgin births, from Jesus to John Lennon, offering a brilliant combination of intelligence and wit.
This extraordinary book reveals how the themes and symbols of ancient narratives continue to bring meaning to birth, death, love, and war. From stories of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome to traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, a broad array of themes are considered that together identify the universality of human experience across time and culture.
7. Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence
Author: by Diana Butler Bass
HarperOne (March 30, 2021)
English
320 pages
The award-winning author of Grateful goes beyond the culture wars to offer a refreshing take on the comprehensive, multi-faceted nature of Jesus, keeping his teachings relevant and alive in our daily lives. How can you still be a Christian? This is the most common question Diana Butler Bass is asked today.
It is a question that many believers ponder as they wrestle with disappointment and disillusionment in their church and its leadership. But while many Christians have left their churches, they cannot leave their faith behind. In Freeing Jesus, Bass challenges the idea that Jesus can only be understood in static, one-dimensional ways and asks us to instead consider a life where Jesus grows with us and helps us through life’s challenges in several capacities: as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence.
Freeing Jesus is an invitation to leave the religious wars behind and rediscover Jesus in all his many manifestations, to experience Jesus beyond the narrow confines we have built around him. It renews our hope in faith and worship at a time when we need it most.
8. How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (L'Abri 50th Anniversary Edition)
Author: by Francis A. Schaeffer
1581345364
Crossway
English
As one of the foremost evangelical thinkers of the twentieth century, Francis Schaeffer long pondered the fate of declining Western culture. In this brilliant book he analyzed the reasons for modern society’s state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God’s revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible’s morals, values, and meaning.
9. The Theft of America’s Soul: Blowing the Lid Off the Lies That Are Destroying Our Country
Author: by Phil Robertson
Thomas Nelson
English
224 pages
It’s time to take back what the devil has stolen and put God back into our culture. The Theft of America’s Soul is a prophetic wake-up call for all who desire to see our nation thrive, challenging readers to exchange these ten lies for truths that will bring peace of mind, harmony, and prosperity back to our countryan invitation to experience the life-giving, peace-filling, wholly-transforming love of God.
Phil Robertson, patriarch of A&E’s Duck Dynasty and one of the most recognized voices of conservative Christianity in America, believes that little by little, generation by generation, America has allowed the lines of morality, decency, and virtue to be erased.
Our values have disappeared as we began to believe liessuch as that God is dead, truth is relative, and unity is impossiblethat have brought discord, division and protest. But Phil also believes that things can change. Writing with captivating storytelling and unflinching honesty, Phil shows how to make America a God-honoring nation once more: by dropping the ten central lies that rule our day, includingGod is deadThere is no DevilTruth is relativeSex is for self-gratification
10. When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse
Author: by Chuck DeGroat
IVP (March 17, 2020)
English
200 pages
2021 Christian Book Award program – Ministry Resources2021 Outreach Resource of the Year – Counseling and RelationshipsWhy does narcissism seem to thrive in our churches? We’ve seen the news stories and heard the rumors. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader.
It’s easy to throw the term around and diagnose others from afar. But what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church? Chuck DeGroat has been counseling pastors with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as well as those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems, for over twenty years.
He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is. In When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat takes a close look at narcissism, not only in ministry leaders but also in church systems.
He offers compassion and hope for those affected by its destructive power and imparts wise counsel for churches looking to heal from its systemic effects. DeGroat also offers hope for narcissists themselvesnot by any shortcut, but by the long, slow road of genuine recovery, possible only through repentance and trust in the humble gospel of Jesus.
11. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Author: by Christopher Hitchens
Twelve (April 6, 2009)
English
336 pages
In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos.
With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetryof the double helix.
12. CSB Study Bible, Brown Genuine Leather, Indexed, Red Letter, Study Notes and Commentary, Illustrations, Ribbon Marker, Sewn Binding, Easy-to-Read Bible Serif Type
Author: by CSB Bibles by Holman
Holman Bible Publishers
English
2208 pages
The CSB Study Bible is designed to help you know and be transformed by God’s Word. The Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) that keeps Scripture primary on every page. To inspire you to grow in your understanding and love for God’s Word, the CSB Study Bible, includes an award-winning array of study resources including over 16,000 study notes, tools, and word studieseach tool presented on the same page as the verses it refers to.
Whether you are preparing for future Bible studies or daily readings, this study Bible for men and women is the ideal resource for lifelong discipleship. Features include:368 word studies to introduce you to the context and meaning behind key Greek and Hebrew wordsHigh-quality smyth-sewn binding that will lie open whether you are reading Genesis 1 or Revelation 22Full-color visuals to help you see the structure and context of Scripture come alive, including 94 photographs, 55 maps, 44 paintings, 21 illustrations/reconstructions, 19 charts, and 61 timelinesIntroductions and outlines for each book, including background information, theological themes, and insights into the unique contribution of each bookEasy-to-read layout with two columns of text, Jesus’ words in red, center-column cross-references, and three columns of notesAvailable in LeatherTouch (similar to an imitation leather Bible), cloth over board, hardcover, and genuine leatherThis CSB women’s and men’s study Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).
13. Free Will [Deckle Edge]
Author: by Sam Harris
1451683405
Free Press
English
From the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Faith, a thought-provoking, “brilliant and witty” (Oliver Sacks) look at the notion of free willand the implications that it is an illusion. A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value.
It is difficult to think about law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, moralityas well as feelings of remorse or personal achievementwithout first imagining that every person is the true source of his or her thoughts and actions. And yet the facts tell us that free will is an illusion.
In this enlightening book, Sam Harris argues that this truth about the human mind does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom, but it can and should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life.
14. CSB Apologetics Study Bible, Hardcover
Author: by CSB Bibles by Holman
1433644096
English
1728 pages
The CSB Apologetics Study Bible helps today’s Christians better understand, defend, and proclaim their beliefs in an age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. This study Bible’s updated content includes new articles and extensive apologetics Bible study material, that can serve during your devotionals, from today’s leading apologists to provide deeper understanding of the relevant apologetics issues and questions of today.
The Bible includes commentary from over 90 Christian apologetics leaders including Ted Cabal, Lee Strobel, Chuck Colson, Paul Copan, Norm Geisler, Hank Hanegraaff, Josh McDowell, Albert Mohler, J.P. Moreland, Ravi Zacharias, and many moreplus a lead article by Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ).
The study Bible features include a presentation page, book introductions, study notes, apologetics articles from leading apologists,Twisted Scripture explanations for commonly misunderstood passages, Profiles of Christian apologists, Two-color interior, Two-column text, 9. 75-point type size, Smyth-sewn binding, Ribbon marker, Full-color maps, and more.
15. Jesus Politics: How to Win Back the Soul of America
Author: by Phil Robertson
English
224 pages
1400210062
New York Times bestselling author and Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson exposes the destructive nature of American politics and calls on Christians to actively participate in advancing the Kingdom of heaven on earth. We live in an ever-dividing country, a country in which identity politics, creeping socialist policies, and the vast partisan divide threaten the very fabric of America.
After decades of political decay and of losing sight of our first principles, the American people are suffering from runaway debt, increased rates of depression, broken families, moral decay, and more. In Jesus Politics, Phil Robertson provides an alternate path: A radical call for Christians to use their freedoms to advance the agenda of the King and win back the soul of America.
Exploring the problems facing our country and how Jesus would respond to each, Robertson offers a manifesto, showing us how to do good by King Jesus, bringing the kingdom of heaven to our homes, neighborhoods, churches, communities, and country. Jesus Politics charges readers to use their time, talents, resources, influence, and votes to protect and advance the policies of King Jesus.
