Summer means that reading lists are everywhere. Whether you seek out a thrilling beach mystery, an inspiring memoir, or an empowering self-help book, there is probably a summer reading list that offers the exact book you want to read.
At CBE, we think summer is the perfect time to discover a new egalitarian read or catch up on a classic. CBE’s bookstore has you covered, whether you want to want to relax with a novel, broaden your theological knowledge, or learn about egalitarianism for the first time. Check out some of our top picks in CBE’s summer reading list—for any season! (Of course, it is winter for our readers in the southern hemisphere. But whatever the weather, ’tis the season to read a great book!)
For Young Egalitarians
 | Penny Preaches: God Gives Good Gifts to Everyone! By , & / IVP Kids Penny loves the sermon on Sunday because she loves to think about big things. But when preaching from the front porch to her friends doesn't turn out quite as she expected, Penny wonders if she was wrong to want to teach others about God. Written by Amy Dixon and Rob Dixon, and featuring delightful illustrations from Jennifer Davison, Penny's story reminds us that God gives good gifts to everyone! Penny Preaches will be enjoyed by children as well as the adults who read with them. Also included is a note from the authors to encourage further conversation about the topic. |
 | God's Servant Ruth: A Poem with a Promise By & / P&R Publishing Experience the story of Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth with God's Servant Ruth by Douglas Bond, illustrated by McKenna Shaffer! Start your journey into the Bible with this beautiful book that teaches foundational theology and points to a wonderful Redeemer! Recommended for ages 5-12. 40 pages, Hardcover from P&R Publishing |
 | Carved in Ebony, young reader's ed.: Lessons from the Black Women Who Shape Us By / Bethany House Do the names Elizabeth Freeman, Nannie Helen Burroughs, or Charlotte Forten Grimké ring any bells? Have you ever heard of Sarah Mapps Douglass, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, or Maria Fearing? What about Sara Griffith Stanley, Amanda Berry Smith, Lucy Craft Laney, and Maria Stewart? |
Egalitarian Fiction
 | Daughters of Deliverance By / Iron Stream Media In 1886, thirty-one year old Katharine Bushnell gives up her medical practice to work with women living on Chicago's Hell's Half Acre and in the brutal lumber camps of Wisconsin. Her love for God and passion to see women released from bondage lead her to risk her own freedom and reputation for their sakes. Secretly, she visits these women to learn first-hand of the daily trials and torments they endure. Crushed to see women mistreated, Kate prepares a report of her findings concerning the white slave trade in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest. When Wisconsin's governor demands Kate appear before the legislature to defend her damaging reports, she becomes the center of great controversy. Will they believe her report? Will they pass a law prohibiting sex with a girl under sixteen? Will they punish the notorious den keepers? Or will they brand her a liar? |
 | Daughters of Deliverance By / Iron Stream Media Katharine Bushnell served a medical doctor and missionary to China, Bible scholar, and social activist. She took particular interest in the status of women in the Bible, believing her gender's participation in Biblical events had been mistranslated and misinterpreted. Thus began a lifelong quest for Biblical affirmation and equality for all women. Bushnell helped found the Anchorage Mission in Chicago, which sheltered homeless women, and appeared before the Wisconsin Legislature to expose the horrid treatment of women in Wisconsin lumber camps. In 1887, Wisconsin passed Senate Bill 46 to address white slavery and the mistreatment of women in the camps. Bushnell then traveled to India where the government denied allegations that India's military purchased girls for the brothels on the bases. The Queen’s Daughters is a fictional re-telling of Bushnell's fight for social justice and women's rights in India. |
What the Bible Says About Women
 | The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today By / Brazos Press In The Mary We Forgot, award-winning church historian and theologian Jennifer Powell McNutt unpacks Scripture and history to reveal the real Mary Magdalene: the first apostle of the good news and a model of discipleship for both men and women today. |
 | Between the Lines: Discover What You're Missing in the Biblical Story of Women of Faith By / River Birch Press As she walks her audience through the stories of six women from the Bible, Preston presents scholarly research and historical context alongside retellings of the women’s stories in an approachable and casual tone. While this book suffers at times from a lack of organization and direction, it may be a useful resource for those hearing these stories for the first time. |
 | Excavating Women: The Archaeology of Leaders in Early Christianity By / Fortress Press Modern readers often look at the past with distorted presuppositions about women's participation in early Christianity. However, women had a prominent role in society and in religious leadership in the Greco-Roman world. Excavating Women investigates the leadership of women in Christian churches during the first six centuries of the common era through a study of the archaeological remains. Carina Prestes surveys the role of women in Greco-Roman society, highlighting their importance for Greek and Roman cults and examining funerary remains of the first centuries of the common era to better understand the role of women in Christian communities. The archaeological evidence is placed in historical and sociocultural context to avoid characteristic biases of certain media and to allow a nuanced perspective of the history. Excavating Women also investigates some of the early Christian mosaics in their contexts based on the study of semiotics, the hierarchy of spaces, and biblical passages portrayed in them. These sources reveal a strong participation of women in the clerical leadership of early Christianity, in agreement with the funerary remains. |
 | Who Leads?: A Concise Look at Top Bible Scholars on the Male/Female Question By & / Wipf & Stock A concise, updated summary of top Bible scholars on male/female leadership, focusing on facts rather than theories and leaving conclusions to the reader. Includes a fascinating look at ancient texts, Bible translations through the centuries, and early church actions on women leaders. Academically sound but written for the average reader. A quick read of about three hours, backed up with references to more than 100 leading scholars. |
Relationships
 | The Marriage You Want: Moving Beyond Stereotypes for a Relationship Built on Scripture, New Data, and Emotional Health By / Baker Books We all want a marriage that feels like home. We long for a partner who is there for us through all of life's challenges and griefs, who is in on all our inside jokes, who delights in the family we've built together, who looks with hope toward the future with a shared faith and an arm firmly around our shoulders. But how do we get there? What actually works in the real world and honors the picture of marriage found in Scripture? Based on the findings of their meticulous research, Sheila Wray Gregoire and Dr. Keith Gregoire dispel the pervasive myths about what makes a happy marriage. Rather than relying on gender stereotypes, they look at what actually creates intimacy, emotional health, and connection, asking deeper questions that lead to real healing and growth in your relationship with your spouse. With enlightening stories, survey results, and practical tools, this book will help readers create a marriage they love. And with the evidence-based, Scripture-honoring advice in this book, that just may be closer than you imagine. |
 | Mutual by Design: A Better Model of Christian Marriage By / CBE International Many books on Christian marriage have been written, but most assume that the Bible puts men in a leadership role, while women are to be submissive. But there's a better way. Not only is it healthier for families, but it's more faithful to the Bible. The Bible casts a vision of marriage where men and women co-lead and co-serve as equal partners. This book explores that vision. This book is for those considering marriage, those already engaged, newlyweds, and any couple seeking to improve their relationship. Written for both individual couples or groups, chapters include discussion questions, exercises, and suggestions for further reading. |
 | Created to Thrive: Cultivating Abuse-Free Faith
Communities By / CBE International Discover How To Cultivate An Abuse-Free Community Created To Thrive brings together the voices of experts and faith leaders to tackle topics related to abuse. Born out of a desire to equip pastors and Christian leaders to respond wisely to create safe spaces where all can flourish, Created to Thrive explores the dangerous consequences of women's devaluation and how theology can perpetuate abuse. Created to Thrive Will Help You:
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Honoring Your God-Given Gifts
 | Calm and Quiet My Soul: A Holistic Approach to Spiritual Care for the Mothering Pastor By / Cascade Books Self-care and soul care are trending topics in Christian leadership circles because ministry leaders know they cannot care for their people unless they care for themselves. Pastors who are mothers know this too, and yet it can feel like just one more task to manage among the many they carry on their schedules and in their hearts. The biblical truth is that spiritual rest is a gift from God, not an achievement, a refreshing reminder for women who hold the dual roles of mom and minister. This book invites women leading in these spaces to remember that the God of the Old and New Testaments, the one who pours out replenishment for weary hearts, is a God who is Mother as well as Father, and mothers them with tenderness and strength. Starting here, in the arms of a mothering God who whispers beloved, changes the tone of spiritual care for her from a chore to an oasis of replenishment that grounds her in her identity in Christ as a daughter of Creator God. |
 | Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It's Essential for the Future of the Church By , ,,,,,,,& / 100 Movements Publishing Why have we limited women’s contributions? Consider what transformation might be possible if we choose to learn from and listen to women gifted to lead. It’s past time we elevated the voices of those closest to the issues and best equipped to provide meaningful solutions. |
 | Prophesying Daughters: How Prophetic Ministry and Women in Leadership Strengthen the Church By / Independently published “Weaving poignant personal stories alongside careful biblical scholarship, Susanne Maynes unveils a refreshingly new approach to the relevance of prophecy and the prophetic ministries of women in the Bible to the conversation on women in the church.” –Cynthia Hester, DMin, Founder, Theology of Women Academy |
Women in the Western Church
 | Becoming the Pastor's Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry By / Baker Press In Becoming the Pastor's Wife, Barr traces the thread between the decline of female ordination within evangelical circles and the increase in the role of the pastor's wife and marriage as a woman's path to ministry. |
 | The Struggle to Stay: Why Single Evangelical Women Are Leaving the Church By / Columbia University Press The Struggle to Stay is an intimate and insightful portrait of single women's experiences in evangelical churches. Drawing on unprecedented access to churches in the United States and the United Kingdom, Katie Gaddini relates the struggles of four women, interwoven with her own story of leaving behind a devout faith. She connects these personal narratives with rigorous analysis of Christianity and politics in both countries, and contextualizes them through interviews with more than fifty other evangelical women. |