Books/Reviews/Resources

By Summer Lane

Photo: Deposit

If you’re like me, you have a to-read list a mile long, but that doesn’t deter you from buying new books and adding them to a stack of anticipated tomes. Personally, I started switching a lot of my reading over to Kindle, simply because I don’t have the space for all of the books I want to read!

There have been a lot of interesting and fun books that have been released in the world of Christian books over the past few months, and heading into 2024, I’ve compiled a small list of some of the coolest faith-filled reads that everyone should check out before the year is over!

The Deconstruction of Christianity, by Alisa Childers and Carl R. Trueman

From the book description:

A groundbreaking book on the true nature of faith deconstruction
Alisa and Tim help the reader to deconstruct the deconstructionists and thus to respond to them, both with arguments and with love and sensitivity. This is a timely book! — Carl Trueman, author of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
A movement called ‘deconstruction’ is sweeping through our churches and it is affecting our loved ones. It has disrupted, dismantled, and destroyed the faith of so many, and this book can help you not only understand what’s happening but also stand your ground and respond with clarity and confidence.

• Maybe you have a loved one who is deconstructing their faith, and you are struggling to know how to respond;
• Maybe you are trying to understand the radical spiritual makeover your friend or family member is going through;
• Maybe your relationship with a loved one has been strained or even cut off because of your “toxic” Christian beliefs and you don’t know what to do;
• Maybe you’re experiencing doubt yourself and facing hard questions about truth, God, the Bible, theology and the gospel.

Some who leave the faith feel wounded by the church. Others feel repressed by some of the moral imperatives found in Scripture. For some, it leads to a custom-made spirituality. For others, deconstructing their faith leads them away from the truth into agnosticism, atheism, the occult, or humanism.
In this seminal book, Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel?, and Tim Barnett, creator of Red Pen Logic, will help you understand what deconstruction is, where it comes from, why it is compelling to some, and how it disorients the lives of so many. You will be able to think through the main issues around faith deconstruction and explore wise and loving ways to respond from a biblical worldview.

Get it HERE.

Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, by Rosaria Butterfield

From the book description:

Bestselling Author Rosaria Butterfield Confronts 5 Cultural Lies She Once Believed

Our culture changes at a constant and rapid pace, swaying in its beliefs on sexuality and spirituality. Author Rosaria Butterfield argues that the word of God is the answer to such swaying opinions and uses Scripture to illuminate 5 lies that our prevailing culture often promotes, including how being a spiritual person is kinder than being a biblical Christian, that feminism is good for the world and the church, and that transgenderism is normal and healthy.

Written in the style of a memoir, Rosaria shares personal stories interwoven with cultural studies, literary criticism, and theology. This culturally relevant book will help readers gain a clearer understanding of how the word of God is applicable to these critical cultural issues facing the church today.

• Written by Rosaria Butterfield: Bestselling author of The Gospel Comes with a House Key (100,000+ copies sold) and The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert (100,000+ copies sold)
• For Christians Wanting to Engage with Cultural Issues: Especially those passionate about the next generation
• Personal: Rosaria speaks from her own experience in order to teach and encourage other Christians

Get it HERE.

Wimpy, Weak, and Woke: How Truth Can Save America from Utopian Destruction, by John L. Cooper

From the book description:
The increasing conflicts in America today are often referred to as “culture war.” But what is truly happening is a war between gods – the living God and the god of Man. Wimpy, Weak, and Woke uncovers the philosophies behind utopian dreams that become dystopian nightmares, and presents a positive vision for how we can thrive and flourish. The false promises of Man lead to destruction; God’s ways lead to life.

Author L. Cooper, frontman of the multi-platinum band Skillet and host of the Cooper Stuff podcast uncovers the prevailing lies that are destroying America and shows how the truth of the Bible can save us. Topics Marxism, utopianism, Freud, critical theory, the sexual revolution, Hegel, postmodernism, critical race theory, critical social justice, and woke Christianity.

Get it HERE.

Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Dugger Vuolo

From the book description:

New York Times Bestseller

Jinger Vuolo, the sixth child in the famous Duggar family of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, recounts how she began to question the unhealthy ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ.

When Jinger Duggar Vuolo was growing up, she was convinced that obeying the rules was the key to success and God’s favor. She zealously promoted the Basic Life Principles of Bill Gothard,

• fastidiously obeying the modesty guidelines (no shorts or jeans, only dresses),
• eagerly submitting to the umbrella of authority (any disobedience of parents would place her outside God’s protection),
• promoting the relationship standard of courtship, and
• avoiding any music with a worldly beat, among others.

Jinger, along with three of her sisters, wrote a New York Times bestseller about their religious convictions. She believed this level of commitment would guarantee God’s blessing, even though in private she felt constant fear that she wasn’t measuring up to the high standards demanded of her.

In Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger shares how in her early twenties, a new family member—a brother-in-law who didn’t grow up in the same tight-knit conservative circle as Jinger—caused her to examine her beliefs. He was committed to the Bible, but he didn’t believe many of the things Jinger had always assumed were true. His influence, along with the help of a pastor named Jeremy Vuolo, caused Jinger to see that her life was built on rules, not God’s Word.

Jinger committed to studying the Bible—truly understanding it—for the first time. What resulted was an earth-shaking realization: much of what she’d always believed about God, obedience to His Word, and personal holiness wasn’t in-line with what the Bible teaches.

Now with a renewed faith of personal conviction, Becoming Free Indeed shares what it was like living under the tenants of Bill Gothard, the Biblical truth that changed her perspective, and how she disentangled her faith with her belief in Jesus intact.

Get it HERE.

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team. This specific article was written by Summer Lane, and may not be reproduced, except to quote for reviews or interviews, without the express permission of the author. 

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Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 30 books, including the hit Collapse Series. She is an experienced journalist and columnist who reports on news within the U.S. and abroad. She is the Associate Editor for Right Side Broadcasting Network. Additionally, she owns Write Revolution News, where she provides a rapid-fire feed of the nation’s most important America First news and events.

Summer is also a mom and wife who enjoys rural country living, herding cats and ducks, and reading fiction. She is passionate about writing on women’s issues, parenting, and politics from a theologically-grounded perspective that points readers to the good news of the gospel.

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