TL;DR: I read a lot of books, including far more than I have time to feature individually on the podcast or Substack. So I’m experimenting with a monthly book roundup: a quick look at what I’m currently reading, what I’ve recently finished, and a few ideas from those books that have stuck with me.
I like to read books—like, a lot. And I read fast.
By my own calculations, this year I’m on pace for a book every 3.5 days.
Obviously, there’s no way I can feature every author I read on the podcast. And now I’m finding that even with some of the other books I read, I just don’t have the bandwidth to publish a stand-alone Substack blog for each one.
So, I’m going to maybe start doing a monthly book roundup.
This will still enable me to write more about books that I find particularly thought-provoking—like Bonnie Kristian’s In Defense of Evangelicalism—while also highlighting other books I’ve read that are worth mentioning.
So, here’s what I’m reading—and thinking about—right now.
What I’m Reading Right Now
Work, Pray, Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley by Carolyn Chen
This is a VERY interesting book so far, and I’m hoping to get Chen on the podcast.
I’m about a third of the way into the book, and right now what I’m finding fascinating is that Chen’s findings mirror much of what I’ve heard and seen elsewhere from sociologists like Christian Smith and Ryan Burge (both of whom I’ve had on the podcast).
As Smith especially notes, religion has not faded per se; it’s just been replaced by different things. Chen argues that work, especially in Silicon Valley, has become a religion of sorts, offering many of the same things humans get from religion: meaning, purpose, and something bigger than themselves that offers a measure of transcendence.
An early takeaway for me is this: religion is as much a practice as it is a set of beliefs.
What’s interesting is that the reasons people left their religion after moving to Silicon Valley for work seem to be many of the same reasons people leave religion more generally.
Martha Tatarnic did an interview a couple of years ago with Michael Graham, co-author of The Great Dechurching, and he made the point that life disruptions—new jobs, moving to a new place, and so on—take people out of church attendance more often than shifting beliefs.
The regular habit or practice of participating in religious life is, in my opinion—and in my reading of this book so far—deeply formative in helping people retain their faith.
What I’ve Just Read
Raising Gen Alpha by Dave Boden
I don’t know Dave Boden well, but I’ve also had him on the podcast. As a ministry leader in the UK working with young adults, I’m always interested in what he has to say because I think, in many ways, he’s working in the midst of a cultural context toward which we are likely headed ourselves in America.
His book isn’t groundbreaking, but he certainly has some thoughts worth highlighting here:
“The local church can offer something radically different to a generation of screenagers: a place where identity is shaped by belonging and purpose in Christ (133).”
And more:
“the church must resist being swept up in the very same things social media sells—platform, fame, image, and performance (133).”
Boden seems to share the same takeaway I had from reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.
Taking away screens isn’t enough. Young people need purpose and belonging.
Right now, they’re finding a very thin form of that online, but they desperately want something deeper.
It’s worth checking out.
Sustainable Ministry: How to Lead and When to Nap by Margaret Marcuson
Marcuson’s book is grounded in Family Systems Theory, or Bowen Theory as some call it.
For anyone familiar with FST, nothing here will be groundbreaking, but I always find reminders helpful. Plus, Marcuson wonders, as I have also felt in recent years, “I think of Edwin Friedman’s frequent question, “‘Why are the least mature calling the shots?’” (24).
To this maturity piece, Marcuson offers this sage advice:
”You can’t spend extended time with everyone in your congregation, unless you serve a very small congregation. You have to make choices… I recommend you spend more time with the most mature in your congregation (23).”
This is SUCH a countercultural thought, and one I’m thankful to hear because I’ve often felt similarly but haven’t been able to articulate exactly why.
Countless times I’ve heard clergy talk about the time-suck of one or two people in the church who are always stopping by in need of counseling and support. And because clergy want to help people, they are often ready and willing to do so.
Marcuson’s point isn’t that helping is bad or that pastors shouldn’t offer pastoral care in times of crisis. Rather, in order to grow an organization in health and vitality, a pastor also needs to invest in its most mature and healthy leaders.
And, as Friedman himself would say, I think, constantly bailing out immature or needy people isn’t teaching them resilience or self-sufficiency in the long run; it can simply make them dependent on you.
You can never grow your church or expand your ministry if one or two people are dependent on you for their functioning. At minimum, investing in healthy and mature leaders develops other people who can help care for those in need.
Also, Marcuson’s book references Future Christian co-host and ministry friend Martha Tatarnic!!
Church Together by Traci Smith and Dave Csinos
Finally, Church Together is more of an individual “recipe” book than anything else, full of practical ideas for intergenerational activities in church.
Nothing life-changing, but it’s full of ideas that some pastors and church leaders—especially those in smaller churches—might find helpful.
And Coming Soon on the Podcast…
If you’re not doing so already, please subscribe to the Future Christian podcast for feature-length conversations with authors and church leaders.
I have interviews scheduled with Bonnie Kristian, Chuck DeGroat, and Jessie Cruickshank—all authors of books I’ve just read and recommend too.
And given how many books I apparently insist on reading, I’ll probably be back with another roundup next month.
You do read a lot! And what a great monthly round-up!