The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

Jen hosts a freewheeling conversation with Chris and Joel about their collective reading habits in 2021, how they identify books for "lists" like this, and of course, which titles rose to the top as their favorite reading experiences in 2021. A host of various ERB contributors also chime in with their favorites of the year.

Books and Writing Mentioned:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Means of Grace: A Year of Weekly Devotions by Fleming Rutledge
• Lifting the Veil: Imagination and the Kingdom of God by Malcolm Guite
• How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery by Clint Smith
• The First Nations Version of the New Testament
• The Congregation in a Secular Age: Keeping Sacred Time Against the Speed of Modern Life by Andrew Root
• Joel's Review of 'The Congregation in a Secular Age' for ERB
• Subversive Witness: Scripture's Call to Leverage Privilege by Dominique Dubois Gilliard
• White Picket Fences: Turning Toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege by Amy Julia Becker
• Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness and Gentle Discipleship by John Swinton
• On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss
• Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren
• Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore
• The Last Graduate: A Novel by Naomi Novik
• The Memory of Babel: Book Three of the Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr
• The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design by Ronald Numbers
• One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin Kruse
• Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? by John Fea
• Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
• Carved in Ebony: Lessons From the Black Women Who Shape Us by by Jasmine Holmes
• The Hare With Amber Eyes: An Inheritance by Edmund De Waal
• Letters to Camondo by Edmund De Waal
• Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal by George Packer
• Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger
• Great Circle: A Novel by Maggie Shipstead
• Light Perpetual: A Novel by Francis Spufford
• Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense by Francis Spufford
• Leadership, God's Agency and Disruptions: Confronting Modernity's Wager by Mark Lau Branson and Alan Roxburgh
• Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle by Dante Stewart
• Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
• I Am, I Am, I Am : Seventeen Brushes With Death by Maggie O'Farrell
• A Year of Reading by John Wilson (For First Things Magazine)
• The Hermits of Big Sur by Paula Huston
• A Line of Driftwood: The Ada Blackjack Story by Diane Glancy
• The Everlasting People: G.K. Chesterton and the First Nations by Matthew Milliner
• Book Notes Newsletter (from Hearts and Minds Bookstore)

Chris sits in the host chair again for a conversation all about Willie Jenning's commentary on Acts. He is joined by two first-time guests who are pastors that have found Jenning's commentary particularly helpful in their local church work. They discuss what it is about Jenning's approach that is so innovative and helpful, and especially why this is a timely commentary for a post-covid church.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:
If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Willie James Jennings
• The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race by Willie James Jennings
• Man Enough: How Jesus Redefines Manhood by Nate Pyle
• Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
• Leadership, God's Agency and Disruptions: Confronting Modernity's Wager by Mark Lau Branson and Alan J. Roxburgh
• Families at the Crossroads: Beyond Tradition and Modern Options by Rodney Clapp
• A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society by Rodney Clapp

Chris sits in the host chair to speak with two outstanding first-time podcast guests: Andy Root and John Swinton. They have a sharp and philosophically-informed discussion on our experience of time, modernity, and the social concepts of "acceleration" and "resonance."

John Swinton is professor of theology at the University of Aberdeen, and author of numerous books. Some listeners may remember that we ran an interview last year with John about his book, Finding Jesus in the Storm: The spiritual lives of people with mental health challenges. However, today’s conversation will highlight an earlier book of John’s: Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship.

Andrew Root is professor at Luther Seminary, and author of, among other books, The Congregation in a Secular Age: Keeping Sacred Time against the Speed of Modern Life, the third and final book in his Ministry in a Secular Age series, which engages Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age, exploring what Taylor’s work might mean for our life together in the church.

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Becoming Friends of Time: Discipleship, Timefullness & Gentle Discipleship by John Swinton
• Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges by John Swinton
• The Congregation in a Secular Age: Keeping Sacred Time Against the Speed of Modern Life by Andy Root
• A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
• A Geography of Time: The Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist by Robert Levine
• Alienation and Acceleration: Towards a Critical Theory of Late-Modern Temporality by Hartmut Rosa
• Social Acceleration: A New Theory of Modernity by Hartmut Rosa
• The Uncontrollability of the World by Hartmut Rosa & James Wagner
• Three Mile and Hour God by Kosuke Koyama
• The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor by Arthur Kleinman
• The Complete Mystical Words of Meister Eckhart

Joel takes the host seat again for a "round-up" conversation with Chris Smith and John Wilson for a freewheeling conversation about recent ERB content, intriguing upcoming book releases, and of course lots of discussion about what we are current reading!

Books & Content Mentioned:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• ERB Review of "How to Have an Enemy" by Justin Cober-Lake
• ERB Podcast episode #33 (On writing book reviews)
• The Hermits of Big Sur by Paula Huston
• The Everlasting People: G.K. Chesterton and the First Nations by Matthew Milliner
• The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry Strauss
• The Fruit Thief: Or, One Way Into the Interior: A Novel by Peter Handke
• The FSG Poetry Anthology edited by Jonathan Galassi and Robyn Creswell
• The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty and Community by Curt Thompson
• The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson
• Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam
• The Loneliness Epidemic: Why So Many of Us Feel Alone - And How Leaders Can Respond by Susan Mettes
• Lake Drive Books
• Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith by Daniel Silliman
• Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle by Dante Stewart
• The Nature of Economies by Jane Jacobs
• Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus
• When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep by Antonia Zadra
• When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan
• It's a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn
• Pilgrim's Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Second Sleep by Robert Harris
  
  

Joel takes over the podcast for an episode focused on writing book reviews! He is joined by repeat podcast guest John Wilson and first-time guest Tamara Hill Murphy for a discussion of the form of the book review, the tensions involved in writing reviews, and of course what they are currently reading.

John Wilson was the founding editor of Books & Culture (1995–2016). He is Contributing Editor for the Englewood Review of Books. He frequently writes a column every other week for First Things, and his reviews and essays have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, Commonweal, The Christian Century, Triangle, National Review, The American Conservative, Weekly Standard, and The Boston Globe. He was the editor of five volumes in the Best Christian Writing series. He and his wife, Wendy, live in Wheaton, Illinois, where they are members of Faith Evangelical Covenant Church.

Tamara Hill Murphy lives with her husband Brian, an Anglican priest, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her writing has appeared in Plough, Think Christian, and The Englewood Review of Books. She is a Spiritual Director and Selah fellow with Leadership Transformations and is currently learning how to parent her four adult children. Find her at www.tamarahillmurphy.com

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• "The Freedom of the Book Review" by David Kern (Forma Journal)
• "Book Tour: A Leap Into the World of Another Mind" by Phil Christman (Plough)
• Talk to Me: A Novel by T.C. Boyle
• Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish by C. Christopher Smith
• About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks by David Rooney
• A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century by by Witold Rybczynski
• At The Still Point: A Literary Guide to Prayer in Ordinary Time by Sarah Arthur
• Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James
• Hum if You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
• Naming Neoliberalism: Exposing the Spirit of Our Age by Rodney Clapp
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Jen is joined by two great first-time guests to discuss the current evangelical reckoning with destructive spiritual leadership, narcissism, humility, and of course lots of books on the subject!

Hannah Anderson lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she spends her days  writing and reading and caring for her family.  She is the author of multiple books, including All That’s Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment and Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul. Hannah is also the co-host of the Persuasion Podcast. You can follow Hannah on Twitter @sometimesalight.

Chuck DeGroat is Professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. His academic specialization is in the intersection of psychology and the Bible, and he co-founded the Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco where he continues to serve as Senior Fellow. His book, When Narcissism Comes to Church, was published with IVP in 2020. You can follow Chuck on Twitter @chuckdegroat. 

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson
• Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes You by Hannah Anderson
• When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse by Chuck DeGroat
• The Gravity of Sin: Augustine, Luther and Barth on 'homo incurvatus in se' by Matt Jenson
• Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church by Diane Langberg
• Something's Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse - And Freeing Yourself From Its Power by Wade Mullen
• A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing by Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer
• The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse by David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen
• Humility: Wellspring of Virtue by Dietrich von Hildebrand
• Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power by Andy Crouch
• Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life by Henri Nouwen
• The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom and Silence by Henri Nouwen
• In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen
• Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
• Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience by Sheila Wise Rowe
• Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation by Janina Fisher
• Glittering Images: A Novel by Susan Howatch

The ERB Podcast is back after our summer reprieve! Jen is joined by returning guest Ashley Hales, and first-time guest Nathan Oates, to discuss the ways their writing interacts with the themes of stability, limits, and the work of ministry in our current cultural climate.

Ashley Hales is the author of two books. Her first book, Finding Holy in the Suburbs, released in 2018. Her second book, A Spacious Life: Trading Hustle and Hurry for the Goodness of Limits, releases on September 14, 2021. Ashley has a PhD in English from the University of Edinburgh. She is a pastor’s wife and mother of four as well as host of the Finding Holy podcast.

Nathan Oates writes, speaks, and serves as lead pastor of Emmaus Church Community. For more than a decade, Nathan has been captivated by the Rule of St. Benedict, and this curiosity and life practice informed his book also releasing in September. That book is titled, Stability: How an ancient monastic practice can restore our relationships, churches and communities. Nathan holds a masters degree in spiritual formation from Wheaton College and lives in Northern California with his wife, three children, and a dog named True.

Books Mentioned in this episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Finding Holy in the Suburbs: Living Faithfully in the Land of Too Much by Ashley Hales
• A Spacious Life: Trading Hustle and Hurry for the Goodness of Limits by Ashley Hales
• Stability: How and Ancient Monastic Practice Can Restore Our Relationships, Churches and Communities by Nathan Oates
• Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal
• The Rule of St. Benedict
• Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus by C. Christopher Smith and John Pattison
• Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-Earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Holly Ordway
• Faustian Economics (Essay) by Wendell Berry
• Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good by Steven Garber
• The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work by Steven Garber
• The Pastor: A Memoir by Eugene Peterson
• The Sign of Jonas by Thomas Merton
• Wayward:  A Novel by Dana Spiotta
• Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley
• Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair by Duke Kwon and Greg Thompson
• Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris
• Still Life by Louise Penny
• The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni by Nikki Giovanni
• A Secular Age by Charles Taylor
• The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions by Arthur Bennett

Jen is joined by 3 great first-time guests for a lively and wide-ranging conversation. In this episode (part 2), they continue their conversation about ongoing projects, as well as talk about their reactions to Diana's newest work, "Freeing Jesus."

Diana Butler Bass is an award-winning author, popular speaker, and inspiring preacher. She holds a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University. Her most recent book is Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence. Diana and her husband live in Alexandria, Virginia, with their dog and their sometimes-successful backyard garden.

David Dark serves as Assistant Professor of Religion and the Arts in the College of Theology at Belmont University. He is the author of several book including “Life’s Too Short To Pretend You’re Not Religious” and “The Sacredness of Questioning Everything.” His work has appeared in MTV News, Books & Culture, Pitchfork, and the Oxford American. He lives with his singer-songwriter wife, Sarah Masen, and their three children in Nashville.

Cathleen Falsani is an award-winning religion journalist, photojournalist, and author of several nonfiction books including the critically acclaimed The God Factor. She was co-editor of and a contributing author to Disquiet Time: Rants and Reflections on the Good Book by the Skeptical, the Faithful and a Few Scoundrels and most recently was co-general editor of and contributing author to The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the World. Cathleen is the co-host of the Artist Care and Feeding podcast, and she lives with her family in Laguna Beach, CA.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron
• Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World by Harold S. Kushner
• How Not to Be Afraid: Seven Ways to Live When Everything Seems Terrifying by Gareth Higgins
• California: A History by Kevin Starr
• Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening by Diana Butler Bass
• The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality and Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe by Richard Rohr
• Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr
• Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence by Diana Butler Bass

**This is the corrected version of episode 29. There was a technical glitch with the episode that was originally uploaded on 6/21 which left most of the episode blank. Please listen to this episode instead. We apologize for the confusion!**

Jen is joined by 3 great first-time guests for a lively and wide-ranging conversation. In this episode (part 1), they talk about reading during the Covid-year and what they are currently reading, researching, and working on.

Diana Butler Bass is an award-winning author, popular speaker, and inspiring preacher. She holds a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University. Her most recent book is Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence. Diana and her husband live in Alexandria, Virginia, with their dog and their sometimes-successful backyard garden.

David Dark serves as Assistant Professor of Religion and the Arts in the College of Theology at Belmont University. He is the author of several book including “Life’s Too Short To Pretend You’re Not Religious” and “The Sacredness of Questioning Everything.” His work has appeared in MTV News, Books & Culture, Pitchfork, and the Oxford American. He lives with his singer-songwriter wife, Sarah Masen, and their three children in Nashville.

Cathleen Falsani is an award-winning religion journalist, photojournalist, and author of several nonfiction books including the critically acclaimed The God Factor. She was co-editor of and a contributing author to Disquiet Time: Rants and Reflections on the Good Book by the Skeptical, the Faithful and a Few Scoundrels and most recently was co-general editor of and contributing author to The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the World. Cathleen is the co-host of the Artist Care and Feeding podcast, and she lives with her family in Laguna Beach, CA.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger)

• Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence by Diana Butler Bass
• Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious by David Dark
• The Sacredness of Questioning Everything by David Dark
• The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People by Cathleen Falsani
• Disquiet Time: Rants and Reflections on the Good Book by the Skeptical, the Faithful and a Few Scoundrels by Jennifer Grant & Cathleen Falsani
• The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the World by Cathleen Falsani
• Outlove: a Queer Christian Survival Story by Julie Rodgers
• Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life and Finally Came Home by Leah Lax
• Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets by Lindsey Krinks
• Tidelands: A Novel by Philippa Gregory
• The Gospel According to America: A Meditation on a God-Blessed, Christ-Haunted Idea by David Dark
• The Possibility of America: How the Gospel Can Mend Our God-Blessed, God-Forsaken Land by David Dark
• (Forthcoming, Working Title) Explain All These Controls: U2 and the Inner America by David Dark

Jen is joined by 3 great first-time guests for a lively and wide-ranging conversation. In this episode (part 1), they talk about reading during the Covid-year and what they are currently reading, researching, and working on.

Diana Butler Bass is an award-winning author, popular speaker, and inspiring preacher. She holds a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University. Her most recent book is Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence. Diana and her husband live in Alexandria, Virginia, with their dog and their sometimes-successful backyard garden.

David Dark serves as Assistant Professor of Religion and the Arts in the College of Theology at Belmont University. He is the author of several book including “Life’s Too Short To Pretend You’re Not Religious” and “The Sacredness of Questioning Everything.” His work has appeared in MTV News, Books & Culture, Pitchfork, and the Oxford American. He lives with his singer-songwriter wife, Sarah Masen, and their three children in Nashville.

Cathleen Falsani is an award-winning religion journalist, photojournalist, and author of several nonfiction books including the critically acclaimed The God Factor. She was co-editor of and a contributing author to Disquiet Time: Rants and Reflections on the Good Book by the Skeptical, the Faithful and a Few Scoundrels and most recently was co-general editor of and contributing author to The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the World. Cathleen is the co-host of the Artist Care and Feeding podcast, and she lives with her family in Laguna Beach, CA.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger)

• Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way and Presence by Diana Butler Bass
• Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious by David Dark
• The Sacredness of Questioning Everything by David Dark
• The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People by Cathleen Falsani
• Disquiet Time: Rants and Reflections on the Good Book by the Skeptical, the Faithful and a Few Scoundrels by Jennifer Grant & Cathleen Falsani
• The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the World by Cathleen Falsani
• Outlove: a Queer Christian Survival Story by Julie Rodgers
• Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life and Finally Came Home by Leah Lax
• Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets by Lindsey Krinks
• Tidelands: A Novel by Philippa Gregory
• The Gospel According to America: A Meditation on a God-Blessed, Christ-Haunted Idea by David Dark
• The Possibility of America: How the Gospel Can Mend Our God-Blessed, God-Forsaken Land by David Dark
• (Forthcoming, Working Title) Explain All These Controls: U2 and the Inner America by David Dark