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Spirituality and Religion January 2026 |
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| Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging by Angela BuchdahlBorn to a Korean Buddhist mother and Jewish father, Angela Buchdahl shares her remarkable journey from outsider to one of America’s most influential rabbis. Both memoir and spiritual guide, this inspiring account explores identity, resilience, and the power of faith to create belonging in a fractured world.
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| There Is No Other: The Way to Harmony and Wholeness by Ram Dass; edited by Parvati Markus Drawn from Ram Dass’s final teachings, this guide urges readers to move beyond division and rediscover unity. Through reflections, meditations, and wisdom from leading voices, it offers hope and practical steps for living with compassion and wholeness, serving as a timely resource for those craving connection. |
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The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited about Your Eternal Home
by David Jeremiah
If we are honest, the phrase on earth as it is in heaven seems more like a pipedream than a powerful prayer. In fact, when we think of heaven, we don't even know what to hope for or don't see how it impacts our day-to-day life. But what if the reality of heaven has the power to change everything in the here and now?
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| Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth by Amy Duggar KingAmy Duggar King pulls back the curtain on life inside the Duggar family, sharing her journey from “Crazy Cousin Amy” to outspoken advocate for truth and healing. Raw and unfiltered, this memoir confronts toxic cycles and celebrates the courage it takes to break free and reclaim faith. |
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The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) about Scripture's Most Controversial Issues
by Dan McClellan
Bible scholar and popular TikToker Dan McClellan confronts misconceptions about the Bible. The Bible is the world's most influential book, but do we really know what it says? Every day across social media and in homes, businesses, and public spaces, people try to cut debate short by claiming that 'the Bible says so!' However, they commonly disagree about what it actually does and doesn't say, particularly when it comes to socially significant issues. For instance, does the Bible say we should be on the lookout for an antichrist associated with the number 666? Does it say women shouldn't wear revealing clothing? Does it say it's okay to hit your kids? In The Bible Says So, Dan McClellan leverages his popular 'data over dogma' approach, and his years of experience in the academy and on social media, to lay out in clear and accessible ways what the data indicate the Bible does and doesn't say about issues ranging from homosexuality, abortion, and slavery to monotheism, inspiration, and even God's wife.
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On Fire for God: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right - A Personal History
by Josiah Hesse
Exvangelical journalist Josiah Hesse grew up in the stifling working-class town of Mason City, Iowa, raised in the institutions of fundamentalist Christianity: a toxic mixture of schools, ministries, and religious camps that taught creationism, instilled sexual shame, and foretold horrific tales of the rapture. In the churches where he worshipped, pastors siphoned their flocks' wealth while preaching a doctrine of prosperity. Meanwhile, as economic struggles grew in the community, Hesse's fellow believers lambasted organized labor and shunned the social safety net, becoming an army for God against the evils of progressivism. Only upon escaping Iowa in search of something more would he consider the possibility that the world wasn't about to end and that he was woefully unprepared for a future he'd never believed would arrive. Written in vivid prose, On Fire for God is both an unflinching memoir of religious trauma and survival and a stirring examination of the emotional, political, and sociological effects of the Christian right. Returning to his hometown in search of answers about his upbringing and the political forces at work in the region, Hesse calls into question prevailing theories about the disappearing working class that point to opioids, automation, or globalism as the culprits. His story of awakening and escape exposes how conservative Christian con men have, over generations, trapped working-class believers in an isolated bubble of racism, xenophobia, and self-imposed martyrdom, while stripping communities like his of their wealth and self-esteem. In On Fire for God, Hesse plumbs the depths of his own experience to illuminate, with deep feeling and piercing immediacy, what he describes as the socioeconomic tragedy of the American working class.
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The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us
by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
Deeply revealing and insightful, and decades in the making, The Mattering Instinct is a must read for those curious about why we seek to matter to ourselves and others--and how this insatiable longing that drives us apart may be the key to finally understanding each other
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An Enchanted World: The Shared Religious Landscape of Late Antiquity
by Michael L. Satlow
Uncovering the vibrant spiritual life of Late Antiquity In Late Antiquity (ca. 200-600 CE), the world was alive with unseen forces--divine agents who influenced every aspect of daily life. For most ordinary people, religion was not found in temples, synagogues, and churches, but in lived experience as they interacted with the supernatural in a world of uncertainty and danger. In An Enchanted World, Michael Satlow uncovers a shared spiritual landscape that stretched beyond the confines of Judaism, Christianity, and the pantheon of Greek and Roman deities. From healing rituals to protective amulets, spiritual practices were a matter of necessity, transcending religious labels. To get by in the world required being on good terms with the right supernatural beings and being able to ward off the bad ones. Rejecting traditional narratives that focus on institutional religion and theological divisions, Satlow presents a compelling case for viewing the period through the lens of lived religion. This was not a religion of abstractions formulated by rabbis and priests, but an enchanted world populated by divine beings who had as much--if not more--agency as any person. Drawing on archaeological evidence, historical documents, and a rich trove of magical texts, Satlow vividly reconstructs how ordinary people lived in a world that crackled with the energy of the supernatural. His account reimagines the spiritual history of Late Antiquity, centering shared human fears and aspirations and challenging preconceived notions about religious boundaries. With An Enchanted World, Satlow offers a fresh perspective on a transformative period--one that has much to teach us even today about the role that spirituality can play in the secular world.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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