"Many of the enemy’s tactics involve tantalizing distractions that seem so “spiritual” but really get us off track. Operation Screwtape shows how not to be a sucker for his sales pitch." Read an interview with author Andrew Farley. Read more

I’m a Sherlockian – hardcore. Not only do I love the stories but I set the bar high for books and films portraying him. Nobody does Sherlock on film like Jeremy Brett, nobody. Basil Rathbone was weaker than broth from a one-legged chicken. Christopher Plummer, so great in so many things, should have let Sherlock pass. Christopher Lee, great as Dracula, zilch as Sherlock. That’s why, when I learned of both Robert Downey Jr.’s and Benedict Cumberbatch’s takes on Sherlock,... Read more

What if being “in love” isn’t a good enough reason to get married? What if dating isn’t about finding “the one” but about serving the one who loves you most? These are the compelling questions popular author and speaker Gary Thomas sets out to explore in his new book The Sacred Search (now featured at the Patheos Book Club). A prequel of sorts to his best-selling Sacred Marriage, and based on years of research with married couples, this new book turns the... Read more

When Catholic author and “foodie” Mary DeTurris Poust announced she would be writing a book on food and spirituality, it seemed to many a hand-to-glove fit. With Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image and God, Ave Maria Press has perfectly matched voice to topic, and in this beautifully-designed book, Poust has written a tremendously consoling, encouraging and lasting resource for Catholics, yes, but for all people of faith who struggle with bad habits, grapple with addiction and try to... Read more

[Editor’s Note: This month at the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring a new book on the Mormon view of God called The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life, by Dr. Terryl and Fiona Givens. As Christmas approaches, we invited the Givens family to share some of their favorite holiday family memories with us at Patheos…] Christmas has become a jarring mélange of the sacred and the secular, the sublime and the commercial, the piercingly poignant and the boisterously... Read more

Nearly a third of Americans under the age of thirty have no religious affiliation, the highest in any recorded generation. In this growing segment of “nones” are many young Atheists who have faced prejudice in their high schools and communities for standing up for their constitutional right of freedom from religion. This month at the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring a new book addressing this issue by one of Patheos’ most popular Atheist bloggers, Hemant Mehta, aka The Friendly Atheist.... Read more

In the midst of the so-called “Mormon Moment” in our country, a new Pew Research Center poll out this week reports that 8 in 10 Americans say “they learned little or nothing about the Mormon religion during the 2012 presidential election” (even while there was some “warming of attitude toward Mormonism”). With the release of a new book, The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life, two scholars, who also happen to married, hope to turn the tide on... Read more

Sloth, envy, gluttony, greed, anger, lust, and pride … or, when taken as a whole, better known as “the seven deadly sins.” But how much do we really know about this list? When were they first identified, and how did they become a part of the Christian tradition? And what makes these particular sins so “deadly,” more so than say, murder, or theft? A new book out this month — The Seven Deadly Sins: A Visitor’s Guide — by Catholic... Read more

This month at the Patheos Book Club, we’re giving away 25 copies of Matt Litton’s new book, Holy Nomad: The Rugged Road to Joy.  In a recent interview with Litton, a writer, educator and speaker, he talked about why he wrote this book: I think a life without joy and meaning is more of a “life sentence” – it is a far cry from the way we were meant to live. We believe in a God who is constantly inviting... Read more

In a Peanuts cartoon, Violet turns to Linus and says, “You know what’s funny? Paintings of Adam and Eve where they both have belly buttons. Think about that; take as much time as you need.” If we take the Bible seriously (read; think about it to any degree), it can really mess with our head. For example, Hebrews 11:6 says, “…without faith it is impossible to please Him…” Sounds important, right? In Hebrews 12:14, we should “pursue holiness without which... Read more