Looking for a good summer book that will engage your faith? Pick up one (or more!) of our Summer One-Read books! We’ve selected three thought-provoking books for the congregation to read over the summer and discuss in the fall. Each book supports the preaching series for the fall or the churchwide theme for next year (more to come on that, though you might make an educated guess based on the books!). Reading any of the three will deepen your engagement with church life next year. Copies are available for purchase in the Reception Area for $15 each. You may pay with cash or check or pay online through Realm Connect. Grab your copy before they are sold out! Happy reading!
Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again
by Rachel Held Evans
If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? Drawing on the best in biblical scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories and even a short screenplay. Discover alongside Evans that the Bible is not a static text, but a living, breathing, captivating and confounding book that can equip us and inspire us to join God’s loving and redemptive work in the world.
Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing
by Zach W. Lambert
How can we read the Bible in ways that lead to healing and wholeness? As a pastor for more than ten years, Zach Lambert has seen the Bible used countless times as something far from the “Good Book.” He has seen the Bible weaponized to subjugate women, justify racism, bash LGBTQ+ people, cover up abuse and exclude people who speak out against these injustices. In this compassionate guide, Lambert dismantles four common lenses for reading the Bible that lead to harm, then offers four new lenses that promote healing and wholeness. This book welcomes all Christians to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.
Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now
by Walter Brueggemann
In this new edition that includes a study guide, Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Brueggemann critiques our 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform and possess. Brueggemann shows readers how keeping the Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people and all life. Perfect for groups or self-reflection, Sabbath as Resistance offers a transformative vision of the wholeness God intends.
