In this illuminating debut history, Colorado Springs, Colo., serves as a microcosm for how evangelicalism has accrued cultural power over the past 70-odd years. Historian Schultz begins in the 1940s and ’50s, when evangelical leaders fused faith to Cold War–era patriotic values, birthing a militaristic evangelicalism that saw believers as “stewards and defenders of a Christian” and American heritage. The era saw small towns like Colorado Springs attract evangelicals drawn to their traditional values, growing economy, and relatively cheap prices. Colorado Springs, in particular, drew enterprising evangelicals who built campuses for ministries like Young Life, Navigators, and Focus on the Family, and helped set up institutions like the U.S. Air Force Academy, marrying piety, patriotism, and power (military leaders “loudly proclaimed that good soldiers were good Christians and vice versa”). The evangelicalism that emerged in Colorado Springs—and the conflation of “Christianity and patriotism” that distinguished it from mainline Protestantism, which had increasingly begun to “emphasize America’s religious pluralism”—helped it evolve into a social movement which, the author convincingly shows, has played a key role in fueling today’s Christian nationalism. The result is a revealing window into the roots of a movement that has reshaped American religion and politics. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 09/19/2025 | Details & Permalink

Pastor Newton (Breathe Again) issues a passionate if somewhat vague call for Christians to set aside their insecurities and embrace their divine purpose. He asks believers to abandon the “lies” they’ve internalized (that their worth depends on worldly achievement; that they are defined by past traumas) and build faith through small, day-to-day behaviors, like acting with integrity and worshipping God in and out of church. Doing so allows one to better tap into the voice of the Holy Spirit, access their unique “spiritual gifts,” and find their path. Newton also shares advice on overcoming imposter syndrome and eradicating bad habits, generally by being more self-aware (“If you don’t like who you are becoming, it’s time to pay attention to what you’re putting in your soul.... What are your tendencies? What trajectory is that leading you on?”). While Newton has a lot to say about overcoming the barriers to accessing one’s gifts, he’s less concrete about what it means to actually live out one’s purpose. Still, his unfailing optimism and reassurances (“If Jesus is big enough to save you from hell, then He is certainly big enough to help you process your emotions”) will buoy readers’ spirits. It’s an enthusiastic invitation for believers to find themselves through faith. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/19/2025 | Details & Permalink

TerKeurst (I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t) teams up with her Therapy and Theology podcast cohosts Muddamalle (The Hidden Peace), a theologian, and Cress, a therapist, for a refreshingly concise and candid guide to enduring divorce. After learning of her husband’s infidelity in 2016, TerKeurst engaged with him in a “dysfunctional dance” of empty promises, marriage counseling, and reconciliation attempts before filing for divorce in 2021 (“I wasn’t giving up. I was finally accepting the reality that changing a marriage really isn’t possible if one of the two people is unwilling or incapable of making the desperately needed changes”). The author addresses concerns common to believers considering or recovering from a divorce, including the biblical stance on the subject (God doesn’t “hate divorce,” according to TerKeurst, and scripture shows it’s “permissible under certain situations,” including in abusive marriages), how to adjust to a new normal, and how to forgive without forgetting or reconciling. TerKeurst does important work in debunking the notion that divorce is a spiritual failure, while actionable tips from Cress (on recognizing codependency, among other topics) add value. This will be a balm to believers in the midst of or fresh off their own marital breakups. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Theologian Armas (Abuelita Faith) aims in this incisive manifesto to dismantle the lies the world’s empires have woven into “our imagination and our theology.” In Armas’s view, empires­­—and the Westernized, evangelical church that’s become tied up in them—instill social narratives that seek to “keep people in their place” by capitalizing on “fears of not belonging.” She also charges these institutions with perpetuating unchangeable “systems and hierarchies” and supporting dualistic forms of thought that draw stark divisions between the powerful and the oppressed (a mindset that’s been weaponized by the church, for instance, via “colonial and missionary efforts to bring ‘the light of the gospel’ to the so-called ‘heathen’ in the non-Western world”). In its place, she envisions a “divine kingdom” dedicated to serving society’s marginalized, and a theology that frames faith as messy, human, and in need of interpretation—especially when it comes to the Bible, a text “written by and for a people struggling to make sense of who they are within a system of hierarchy, domination, and greed.” Armas ranges fluidly between biblical analysis, philosophy, history, and her own experiences as a Latina woman to deliver complex ideas in accessible language (“The illusion of certainty masquerades as spirituality, but the real stuff is found in the messy middle—in the ambiguity, the doubt”). The result is a thought-provoking look at the intertwining of religion and social control. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Psychic medium Jackson follows up Signs with an uplifting if familiar invitation for readers to harness guidance from the “other side” to access their “highest path.” The bulk of the book comprises stories from those who’ve taken comfort in signs they’ve received from deceased loved ones. Natalie, who, along with her sister Elaine (nicknamed “Nanny Goat and Lainey Pie,” respectively), saw a field of goats and a pie shop on a road trip following their mother’s death, says that “since then, I’ve felt like I’m connected to this higher, bigger source, and I feel like I know... things I don’t even remember learning.” Jackson interlaces these stories with encouragement for readers to stay open to signs of all kinds, including out-of-body experiences, by connecting to nature, making art, and practicing gratitude. More generally, readers should be responsive to the “pulls we feel from the Universe” and to “magical people” placed “into our paths at pivotal times.” Those missing their departed loved ones will be comforted by the author’s reassuring philosophy, though the testimonial structure and many of the concepts repeat from her previous books. Still, seekers new to Jackson’s message will be heartened. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Henry draws from his popular YouTube channel, Beleaf in Fatherhood, for this empowering debut guide to bettering oneself in order to become a better dad. The author, who grew up apart from his biological father (and was inspired to create his YouTube channel by becoming a stay-at-home parent) notes that dads must first ensure they’re emotionally healthy enough to parent well. That involves “fathering oneself” into a more mentally healthy place—encouraging, protecting, and speaking kindly to oneself as a parent would to a child. He also suggests that dads connect with one another, seek out positive parenting models, and above all focus on being present rather than perfect, since “attention is the most valuable currency we have as human beings.” Drawing deeply from personal experience, the author outlines an uplifting philosophy that parenting is “good work” honored by God, even when it seems thankless. He also makes valuable points about the importance of creating visible models of Black fatherhood in a culture dominated by false narratives of “the absent Black father, the angry Black man, the broken Black family.” First-time dads and dads of faith will find this especially worthwhile. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Messianic rabbi Sobel (Mysteries of the Messiah) argues in this mixed-bag work that viewing Jesus as the messiah can shed valuable light on believers’ lives. He points to Old Testament prophecies that are, in his view, fulfilled by Jesus’s coming, from Deuteronomy’s prediction that “The lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from yourselves, from your own kinsmen” to God’s vow in Genesis to “put animosity between” the serpent “and the woman—between your seed and her seed” (which foreshadowed a battle between Satan—the serpent’s descendant—and Jesus, who descended from the “seed of the woman,” or the virgin Mary). Jesus’s life fulfilled those prophecies, proving “God is faithful to every single promise He makes, even when it may seem impossible,” according to Sobel, and showing how connections between Old and New Testament can enrich readers’ understanding of faith and God. While the author’s biblical analyses are often thorough and detailed, he’s less successful in applying them to believers’ lives; a discussion of Jesus’s occupation as a carpenter, for example, is used to remind readers that Jesus is “the Master Craftsman” who “wants to craft your life into something beautiful and meaningful.” The result is an intermittently intriguing analysis of the symbolism of Jesus’s birth, life, and death. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

A more accepting, Jesus-centered Christianity can assuage many of the anxieties dominating modern society, according to this expansive treatise from That’s the Spirit podcaster Billups (Orphaned Believers). Drawing on her own struggles with anxiety, which were supercharged by the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges of caring for her aging parents, she assesses how the emotion shows up in today’s world. She finds signs of anxiety in bodies that are overstimulated by technology; in a church that’s increasingly ill-equipped to meet society’s needs; and in a conservative politics that serves as a refuge from an unstable world, with rising fears about America’s waning Christian identity pushing evangelicals, in particular, “into the arms of Donald Trump” and other politicians promising a return to order. Billups contends that the solution is a more inclusive Christianity that provides comfort without offering false promises and supports a humble and welcoming church community that “pursues an earthly holiness... inspired by the teachings of Jesus,” including by using “words instead of weapons.” While the thesis can sometimes get lost in lengthy meditations on Billups’s own caregiving experiences, the links she draws between individual and systemic stressors are incisive and thought-provoking. This will provide stressed-out Christians with plenty of food for thought. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this plainspoken guide, pastor Tudman (Brave Man) explains how Christians can shed false notions of the self and embrace their “God-given” identities. In his 40s, the author was skating along as a successful but overworked pastor when a series of tectonic life shifts, including the deaths of his dad and oldest son, forced him to begin “the hard work of finding myself.” Using his own experiences as a guide, he walks readers through the benefits of praying (to replace negative thought spirals); going to therapy (to uncover the roots of one’s trauma); and rebuilding strained bonds with family members. Tudman makes good use of his pastoral skills throughout, challenging readers to ask God hard questions (“God, is there anything I’m trusting in more than I’m trusting in you?”) and sensitively opening up about the consequences of his own traumas and difficulties, including childhood abuse, marital clashes, and emotionally distant relationships with his kids. Believers seeking their own fresh starts will be inspired. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

Lundquist, an English professor at North Hennepin Community College in Minnesota, debuts with a wrenching account of the breakup of her marriage to a gay man. Lundquist met her future husband in the late 1990s at a Christian camp, where the two bonded over their love of TV soaps and off-kilter humor. In spite of her ex’s jumbled attempts to explain his identity crisis (“I’m afraid you can’t actually know me. Not really,” he told her), they began dating in their teens and married in their early 20s. Trouble arrived when Lundquist found grainy photographs of a half-naked man on their shared computer; her husband brushed her off by explaining they were related to quasi–conversion therapy he’d had as a teen. The couple then moved to Chicago’s gay district, where Lundquist eventually discovered that her husband had been sleeping with men throughout much of their marriage. In addition to chronicling her marriage’s demise, the author reckons with the religious, sin-obsessed environment in which she and her husband had been raised; binary notions of sexuality and desire; rejection and loneliness; and her own quest to lose weight in an effort to gain control in a world that views beauty and thinness as currency. At once brave and tender, this is a candid look at the burdens of love and the challenges of discovering oneself. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink