Hello friends,
The OSC Book Club will start up again in September and we want your help picking our next round of selections! This year, we have some exciting new plans for the Book Club:
Meet the Author! This year’s Book Club sessions will include the authors live on Zoom! This means you will have the opportunity to meet the authors and discuss their book with them.
Listen/Watch on OSC “Collective Table” Podcast: This year’s sessions will be recorded on distributed through our podcast, “The Collective Table” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube. This means you will be able to catch up on any sessions you might have missed.
Pick Your Top 5 Choices Below
Use the poll below to select your 5 favorite titles from the list of 12 options. The Book Club will meet the first Thursday night of the month from September through December and February through May, so we need to choose 8 books to read and discuss together. Scroll down past the poll below to see the full book descriptions. (Please note: final selections will be based on congregational interest and author availability.)
Book Links & Descriptions
Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming by Peter Enns (2023)
Life throws us “curve balls”—from devastating personal losses to world tragedies. These events often leave us doubting God, the Bible, and our faith. But instead of pushing away our reservations, we should embrace them, Peter Enns argues. A leading biblical scholar and Christian mentor, Enns has never been afraid to question the Bible or Christian beliefs. Such thoughtful inquisitiveness, he argues, is part of God’s plan. He wants us to question, because doing so actually leads to a stronger, lasting faith. By reframing how we see these events, we allow ourselves to see how the Bible itself showcases this very process and that “treating curve balls as the enemy” is not only counterproductive but thwarts God’s goal of helping us become mature and wise. Enns shares a number of curve balls he’s encountered in his own life and the questions he has pondered. Does God care about the millions of people who never heard the gospel? Could I relate to a God who has created a universe this big? If God is so relatable, constant, and caring, how do we explain quantum physics? He reveals how particular biblical passages have helped him find wisdom, and how they can do the same for us. As Curveball persuasively shows, God is bigger and more mysterious than anyone’s expectations. We need a faith that can grow just as deeply.
Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices For An Evolving Faith by Sarah Bessey (2024)
It’s hard to leave a faith that has raised us. Maybe it’s even harder to stay. But what can feel impossible is living in the tension. Living with a faith that evolves. Sarah Bessey is an expert at faithfully stumbling forward. As a New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Evolving Faith,the foremost community for progressive Christians, she has been trusted by thousands of people to pursue a reconstruction of faith centered on compassion, truth, and inclusion. Bessey has found a deeply underserved and underestimated remnant in the wilderness of Christianity who are still devoted to Jesus, deeply rooted in the Gospel, fascinated with Scripture, and committed to reimagining their faith. In this groundbreaking and nurturing book, Bessey becomes a shepherd for our curiosity, giving us a table for our questions, tools to cultivate what we crave, and a blessing for what was—even as we leave it behind.
Rooted in Faith and Justice: Christian Calls to Conscience & Cries for Peace in Palestine by Rebekah Choate, Krista Johnson Weicksel, & Peter Makari
Are you struggling to understand the complexities and injustices of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Rooted in Faith and Justice offers a powerful and enlightening perspective through the eyes of Palestinian Christian leaders and thinkers. As the world's attention is on the devastation of Gaza, immerse yourself in the issues of the ongoing struggle for justice and peace, informed by our faith and perspectives of our church partners there. Gain deep insights into the historical and contemporary issues facing Palestinians, from displacement to daily oppression. Rooted in Faith and Justice will challenge your perspectives, confront double standards, and help you discover pathways to solidarity and action. Engage with the realities of Palestine, rooted in faith, justice, and peace, and become part of the movement towards a just and lasting peace.
Who Is A True Christian?: Contesting Religious Identity in American Culture by David Congdon (2024)
"No true Christian could vote for Donald Trump." "Real Christians are pro-life." "You can't be a Christian and support gay marriage." Assertive statements like these not only reflect growing religious polarization but also express the anxiety over religious identity that pervades modern American Christianity. To address this disquiet, conservative Christians have sought security and stability: whether by retrieving "historic Christian" doctrines, reconceptualizing their faith as a distinct culture, or reinforcing a political vision of what it means to be a follower of God in a corrupt world. The result is a concerted effort to "Make Christianity Great Again": a religious project predating the corresponding political effort to "Make America Great Again." Part intellectual history, part nuanced argument for change, this timely book explores why the question of what defines Christianity has become, over the last century, so damagingly vexatious—and how believers might conceive of it differently in the future.
The Moral Teachings of Jesus: Radical Instruction in the Will of God by David Gushee (2024)
The growing movement of post-evangelicalism highlights an opportunity to elevate and center the moral teachings of Jesus. So many of those who identify as Christian intuitively know that their old version of faith is no longer working, and they feel a theological vacuum. David P. Gushee has been a leader in recent years for those ready to move on to a more examined and robust faith. Now, in The Moral Teachings of Jesus, Gushee examines forty teachings of Jesus, drawn from all four New Testament Gospels, to clarify exactly what Jesus said about the moral life.
God After Deconstruction by Thomas Jay Oord & Tripp Fuller
Bad views of God and harmful experiences lead many of us to deconstruct. But we’re right to run from the nonsense we’ve been taught and from those who hurt us. God After Deconstruction will not be welcomed by traditionalists. It’s not a book for people who want the status quo or who think conventional theology works. It isn’t for people who just want to tweak a bit of what they’ve been taught. Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller offer an open and relational vision of God. This vision makes sense; it fits our experience; it’s livable. The open and relational view aligns with our deep intuitions about love and freedom. God After Deconstruction is for those deconstructing and those wanting help after deconstruction. It’s for people in the fire and those with scars.
Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary McBride
Too often the institutions and communities that are meant to be the most holy in our lives end up deeply hurting us. In Holy Hurt, clinical psychologist Hillary L. McBride sends a sincere and profound message: spiritual trauma is real and has a far-reaching impact. She also reassures us that we can remake ourselves and heal in its aftermath. McBride expertly and compassionately shows that acknowledging the impact of spiritual trauma in our lives allows us to begin to tend our wounds individually and collectively, experiencing reconnection with ourselves and others. She draws on clinical research, trauma literature, insightful interviews with experts, and poignant first-person stories, ending each chapter with a short practice to begin healing. McBride empowers those who have lived through spiritual trauma or witnessed it, as well as those who want to develop healthier church environments and prevent abuse.
Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, & Our Place at the Table by Brandan Robertson (2025)
For too long, the Bible has been weaponized to exclude LGBTQ+ individuals, despite Jesus’ radical message of inclusion. In Queer & Christian, Brandan Robertson envisions a faith where all are unequivocally embraced Ostracized at school, Brandan thought he had finally found his community when he joined the local church. But he soon realized that they were as intolerant as his peers at school had been―if not more so. After agonizing years of repressing his true identity, he discovered that God’s table had always had a place for him. Jesus’ love knows no bounds, embracing everyone unconditionally. Queer & Christian is a joyful celebration of queer faith and an unyielding reclamation of the Bible.
Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds by Mirriam Diephouse-McMillan (2025)
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the demands of modern life? Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds offers a lifeline. Discover nine ancient spiritual practices that can restore your mental well-being and deepen your connection with God. Let Sacred Balance guide you towards a balanced and peaceful life. Are you struggling to find peace and balance in today's fast-paced world? Sacred Balance: How Ancient Practices Can Restore Modern Minds offers a solution rooted in centuries-old spiritual traditions. Written by chaplain and mental health expert Miriam Diephouse-McMillan, this guide introduces nine transformative practices -- Contemplation (Centering Prayer), Discernment (Daily Examen), Compassion (Loving Kindness Prayer), Mindfulness (Practicing the Presence of God), Rest (Sabbath), Grounding (Breath prayer), Activation (Walking Prayer), Gratitude (Savoring), and Accountability (Soul Friend)--to help you reclaim your mental well-being. Each chapter provides a clear path, drawing from scripture and Christian heritage, to integrate these practices into your daily life. Whether you're a clergy member, a layperson, or simply seeking deeper spiritual growth, Sacred Balance equips you with the tools to find rest, grounding, and activation in God's presence.
The Wounds Are the Witness: Black Faith Weaving Memory Into Justice & Healing by Yolanda Pierce (forthcoming Aug 2025)
What do we do with wounds--our own, others', and a nation's? We can turn away, avert our gaze. We can make a spectacle of suffering. Or like the doubting disciple who longed to touch Jesus's side, we can acquaint ourselves with the wounds: both the story they tell and the healing they prefigure. In The Wounds Are the Witness, Yolanda Pierce, dean of Vanderbilt University Divinity School and author of In My Grandmother's House, weaves together her own memories, vignettes from Black life, and scenes from scripture, especially the passion of Christ. To work for liberation in a broken world, we cannot look away from crucified flesh. Bones from the Middle Passage, GI Bill benefits denied to Black veterans, women inmates shackled while giving birth: we must take all such wounds seriously. They testify to both the pain and the faith of a people. With the lyrical eye of a poet and the moral precision of a preacher, Pierce casts readers into the astounding story of God's healing. From the curative powers of a spiderweb to the work of justice in history, politics, medicine, higher education, and the Black church, Pierce asks: Where are the remedies for the battered and broken? What does accountability look like? Is there any cure? Healing takes time, Pierce writes, and even the wounds of the risen Christ do not immediately close. When the wounds become the witness, we find a faith reimagined and a hope transfigured. They tell the truth: about the extent of the injury and the extraordinary work of healing
Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities by Amy Butler and Dawn Darwin Weaks (forthcoming Sep 2025)
Is your faith community struggling to find its way? Holy Disruption will spark your church's imagination in ways you may never have considered. Discover individuals and communities following Jesus's example by embracing entrepreneurial approaches to healing the world, planting seeds of hope, and building healthy community in unconventional ways. The traditional model of church is dying. Dwindling congregations and empty buildings, while sources of grief, offer unprecedented opportunities. Holy Disruption sees this unique opportunity to embrace creativity, building a roadmap for adaptation and meaningful mission today. Discover inspiring stories of holy disruptors finding the courage to break free from conventional ideas of faith community and embrace innovative approaches to living the gospel. Social enterprise plays a critical role in this work, building sustainable businesses that support a healing world. Holy Disruption shows that you are not alone in seeking the courage to discover how your community can lead the way to new expressions of God's love.
Staying at the Table: Being the Church We Say We Are by Terri Hord Owens (forthcoming Jan 2026)
Note from Pastor Jason: Rev Hord Owens is the General Minister and President of our denomination, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and was a guest for two episodes of Season 10 of The Collective Table (Part 1, Part 2).
Tired of the division and hypocrisy in the church today? Discover a new vision for a church grounded in love, unity, and prophetic imagination that welcomes everyone to the table. This book will inspire you to become a catalyst for change and build a church that lives up to its calling. In a world of increasing polarization, the church is called to be a beacon of hope and unity. Staying at the Table challenges us to confront injustice, embrace diversity, and live out the radical love of Christ. How do we have difficult conversations? How do we dream together of a more vibrant faith, a more energized faith community, a better world? It starts with a church grounded in deep spiritual practice, Biblical engagement, and God's love and imagination. Staying at the Table is an essential guide for anyone who longs for a church ready to leave behind the tired, hollow words that have little impact on its community and to lean into an authentic faith that truly, deeply embodies the teachings of Jesus.