Books To Consider
(Most links connect through Hills & Hamlets Bookshop, Serenbe - https://www.hillsandhamletsbookshop.com/)
Epiphany: Finding Truth Without Losing Faith
By James O. Rodgers - https://www.jamesorodgers.com/People increasingly express discontent with the principles of organized religion, even as they maintain a sense of their own spirituality. Why the mass exodus from long-held traditional religious beliefs?
Spiritual teacher and diversity-management expert James O. Rodgers believes the answer lies, at least in part, in misplaced expectations. People assume organized religion will answer spiritual needs while also acting as a source of social, political, and cultural expression. No institution can fulfill all these roles. To find Truth, it's necessary to look beyond the walls of institutional religion and to accept Truth wherever it may be found.
With Epiphany, Rodgers offers a template for your own spiritual journey-a journey that moves toward personal fulfillment by paying attention and actively seeking the Truth. Rodgers shares personal epiphanies that shaped his own thinking and led to his decision to "seek, knock, and ask" for spiritual knowledge.
Epiphany offers a diverse and inclusive examination of personal spirituality and how it relates to cultural and traditional beliefs. This is not a prescription for Truth. It is an invitation to seek your own path.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781503372429
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God In Search of Man
by Abraham Joshua Heschel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Joshua_Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel, long-time friend and Mentor of Martin Luther King Jr., finally became one of the most revered religious leaders of the 20th century. His work was so compelling that standard theologians went from dismissing to praising his brilliance. God in Search of Man (and its companion volume, Man Is Not Alone), two of his most important books, are now classics of modern theology.
God in Search of Man combines scholarship with lucidity, reverence, and compassion as Dr. Heschel discusses not man's search for God but God's for man--the notion of a Chosen People, an idea which, he writes, "signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God." It is an extraordinary description of the nature of Biblical thought, and how that thought becomes faith.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/god-in-search-of-man-a-philosophy-of-judaism/9780374513313
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Exhalation
By Ted Chiang - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Chiang
The story is epistolary in nature, taking the form of a scientist's journal entry. The scientist is a member of a race of air-driven mechanical beings. The race obtains air from swappable lungs filled with pressurized air (argon) from underground. When it is realized that a number of clocks simultaneously appear to be running fast but they do not appear to be malfunctioning, the narrator decides to explore the explanation that people's brains are computing slower.
The scientist dissects their own brain and discovers that it operates based on the movement of air through gold leaves. The scientist hypothesizes that others' brains are computing slower because rising atmospheric pressure causes air to pass through the leaves at a slower rate, and that the subterranean supply of argon will eventually be depleted, equalizing the pressure between the two atmospheres.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/exhalation-stories/9781101947883
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Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds
By Adrienne Maree Brown
http://adriennemareebrown.net/
In the tradition of Octavia Butler, here is radical self-help, society-help, and planet-help to shape the futures we want. Change is constant. The world, our bodies, and our minds are in a constant state of flux. They are a stream of ever-mutating, emergent patterns.
Rather than steel ourselves against such change, Emergent Strategy teaches us to map and assess the swirling structures and to read them as they happen, all the better to shape that which ultimately shapes us, personally and politically.
A resolutely materialist spirituality based equally on science and science fiction: a wild feminist and Afro-Futurist ride!
Adrienne Maree Brown, co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements, is a social justice facilitator, healer, and doula living in Detroit.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/emergent-strategy-shaping-change-changing-worlds/9781849352604
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Bottoming Out The Universe (Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing)
By Richard Grossinger / Foreword by Brian Swimme, Ph.D.
Scientific orthodoxy views the universe as conceived of matter. But, when you keep digging, what is beneath the smallest particles? The scientific worldview doesn’t take into account consciousness or life itself. In this profound exploration, Richard Grossinger offers a wide-ranging foundation for reimagining the universe as based in consciousness rather than matter.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/bottoming-out-the-universe-why-there-is-something-rather-than-nothing/9781620559895
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Our Father Abraham (Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith)
by Marvin R. Wilson
https://www.gordon.edu/marvinwilson
Although the roots of Christianity run deep into Hebrew soil, many Christians are regrettably uninformed about the rich Hebrew heritage of the church. This volume delineates the link between Judaism and Christianity, between the Old and the New Testament, and calls Christians to reexamine their Hebrew roots so as to effect a more authentically biblical lifestyle.
As an introduction to the world of Hebrew thought, Our Father Abraham is biblical, historical, and cultural in nature. At the same time, the writing is personal and passionate, reflecting Marvin Wilson's own spiritual pilgrimage and his extensive dialogue with Jews. The book (1) develops a historical perspective on the Jewish origins of the church, (2) sets forth the importance and nature of Hebrew thought, (3) discusses how the church can become more attuned to the Hebraic mind-set of Scripture, and (4) offers practical suggestions for interaction between Jews and Christians.
The study questions at the end of each chapter enhance the book's usefulness as a text and also make it suitable for Bible-study and discussion groups. All Christians--and Jews too--will profit from Wilson's sensible treatments of biblical texts, his thorough understanding of both the Christian and the Jewish faith, and his honest historical analysis of the general failure of the Christian church to acknowledge and understand its relation to Judaism.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/our-father-abraham-jewish-roots-of-the-christian-faith/9780802804235
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Islam (and The Future of Tolerance)
by Sam Harris & Maajid Nawaz
https://samharris.org/about/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maajid_Nawaz
In this short book, Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz invite you to join an urgently needed conversation: Is Islam a religion of peace or war? Is it amenable to reform? Why do so many Muslims seem drawn to extremism? What do words like Islamism, jihadism, and fundamentalism mean in today’s world?
Remarkable for the breadth and depth of its analysis, this dialogue between a famous atheist and a former radical is all the more startling for its decorum. Harris and Nawaz have produced something genuinely new: they engage one of the most polarizing issues of our time—fearlessly and fully—and actually make progress.
Islam and the Future of Tolerance has been published with the explicit goal of inspiring a wider public discussion by way of example. In a world riven by misunderstanding and violence, Harris and Nawaz demonstrate how two people with very different views can find common ground.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/islam-and-the-future-of-tolerance-a-dialogue/9780674241480
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The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Buddhism
https://www.dalailama.com/the-dalai-lama/biography-and-daily-life/brief-biography
"The essence of all spiritual life is your attitude to others." —His Holiness the Dalai Lama
With clarity and candor, the Dalai Lama expounds on the core teachings of Buddhism. Fusing ancient wisdom with a modern sensibility, he gently encourages each of us to embrace lives of love and compassion; to embrace individual responsibility.
His pithy reflections encourage us to rid ourselves of preoccupation with the ephemera of daily life and to find refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Inspiring, provocative, and thoughtful, this slim volume will be read and treasured for years to come.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-dalai-lama-s-little-book-of-inner-peace-the-essential-life-and-teachings/9781571747297
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Man's Search For Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl
A book for finding purpose and strength in times of great despair, the international best-seller is still just as relevant today as when it was first published.
“This is a book I reread a lot . . . it gives me hope . . . it gives me a sense of strength.”
—Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360/CNN
Man's Search for Meaning is more relevant than ever, Viktor Frank's message provides hope even in the darkest of times. It has sold more than 16 million copies in fifty languages. A reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-9780807014271/9780807014271
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The Power of NOW
by Eckhart Tolle
https://www.eckharttolle.com/about/
Much more than simple principles and platitudes, The Power of Now takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light. In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present.
The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, "the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death." Only after regaining awareness of Being, liberated from Mind and intensely in the Now, is there Enlightenment.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-power-of-now-a-guide-to-spiritual-enlightenment-9781577311522/9781577314806
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The God of Israel and Christian Theology
by R. Kendall Soulen
https://candler.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/soulen-r-kendall.html
With acknowledgment that Christian theology contributed to the persecution and genocide of Jews comes a dilemma: how to excise the cancer without killing the patient? Christian Theologian and Biblical Scholar, R. Kendall Soulen, shows how important Christian assertions-the uniqueness of Jesus, the Christian covenant, the finality of salvation in Christ - have been formulated in destructive, supersessionist ways not only in the classical period (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus) and early modernity (Kant and Schleiermacher) but even contemporary theology (Barth and Rahner).
Along with this first full-scale critique of Christian Supersessionism (Replacement Theology), Soulen's own constructive proposal regroups the narrative unity of Christian identity and the Canon through an original and important insight into the divine-human covenant, the election of Israel, and the meaning of history.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/god-of-israel-and-christian-theology/9780800628833
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Jesus - The Explosive Story of the 30 Lost Years and the Ancient Mystery Religions
by Tricia McCannon
http://www.triciamccannon.com/about-the-founder/
Where was Jesus for the first thirty years of his life? Where and what was he taught? Who were his teachers?
This fascinating volume offers startling new evidence culled from hard-to-find Vatican texts, theosophical classics, legends and hermetic symbolism to construct radical new picture of Jesus and his times. McCannon postulates that Jesus spent at least seven years in Egypt, a number of years in England, and visited both India and Tibet before beginning his public ministry in Palestine.
This is a wide-ranging examination of the direct links and similarities between Jesus' teachings and the teachings of various mystery religions and sects that were popular during his lifetime, including the Essenes, Buddhists, and Druids. McCannon offers compelling evidence that places Jesus' life and mission firmly in the context of the deeper spiritual teachings that came before him.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/jesus-the-explosive-story-of-the-thirty-lost-years-and-the-ancient-mystery-religions/9781571746078
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Mutual Rescue (How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too)
by Carol Novello
https://mutualrescue.org/about/team/
MUTUAL RESCUE profiles the transformational impact that shelter pets have on humans, exploring the emotional, physical, and spiritual gifts that rescued animals provide. It explores through anecdote, observation, and scientific research, the complexity and depth of the role that pets play in our lives. Every story in the book brings an unrecognized benefit of adopting homeless animals to the forefront of the rescue conversation.
In a nation plagued by illnesses--16 million adults suffer from depression, 29 million have diabetes, 8 million in any given year have PTSD, and nearly 40% are obese--rescue pets can help: 60% of doctors said they prescribe pet adoption and a staggering 97% believe that pet ownership provides health benefits. For people in chronic emotional, physical, or spiritual pain, adopting an animal can transform, and even save, their lives.
Each story in the book takes a deep dive into one potent aspect of animal adoption, told through the lens of people's personal experiences with their rescued pets and the science that backs up the results. This book will resonate with readers hungering for stories of healing and redemption.
Buy here - Print: https://bookshop.org/books/mutual-rescue-how-adopting-a-homeless-animal-can-save-you-too/9781538713549
Buy here - Audiobook: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781549175275-mutual-rescue
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Perfectly Clear
by Michelle LeClair
https://www.michelleleclair.com/author
The revelatory memoir by former "poster girl for Scientology" Michelle LeClair about her defection from the Church, her newly accepted sexual identity, and the lengths to which Scientology went to silence it.
For years, Michelle LeClair, former President of Scientology's international humanitarian organization, tried to reconcile her sexual orientation with the anti-gay ideology of the church. Michelle finally ends her horrific marriage, finds the love of her life, a woman, and ultimately leaves the Church. But the split comes at a terrible price. Her once pristine reputation is publicly dragged through the mud, the police raid her home, her ex-husband tries to gain full custody of their children, and the multi-million dollar business she built from scratch is utterly destroyed.
In this tell-all memoir, Michelle offers an insider's perspective on Scientology's pervasive influence, secret rituals, and ruthless practices for keeping members in line. It's a story of self-acceptance, of finding the strength and courage to stand up for your emotional freedom, and of love prevailing.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/perfectly-clear-escaping-scientology-and-fighting-for-the-woman-i-love/9781101991169
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Southern Discomfort (A Memoir)
by Tena Clark
https://www.tenaclark.com/author
For fans of beloved memoirs like Educated and The Glass Castle, a “raw and deeply honest” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) true story set in rural Mississippi during the Civil Rights era about a white girl coming of age in a repressive society and the woman who gave her the strength to forge her own path—the black nanny who cared for her.
In her memoir that is a “story of love and fury” (Jackson Clarion-Ledger), Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Tena Clark recounts her chaotic childhood in a time fraught with racial and social tension. Combining the spirit of brave coming-of-age memoirs such as The Glass Castle and vivid, evocative Southern fiction like To Kill a Mockingbird, Southern Discomfort is “an unforgettable southern story… [that] sings brightly to the incredible strength of family ties and the great power of love” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) and is destined to become a new classic.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/southern-discomfort-a-memoir-9781508264101/9781501167959
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Misquoting Jesus (The Story Behind Who Changed The Bible and Why)
by Bart D. Ehrman
https://www.bartdehrman.com/barts-biography/
For almost 1,500 years, the New Testament manuscripts were copied by hand and mistakes and intentional changes abound in the competing manuscript versions. Religious and biblical scholar Bart Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself are the results of both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes.
In this compelling and fascinating book, Ehrman shows where and why changes were made in our earliest surviving manuscripts, explaining for the first time how the many variations of our cherished biblical stories came to be, and why only certain versions of the stories qualify for publication in the Bibles we read today. Ehrman frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultra-conservative views of the Bible.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/books/misquoting-jesus-the-story-behind-who-changed-the-bible-and-why/9780060859510
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The Way of Zen
by Alan Watts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts
In his definitive introduction to Zen Buddhism, Alan Watts explains the principles and practices of this ancient religion to Western readers. With a rare combination of freshness and lucidity, he delves into the origins and history of Zen to explain what it means for the world today with incredible clarity. Watts saw Zen as “one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world,” and in The Way of Zen he gives this gift to readers everywhere.
Buy here: https://bookshop.org/a/45/9780375705106
Other Recommendations:
From Marie Nygren:
1. Talking to Strangers - Malcolm Gladwell: https://bookshop.org/books/talking-to-strangers-what-we-should-know-about-the-people-we-don-t-know/9780316478526
2. Our Wild Calling - Richard Louv: https://bookshop.org/books/our-wild-calling-how-connecting-with-animals-can-transform-our-lives-and-save-theirs-9781616205607/9781616205607
3. Becoming Supernatural - Joe Dispenza: https://bookshop.org/books/becoming-supernatural-how-common-people-are-doing-the-uncommon/9781401953119\
4. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng: https://bookshop.org/books/little-fires-everywhere/9780735224315
5. The Dutch House - Ann Patchett: https://bookshop.org/books/the-dutch-house/9780062963673
6. City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert: https://bookshop.org/books/city-of-girls/9781594634741
7. American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins: https://bookshop.org/books/american-dirt-oprah-s-book-club/9781250209764
From Mary Stein:
1. Creating Your Life by Robert Fritz: https://bookshop.org/books/creating-9780449908013/9780449908013
2. The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz: https://bookshop.org/books/path-of-least-resistance-learning-to-become-the-creative-force-in-your-own-life-rev/9780449903377
3. Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by Adrienne Maree Brown: https://bookshop.org/books/pleasure-activism-the-politics-of-feeling-good/9781849353267
From Adrienne Anbinder:
1. Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle - on animals and being present https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781608681198
2. The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781476755403
3. Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chodron https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781611805956
4. When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781611803433
5. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781878424310
6. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho https://bookshop.org/a/45/9780062315007
7. The Way of the Wizard by Deepak Chopra (Out of print, only available on secondhand market)
8. The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo https://bookshop.org/a/45/9781590035009
9. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Great novel about a Baptist minister and his daughters) https://bookshop.org/a/45/9780060786502
From Dr. Phillip James Tabb:
1. The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade:
https://bookshop.org/books/the-sacred-and-profane/9780156792011
2. The Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto:
https://bookshop.org/books/the-idea-of-the-holy-an-inquiry-into-the-non-rational-factor-in-the-idea-of-the-divine-and-its-relation-to-the-rational-9781979430784/9781979430784
3. The Idea of the Numinous:
https://bookshop.org/books/the-idea-of-the-numinous-contemporary-jungian-and-psychoanalytic-perspectives/9781583917848
4. Landscapes of the Sacred by Belden C. Lane:
https://bookshop.org/books/landscapes-of-the-sacred-geography-and-narrative-in-american-spirituality/9780801868382
5. Sacred Geometry by Robert Lawlor:
https://bookshop.org/books/sacred-geometry-philosophy-and-practice/9780500810309
The Spirit of Our Community
Only Trust What Produce Love
