A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERDear Friend,

I am pleased to present the catalog for Spring/Summer 2014. Within every title you will find the theme of the journey. As we break down the walls, plunge into current issues and engage with new perspectives, we have a list filled with quests, adventures, discoveries, exposés, and we even threw in an odyssey to cover all the bases. We begin with The Heroic Path, by the founder of The Mentoring Project, John Sowers, who delves into what it means to be a man in the 21st century and how the search for meaning and manhood presents different challenges to each generation. Jon Sweeney’s Inventing Hell, a trade paperback original, reveals how our current understanding of hell closely resembles Dante’s invention instead of a Biblical reference. True to form, Sweeney applies scholarship and his investigative talents in this gripping page-turner. Matthew Paul Turner turns his attention to our country’s greatest export, God, in Our Big Fat American God. With the wit and candor of David Sedaris, Turner explores how we have made God in our image. Brian McLaren’s We Make the Road By Walking publishes in June, just in time for churches and communities to select it for their autumn and winter curriculum. In his pinnacle book, McLaren invites new Christians, as well as returning and wounded ones, to accompany him on a quest of imagining our faith differently. Also returning this season, Becca Stevens shares her latest endeavor into the world of tea in The Way of Tea and Justice. Stevens opened the Thistle Stop Café in the summer of 2013 and as she researched the history of the world’s favorite drink, she made many discoveries—exciting, tragic, and redemptive—along the way. The final book on our list is a wake up call for America as Christian Piatt takes the pulse of our faith in this country and finds it very weak. In postChristian, he explores how we have lost our voice and our relevance in society, and how we might regain it. I’m also thrilled to release The Invisible Girls by Sarah Thebarge, Sober Mercies by Heather Kopp, God on the Rocks by Phil Madeira, and The Big Guy Upstairs by Rob Strong in paperback this season as well. As Jericho Books grows, we strive to continue the conversations around culture, society and politics as they relate to faith. We invite you to join us on these voyages of discovery as we continue to break down walls and forge ahead. Join us via our social media, our website, jerichobooks.com, and through your continued support for our books.

Peace,

Wendy GrishamVice President and Publisher, Jericho Books

Please visit us at:

THE INVISIBLE GIRLSA Memoir

S a r a h T h e b a r g e

Sarah Thebarge’s stunning memoir of a life transformed by cancer and reassembled through faith, kindness, and the courage of a Somali mother and her daughters.Twenty-seven-year-old Sarah Thebarge had it all—a loving boyfriend, an Ivy League degree, and a successful career—when her life was derailed by an unthinkable diagnosis: aggressive breast cancer. After barely surviving the grueling treatments, Sarah moved to Portland, Oregon, to start over. There, a chance encounter with an exhausted African mother and her daughters transformed her life again. A Somali refugee whose husband had left her, Hadhi was struggling to raise five young daughters half a world away from her war-torn homeland. Alone in a strange country, Hadhi and the girls were on the brink of starvation in their own home, “invisible” to their neighbors and to the world. As Sarah helped Hadhi and the girls navigate American life, her outreach to the family became a source of courage and a lifeline for herself. Poignant, at times shattering, Sarah Thebarge’s riveting memoir invites readers to engage in her story of

finding connection, love, and redemption in the most unexpected places.

W All of the author’s profits from the book are going to a college fund for Hadhi’s five girls.

W Sarah Thebarge has appeared in Christianity Today, World Magazine, Relevant, Portland Tribune, The Oregonian, Burnside Writers Collective, Just Between Us, and on Sojo.net, TheOoze.com, and Raysd.com.

W Thebarge has been a powerful keynote speaker at Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference, the First-Year Experience, the Wild Goose Festival, and the Ignite Women’s Conference. She has been the featured speaker at the Women of Grace retreat (IL), the Imago Dei Arts retreat (OR), and the Portland Artist Forum (OR).

W Sarah Thebarge’s writing for Christianity Today’s This is Our City project in 2012 won first prize from the National Evangelical Press Association.

W Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4555-2391-7, 4/13.

SARAH THEBARGE is a speaker and author who grew up as a pastor’s kid in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She earned a masters degree in Medical Science from Yale School of Medicine and studied Journalism at Columbia University. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

APRIL TRADE

PAPERBACK978-1-4555-2392-4

$14.00 ($15.00 in Canada) Memoir

5 ¼ x 8 • 224 pgs Publishing background: Jericho Books hardcover

Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

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“THE INVISIBLE GIRLS is a testament to unwaver-ing tenacity, resilient faith, and ineffable grace.”

—Karen Spears Zacharias, author of The Silence of Mockingbirds: The

Memoir of a Murder

“A raw, honest and powerful witness of the dangerous mercy of God.... Her story will humble you and inspire you.” —Rick McKinley, Lead Pastor of Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon, and author of A Kingdom Called Desire and This Beautiful Mess

“Sarah’s writing reminds me of Lauren Winner. I loved this wonderful book!”

—Carolyn Custis James, author of Half the Church

MARKETING W National and Christian print and online media campaign

W Select author appearances W Social networks, blogs W facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Thebarge, @SarahTheBarge

W SarahThebarge.com

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“ Wonderfully written…you’ll get caught up in the strength of her kindness.” —Don Miller, author of Storyline and Blue Like Jazz

“A vibrant and authentic story of loss, disenchantment, discovery, and reawakening of faith and hope.”

—Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven and If God is Good

“I picked up THE INVISIBLE GIRLS and could not put it down....Beautiful writer, beautiful book, beautiful soul.”

—Susan E. Isaacs, author of Angry Conversations with God

THE HEROIC PATHIn Search of the Masculine Heart

J o h n S o w e r S f o r e w o r d b y b o b g o f f

Join John Sowers on his personal journey as he redefines manhood in a world where men change diapers, women change tires, and heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

As head of the Mentoring Project, John’s days are con-sumed with helping boys understand what it means to be a man. In this wise and compassionate book, Sowers takes readers along on the adventure of his own path to manhood and shares ways that they too can embrace their true masculine spirits as modeled by God, become their best selves and give back to their families and communities. Sowers explores the myths and stereotypes of manhood throughout history before introducing inspiring stories of modern-day heroes. His profiles include a Congressional Medal of Honor winner named Salvatore, a contemporary martyr named Christian, and—perhaps surprisingly—a 13-year-old girl named Riley. Along the way, he encounters timeless human characteristics such as courage, sacrifice and respect for the opposite sex. THE HEROIC PATH also offers empowering opportunities for men who are more ‘cause-oriented’ and who want to change the world, but need staying power and endurance.

W John Sowers is the president of The Mentoring Project, a movement rewriting the fatherless story—25 million youths growing up without a dad—through mentoring. Every Mentoring Project toolkit will contain a copy of THE HEROIC PATH, and it will be used as the primary source for churches starting faith-based mentor initiatives. .

W Sowers has been a consistent part of the White House Task Force’s initiative on fatherhood and healthy families for the past few years, interacting with White House officials and the president over the fatherless crisis.

W Sowers was named one of Christianity Today’s “Who’s Next” leaders in 2011 and has been featured in InTouch, RELEVANT, Neue, and Air1 national radio.

W He has spoken at universities, churches, and confer-ences throughout the U.S., including Duke Divinity School, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Gordon Conwell Theology Seminary and was named one of 15 Champions of Change by the White House in 2012 for his work with fatherless youth.

W Bob Goff, the New York Times bestselling author of Love Does, wrote the foreword.

JOHN SOWERS received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and graduated with his doctorate from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

MAY HARDCOVER

978-1-4555-8039-2 $20.00 ($22.00 in Canada)

Christian Living 5 ½ x 8 ¼ • 224 pgs

Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

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Praise for John sowers:

“John Sowers is the ‘voice crying in the wilderness,’ calling us to turn our faces toward the devastation caused by fatherlessness.”

—William Paul Young, author of The Shack

E xc E r p t:

The skills men are expected to have—fixing a leaky faucet, wielding steel, punching a wolf in the face, chopping down trees, spear hunting for dinner, hooking up the VCR…. In these things, I feel woefully inadequate. Case in point: I was replacing the bathtub stopper. I pushed and turned and oiled and grunted for about forty-five min-utes. Nothing. Nada. Fail. Defeated, I resigned to ask my wife for help. She instantly popped it into place…. I need directions. A blueprint. I need the man-secrets. Manhood still feels like a mysterious destination, a remote cave with lots of bearded men and smoke and fire and drum circles. The bearded men don’t talk a lot; they just grunt and hunt and eat red meat. But somehow, they have the man-skills. They aren’t trying to prove anything. They’re just simply men-in-the raw, undomesticated and unfettered. Somehow they are the initiated. They drink deep from the draughts of manhood. For me, this book is about getting to the Man Cave.

MARKETING W Print advertising in Relevant Magazine, Christianity Today

W Christian print, broadcast, and online media campaign

W Father’s Day tie in with author’s ministry organization, The Mentoring Project

W Book trailer W Email blasts to author database W e-newsletters, social networks, blogs

W Blog tour W facebook.com/John.Sowers, @JohnSowers

W TheMentoringProject.org

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SOBER MERCIESHow Love Caught Up with a Christian Drunk

h e aT h e r K o p p

“ Simply one of the best, most honest, brilliantly written memoirs I’ve read….Her story stands as a beacon of hope for all of us in a broken world.” —Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of Central Christian Church

As a long-time Christian, Heather kopp never expected to become an out-of-control alcoholic who kept private stashes of booze tucked behind books in her study and zipped into a special compartment in her oversized purse. For her, as for many Christians who struggle with addic-tion, overwhelming shame and confusion only made things worse. Engaging, funny, and bracingly honest, kopp shares her remarkable journey into darkness...and back to the light again. Her story reveals the unique challenges and spiritual conundrums Christians face when they become ensnared in an addiction, and the redemption that’s possible when we finally reach the end of ourselves. As readers follow kopp’s sincere, stumbling journey toward freedom and a deeply satisfying relationship with God, they’ll find renewed hope—and the practical steps of recovery—for their own journey.

W The hardcover publication of SOBER MERCIES received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a four-star review from Christianity Today, and high praise from notable authors, including Susan E. Isaacs, Jud Wilhite, Mary DeMuth, Jana Riess, and Glennon Melton, among others. It was a parents.com “Mom Must Read” blog feature.

W In the tradition of Josh Hamilton’s New York Times bestseller Beyond Belief (FaithWords, 10/08), with more than 200,000 combined copies in print, SOBER MERCIES details the events that led up to the author’s derailment. But unlike other recovery stories out there, the emphasis here is on what recovery looks like on the other side of reaching bottom.

W Heather kopp is a welcome and inspiring new voice as someone who is both willing and able to speak honestly about what it means to be a Christian dealing with addiction.

W kopp is a former senior editor for Multnomah Publishers and the author of nearly two-dozen nonfiction titles. A former columnist for Beliefnet.com and for Virtue magazine, where for five years she wrote the popular personal column “Out of the Ordinary,” kopp maintains a strong social media presence with her popular blog SoberBoots.com, with more than 35,500 monthly page views.

W Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4555-2774-8, 5/13

HEATHER KOPP and her husband have five grown children, and live in Colorado.

MAY TRADE PAPERBACK

978-1-4555-2775-5 $15.00 ($17.00 in Canada)

Memoir/Recovery 5 ¼ x 8 • 224 pgs

Publishing background: Jericho Books hardcover

Territories: World

Also available in downloadable audio and e-book formats

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“Easy-to-read yet deeply moving narrative….Gripping, heartfelt, and eye-opening, a valuable read.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Astounding honesty....Kopp tackles head-on the attitude that drinking too much is a sinful compulsion that can be prayed away.... Helpful to those struggling with similiar diseases, Christian or not.” —Library Journal

“I loved SOBER MERCIES. Kopp is funny, heartbreaking, compelling, and wise.”—Susan E. Isaacs, actor and author of

Angry Conversations with God

“I couldn’t put this book down….Even people who have never struggled with addiction will find them-selves in Heather Kopp’s memoir of finding God’s strength.”

—Jana Riess, author of Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the

Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray and Still Loving My Neighbor

“ This book will challenge and change you.” — Rachel Held Evans,

blogger, author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood

MARKETING W National and Christian print and online media campaign

W Social networks, blogs W @SoberBoots W SoberBoots.com W HeatherKopp.com

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WE MAKE THE ROAD BY WALKINGA Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation

b r i a n d. M c L a r e n

Critically acclaimed author Brian D. McLaren revitalizes the lost art of “spoken-word theology” for modern audiences, teaching readers how to create a life-changing faith community within their own homes.“Spoken-word theology” refers to learning and sharing Christian doctrine by speaking it aloud in groups or in pairs, cultivating a community that helps everyone experience the fullness of Christian life. In WE MAkE THE ROAD BY WALkING, McLaren provides a Genesis-to-Revelation overview of the Bible that will guide readers through a year of traditional practices for multiple settings: congregations, home churches, classes, retreats, or simply a rich reading experience.

Based around the canonical year, McLaren addresses relevant topics such as sacrifice, resurrection, spiritual expression, violence, hell, and chosenness. Each reading is supplemented by Scripture readings and dialogue questions to help create meaningful discussions as groups learn and grow in faith together. It is a perfect resource for churches, small groups, online faith commu-nities, families, or individuals.

W Brian D. McLaren’s previous book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Jericho Books, 978-1-4555-1396-3, 9/12), was named one of Hearts and Minds’ Best Books of 2012. The Academy of Parish Clergy also awarded it the Best Book of the Year in 2012. The trade paperback released in September 2013.

W McLaren has been featured in Christianity Today, Christian Century, Washington Post, Christian Post, and Relevant, and on Huffington Post, CNN.org, Fox News, NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition, Nightline, and Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, among other media outlets.

W His CNN article “It’s Time for Islamophobic Evangelicals to Choose” has garnered more than 8,000 comments since its publication in September 2012.

W McLaren was named one of Time’s 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America in 2005 for his “kinder and gentler brand of religion.”

W The author has taught or lectured at many seminaries and has served on a number of boards, including Emergent village, Sojourners, Mars Hill Graduate School, International Teams, and Off The Map. He is also a founding member of Red Letter Christians.

BRiAn D. MCLAREn is an author, activist, public theologian, a popular conference speaker, and frequent guest lecturer for denominational and ecumenical leadership gatherings in the U.S. and internationally. He currently lives with his wife, Grace, on Marco island, Florida.

JuNE HARDCOVER

978-1-4555-1400-7 $25.00 ($28.00 in Canada)

Christian Theology 6 x 9 • 288 pgs

Territories: World

Also available in downloadable audio and e-book formats

Also available:Why Did Jesus, Moses,

the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?

978-1-4555-1395-6 $15.00/$17.00

j e r i c h o b o o k s i 9

Praise for WHY DID JESUS, MOSES, THE BUDDHA, AND MOHAMMED CROSS THE ROAD?:

“ Worth reading, lively and passionate at translating progressive theology into a popular idiom.” —Publishers Weekly

“ Important and extraordinarily timely...a soothing balm for the searing pain of our times.” —Huffington Post

E xc E r p t:

So our world truly needs a spiritual and social movement dedicated to aliveness—right at the time our world’s largest religion is struggling, self-absorbed, strife-torn, diminished, rigid, contracting, angry, frightened, lukewarm, tradition-bound, or other-wise in shambles. That explains why, over recent decades, many of us have been (as gently as possible) critiquing inherited forms of Christian faith and experi-menting with new ways of seeking aliveness in the way of Jesus. We want this aliveness for our-selves. We want it for our children and grandchildren. We want it for our friends who will never feel at home in the spaces currently occupied by traditional religion. And so we gather in all kinds of places—churches and bars, kitchens and parks, living rooms and restaurants, office buildings and retreat centers. We eat, we drink, we open a Bible, and we speak honestly and openly about what we see, think, feel, fear, want, doubt, and hope.

MARKETING W Online advertising W National and Christian print, broadcast, and online media campaign

W Tie in to author speaking schedule W Promotion to churches and seminaries W e-newsletters, social networks, blogs, giveaways

W facebook.com/pages/Brian-McLaren, @BrianMcLaren

W BrianMcLaren.net

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OuR BIG FAT AMERICAN GODA Short History of Our Ever-Growing Deity

M aT T h e w p a u L T u r n e r

Matthew Paul Turner uses his trademark storytelling, irreverent commentary, and razor-sharp wit to explore America’s vast influence on God.Statistics that suggest a shrinking Christian population make media headlines, yet it’s impossible to deny America’s deep connection with Christianity. In this observant exposé, Matthew Paul Turner demonstrates that just as Americans are trying to squeeze into skinny jeans and still enjoy our buckets of kentucky Fried Chicken, we’re also trying to squeeze God into the areas of our lives that are most convenient for us—so, basically, everywhere. God is, Turner argues, our greatest export.

In the vein of David Sedaris and Anne Lamott, this provocative, hilarious, and thought-provoking book explores how specific American ideals and historical events have altered our perception of God. We try to manipulate this God to fit our culture’s understanding of the Bible, life and death, sex, politics, family, and more. But in our quest to follow our own “big” God, we miss His bigger picture for our lives, and a true, fulfilling understanding of God Himself. Along the way, Turner examines and answers the ultimate question: Does God really control the future of America—or is it the other way around?

W More than three million people have visited Turner’s website in the past year, many of them regular readers.

W Turner’s blog is ranked among Technorati’s Top 100 religion blogs and Relevant’s Top 100 church blogs. It is also syndicated on beliefnet.com.

W The author has a combined reach of more than 45,000 followers and friends on Facebook and Twitter.

W Turner is a social media expert for World vision, and maintains relationships with dozens of high profile bloggers and social media gurus. His wife, Jessica, is a popular mommy blogger at themomcreative.com and will enlist other bloggers to support OUR BIG FAT AMERICAN GOD.

W Matthew Paul Turner is a frequent contributor to magazines and online communities, including Relevant, Collide, HomeLife, Christian Single, crosswalk.com, and other media outlets. Turner has been a regular contributor for the Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog since 2011.

W Turner is also the author of Hear No Evil (Random House, 2010), Churched (Random House, 2008), Everything You Need to Know Before College (Think, 2006), and The Christian Culture Survival Guide (Relevant Books, 2004).

MATTHEW PAUL TURnER is the author of several books. Before he began writing and speaking full-time, Turner served as editor of CCM magazine and music and entertain-ment editor of crosswalk.com. He and his wife, Jessica, live in nashville, Tennessee.

JuNEHARDCOVER

978-1-4555-4734-0 $20.00 ($23.00 in Canada)

Christian Commentary 5 ½ x 8 ¼ • 240 pgs

Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

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Praise for Matthew Paul turner:

“Turner is one of Christianity’s fresh voices.” —Publishers Weekly

“Matthew Paul Turner is Christendom’s answer to David Sedaris.” —Lisa Samson, award-winning author of Quaker Summers

“I would buy this book.” —Jonathan Acuff , creator of StuffChristiansLike.net andauthor of Stuff Christians Like, on Hear No Evil

E xc E r p t:

When Dave was finished telling me all of the reasons why he believed God needed America, I forced a smile and said, “Well, I don’t think anybody questions the fact that America and Christianity have shared the same bed from time to time, Dave. But I hate to break it to you, man, but God gets around. So suggesting that God needs us in order to remain famous and rel-evant seems like a stretch.” With every word that came out of my mouth, Dave’s expression turned more pale, distant, like his brain was shutting down and his defenses were going up. “I mean, you’ve said a lot about America. But you’re making God sound like a deity who’d be in the fetal position in the corner of a room rocking back and forth.” Dave sighed with the exasperation of a Pentecostal who voted for John McCain.

MARKETING W Online advertising W Christian print, broadcast, and online media campaign

W Select author appearances W e-newsletters, social networks, blogs, giveaways

W facebook.com/MatthewPaulTurner, @JesusNeedsNewPR

W MatthewPaulTurner.com

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INVENTING HELLDante, the Bible, and Eternal Torment

J o n M. S w e e n e y

Jon Sweeney demonstrates how the modern concept of hell (and who goes there) is based more on Dante’s darkly imaginative Inferno than on Biblical text. Guiding the reader through history, literature, and culture, Sweeney unpacks the true nature of the afterlife.At the intersection of Biblical truth and popular imagina-tion, Jon Sweeney guides us through one of the greatest mysteries of our time, one that will challenge everything we think we know about hell, whether religious or not. With gripping narrative and rock solid scholarship, Sweeney charts the “evolution” of hell through history and literature, explaining Old Testament Sheol (the “underworld”), the bizarre reaches of virgil’s Aeneid and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the greatest influencer of our modern “version” of hell: Dante’s dark epic Inferno. He demonstrates that our understanding of hell is based more on Dante’s imagination than on Biblical truth. But in the process, he reconstructs what the Bible really says about heaven and hell, giving us a clearer, more hopeful understanding of the afterlife than ever before.

W Jon Sweeney has been hailed by Booklist (starred review), Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, CBS News, Fox News, PBS’ Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Library Journal, Books & Culture, and Crisis Magazine.

W He has been featured in Huffington Post, The Christian Century, America, The Tablet (Uk), National Catholic Reporter, and the popular daily devotional Daily Guideposts.

W His book The Pope Who Quit (Image, 2012) was recently optioned by HBO.

W His new book, Mixed-Up Love (co-written with his wife Michal Woll), will be published by Jericho Books in October 2013.

JOn M. SWEEnEY is an independent scholar, culture critic, and popular speaker with 25 years of experience in spirituality trade publishing. Since 2004, he has been editor-in-chief at Paraclete Press in Massachusetts. He lives with his wife, Michal Woll, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. JuNE

TRADE PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

978-1-4555-8224-2 $16.00 ($18.00 in Canada)

Christian Theology 5 ¼ x 8 • 224 pgs

Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

j e r i c h o b o o k s i 13

Praise for Jon M. sweeneY:

“ Jon Sweeney, one of my favorite contemporary spiritual writers.” —James Martin, SJ, author of the New York Times bestseller,

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, on Verily, Verily

“Earnest and respectful, while remaining informed and unafraid of critique.” —Publishers Weekly on Strange Heaven

“Sweeney uncovers a tangle of mysteries.” —Booklist (starred review) on The Pope Who Quit

E xc E r p t:

To the ancient and early church, Hell barely existed. All they knew from the Old Testament was Sheol, which liter-ally means “grave,” and was believed to be the dusty deep place within the earth itself where every soul traveled after death. Dante changed all of that with his famous inferno, first written in about 1300 AD, and to read the inferno today is to realize how little it has to do with the Bible. There is far more Greek and Roman mythology than there is scripture in Dante’s nine circles of Hell. Exploring little known biblical phrases such as the “Witch of Endor,” “shades of dead ancestors,” and “the underworld,” INVENTING HELL will surprise you. Also, you will see how the world of Sheol puts the popularity of certain 21st century preoccupations— like zombies—in a whole new light.

MARKETING W National and Christian print, broadcast, and online media campaign

W e-newsletters, social networks, blogs, giveaways

W facebook.com/JonMSweeney, @JonMSweeney

W JonMSweeney.wordpress.com

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THE WAY OF TEA AND JuSTICEServing Up a Revolution

b e c c a S T e v e n S

The founder of the Thistle Stop Café shares how people are contributing—one cup of tea at a time—to a worldwide movement for fair wages and safe working conditions for tea laborers around the world.In 2012, reverend and social entrepreneur Becca Stevens began work on the Thistle Stop Café, a business designed to provide employment opportunities for the residents of Magdalene, as well as Thistle Farms, the social enterprise benefitting women recovering from violence and addic-tion. As she explored the legacy of tea, she uncovered not only its healing mysteries but also the dark secrets that have overshadowed this ancient brew. In THE WAY OF TEA AND JUSTICE, Becca draws readers into the world of tea making, as she works with coopera-tives and coalitions across the globe to ensure fair trade and community enhancement in every cup of tea the café brews. But beneath the beauty of the tea ritual, she found an underbelly of injustice, abuse, and extortion that plagues laborers in the tea industry. True to her nature as an activist and a storyteller, she recounts stories of triumph for impoverished tea pickers and the tales of struggle and hope that have poured in with hundreds of teacups that have been donated to the café.

W Becca Stevens’s first book with Jericho Books, Snake Oil, was published in hardcover in 3/13 and in trade paperback 3/14.

W In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and Tomatoland, this book is an exposé of the exploitation of poor workers and corruption in our food system.

W Stevens has been featured on NPR, PBS, CNN, NPT, Southern Living, Health, Huffington Post, and Christian Century. She was named “Nashvillian of the Year” and “Tennessean of the Year” by the Nashville Scene and The Tennessean, respectively.

W Stevens has been a keynote speaker at the White House, SIBA, the National Sexual Assault Conference, the Wild Goose Festival, and at churches, schools, and conferences nationwide.

W Thistle Farms has a 20,000-member subscriber data-base, with a combined social media reach of 10,000+ likes and followers.

W In 2011, Stevens was named by the White House as one of 15 Champions of Change.

BECCA STEVEnS, is an Episcopal priest and serves as Chaplain at St. Augustine’s at Vanderbilt University. She is the founder of Magdalene & Thistle Farms, a community and social enterprise that stands with women recovering from violence and addiction. She lives in nashville, Tennessee. JuLY

HARDCOVER978-1-4555-1902-6

$22.00 ($25.00 in Canada) Food/Politics

6 x 9 • 256 pgs Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

Also available:Snake Oil

978-1-4555-1905-7 $15.00/$17.00

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Praise for SNAKE OIL:

“Rich and insightful.” —Booklist “A simple, comforting reflection on one woman’s crusade to make a difference in the world.” —Kirkus Reviews

“ Becca is a fearless warrior for those in need of hope and healing; her words speak to the power of unconditional love.” —John and Fiona Prine

E xc E r p t:

It is hard not to let the images of geisha and bound feet creep in as beautiful and silent women tiptoe through ceremonial steps. Beauty and ritual are forever tied into the images of women that keep them from the fullest expressions of being human. Keep women veiled and synched and silent and then they will be honored…. There will be time to raise our tea glasses and shout that we are ready for a new revolution. We will raise our glasses and proclaim we are ready to change this world that still buys and sells women, we are ready to change the way we consume so that small farmers with living wages and the land thrive, and we are ready to pour our resources and time into healing structures like the café and break down the prison walls. But that time hasn’t come. So I slurp my last sip of tea with the host and hope that when those tea glasses are raised, she will want to toast with me.

MARKETING W National and Christian print, broadcast, and online media campaign

W Select author appearances W Tie in with author’s speaking schedule W e-newsletters, social networks, blogs, giveaways

W facebook.com/pages/Rev-Becca-Stevens, @ThistleFarms

W ThistleFarms.org W BeccaStevens.org

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THE BIG GuY uPSTAIRSYou, Him, and How It All Works

r o b S T r o n g f o r e w o r d b y r o b b e L L

No religious jargon, no pretense, and no nonsense: Rob Strong answers the biggest questions about God with simple, incred-ible, and engaging true stories about the things readers really want to know about The Big Guy Upstairs.When Rob Strong tells people he’s a pastor in Massachusetts—“the least churched state in the USA”—it sometimes stops them in their tracks, but Strong never lets his faith bar him from doing what matters most: building sincere relationships with people as, together, they explore the nature of The Big Guy Upstairs. Here he shares how approachable, interactive, and, above all, relevant God can be in readers’ lives, without any of the trappings of religion or “Christianese” that make many of them suspicious. Filled with his inimitable brand of wit and humor, Strong offers readers a fresh take on the importance of understanding their own humanity and their purpose in life, how to disagree with but still respect the perspectives of others, and the role that God plays in every single facet of their lives— especially when they least expect it.

From a “weed” that turned out to be a delicious peach tree, to a miraculous pair of brown shoes, Strong will engage readers with insightful stories and biblical commentary that reveal why their lives are significant—and how God is more intentional, active, and closer than they realize.

W Bestselling author Rob Bell has endorsed and written the foreword to this book.

W Rob Strong is the Lead Pastor of Grace Community Church. Under his leadership, the church has more than doubled in size.

W Strong’s recorded sermons can be found at grace-community.org and walnuthillcc.org.

W He has been a featured speaker at the annual conference for rightnow.org.

W Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4555-2780-9, 7/13

ROB STRONG is currently serving as the Lead Pastor of Grace Community, a church located just north of Boston, Massachusetts. His nearly 20 years of ministry have been intentionally located in the states called New England, where he believes the future of Christianity will be born.

JuLYTRADE PAPERBACK

978-1-4555-2779-3$15.00 ($17.00 in Canada)

Christian Living/Ministry 5 ¼ x 8 • 224 pgs

Publishing background: Jericho Books hardcover

Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

j e r i c h o b o o k s i 17

“A riveting, hilarious, gut-wrenching story that opens up all kinds of new insight and wisdom.”

—Rob Bell, author of What We Talk About When Talk About God

and Love Wins

“Cuts through the excru-ciatingly cliché language that normally get eyes rolling, and unpretentiously engages believers and non-believers alike in gut-level conversations about God.”

—Ron Carucci, bestselling author, Rising to Power and

Leadership Divided

“Spiritual seekers inside and outside the church will be surprised to find The Big Guy isn’t nearly as distant or mysterious as they might have imagined.”

—Rev. Dr. Bryan Wilkerson, Grace Chapel

MARKETING W Christian print and online media campaign W Social networks, blogs W facebook.com/Rob6Strong, @TheRobStrong

W TheRobStrong.com

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“ Rob unpacks what it means to not only believe in the Big Guy upstairs, but how to develop a meaningful relationship with Him.” —David Mitchell, World Vision International

“ Genuine, raw and real, Rob Strong is virtually guaranteed to comfort the disturbed while disturbing the comfortable. But for those who truly want to meet and walk with God, this book could be invaluable.” —Rev. Dr. Clive Calver, Walnut Hill Community Church

GOD ON THE ROCKSDistilling Religion, Savoring Faith

p h i L M a d e i r a

Musician and songwriter Phil Madeira turns his talent for evocative lyricism from the stage to the page as he invites readers to wander with him on his relentless search for God. Phil Madeira recounts his gritty, lyrical journey from fundamentalism to disillusionment with religion to, finally, peace and a fresh understanding of God. From a joke involving a glass eye in a family that doesn’t always see eye-to-eye, a judgmental “Grandmonster” who makes an (almost) redeeming connection in her final moments, to a crumbling marriage and the surprise of new love, Madeira’s raw and tender stories illustrate the journey of life, along with wise reflections to get through it. Madeira boils away the detritus of religion to discover a faith “on the rocks”: sometimes leaving him stranded on the rocky shore, sometimes savored like a smooth drink on a summer’s day. But this faith, in his own words, always leads to a God “not worrying about changing or chastising his broken children, but singing in a low, guttural hum, forged in the heat of his passion for humans, a God almighty love song.” Just as a sweet old hymn can rekindle even a doubting cynic’s longing for God, Madeira’s beckoning voice can turn a wandering heart toward home with laughter and hope.

W Phil Madeira has been featured in Christianity Today, Paste Magazine, The Tennessean, and the Nashville Scene, and contributed essays to Ragamuffin Prayers (Harvest House, 2000).

W Madeira has performed, collaborated with, or had songs recorded by high profile artists including Alison krauss, Elvis Costello, Phil keaggy, Ricky Skaggs, and many more.

W He curated the album Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us, which includes appearances by Emmylou Harris, The Civil Wars, Buddy Miller, Mat kearney, Cindy Morgan, John Scofield, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and more.

W GOD ON THE ROCkS will appeal to lovers of Ann voskamp, Brennan Manning, Annie Dillard, Ian Morgan Cron, Anne Lamott, Richard Rohr, and Rachel Held Evans.

W In 2009, Madeira received the Dove Award for Recorded Country Song of the Year from the Gospel Music Association for his song “I Wish,” co-written with Cindy Morgan.

W Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4555-7314-1, 6/13

PHIL MADEIRA is a musician, songwriter, producer, and singer. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

JuLYTRADE PAPERBACK

978-1-4555-7316-5 $15.00 ($17.00 in Canada)

Spiritual Growth/Memoir 224 pages • 5 ¼ x 8

Publishing background: Jericho Books hardcover

Territories: World

Also available as an e-book

j e r i c h o b o o k s i 19

“GOD ON THE ROCKS is an amazing heart-of-the-music-business journey....Madeira writes in a sharp funny style and never strikes a false note.”

—Frank Schaeffer, New York Times bestselling author of Crazy for God

“If you’re a cage-pacing, God-haunted pilgrim like me, then this deftly penned collection of stories will deeply move you. Madeira’s voice is gritty and tender, broody and vulnerable, unwaver-ingly honest, yet compas-sionate. I’m supremely grateful for this heartfelt travelogue of faith.”

—Ian Morgan Cron, bestselling author of Jesus, My Father, The CIA,

and Me: A Memoir…of Sorts and Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale

MARKETING W Christian print and online media campaign W Social networks, blogs W facebook.com/pages/Phil-Madeira-Music-and-Writing, @PhilMadeira

W PhilMadeira.com

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“Phil celebrates God as a compassionate, living presence in his life, and so gives us a testament to the power of faith and family and in the end, of love.” —Emmylou Harris

“Madeira delivers a feast for the ears, and for the mind, as he ponders the traditions of his family and the mysteries of the faith that have shaped his life.” —Amy Grant

postCHRISTIAN What’s Left? Can We Fix It? Do We Care?

c h r i ST i a n p i aT T

Christian Piatt shows how the “post-Christian” era can be an opportunity for Christianity to be remade in the image of Jesus. Between political infighting and claims that Christianity is destructive or defunct, Christians are scrambling to understand what the 21st-century church should be like. Spiritual vanguard Christian Piatt answers the most crucial questions of our time: What’s left of the church? Piatt identifies what’s left of the church by analyzing its history, and how that history has influenced Christianity today—and what it might look like centuries from now. can we fix it? Using the biggest historical, biblical, and pop-cultural pioneers of the post-Christian era as our guides, he demonstrates how to save the best of what Christianity has to offer—and how to revitalize and renew the rest. Do we care? There’s plenty of good left in Christianity, if Christians can re-learn how to be as scandalously grace-ful and loving as their religion’s founder. Luckily, readers are hungry to do just that. Bold and insightful, Piatt invites outsiders into the fold and encourages Christians to break out of the box as together they reinvent the church in the image of Jesus.

W Christian Piatt is the director of premium web content for Patheos. His regular Patheos blog receives 60,000+ views per month, and he also hosts a premium blog, The Heretic’s Guide to the Bible.

W Piatt actively contributes to the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Sojourners, The Good Men Project, Faith Village, Opposing Views, and Red Letter Christians.

W His blog post titled Ten Clichés that Christians Should Avoid has received 80,000+ views since its publication in 2012. The blog inspired the book’s content.

W He has a combined social media reach of 18,000+ followers and likes. He is the cohost of the Homebrewed Christianity CultureCast podcast, with 10,000+ listeners per week.

CHRiSTiAn PiATT is the director of premium web content for Patheos. He co-founded Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colorado, with his wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, in 2004. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

AuGuST HARDCOVER

978-1-4555-7311-0 $20.00 ($22.00 in Canada)

Christian Living 5 ½ x 8 ¼ • 224 pgs

Territories: World

Also available in downloadable audio and e-book formats

j e r i c h o b o o k s i 21

Praise for Christian Piatt:

“Piatt is refreshingly irreverent and never attempts to candy-coat the gritty and authentic aspects of life.” —Publishers Weekly

“This book isn’t just entertaining and fascinating. It’s inspiring and potentially life-changing.”

—A. J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically, on Banned Questions About the Bible

E xc E r p t:

We’ve been making bold claims about

end-times for centuries now, to the point

that much of the world has stopped

paying attention. But imagine the

Christian narrative read more like

on the road than like the Die hard

movies. Consider what is left of our

faith if the lines between the good

guys and bad guys are blurred or

even nonexistent. Spend less time and

energy worrying about the conclusion

of the story, and focus instead on

recognizing the present moment—thy

Kingdom come, already here and now,

in our midst. Let’s concern ourselves

not with saving souls but with bearing

our own souls to one another, expos-

ing our deepest longing, our fear, our

hope and less-than-perfect parts of

who we are.

MARKETING W Online advertising W National and Chistian print, broadcast, and online media campaign

W e-newsletters, social networks, blogs, giveaways

W facebook.com/ChristianPiattAuthor, @ChristianPiatt

W ChristianPiatt.com

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CITY OF GOD Sara Miles 978-1-4555-4731-9 $20.00/$22.00 • HC

FAITH, DOUBT, AND OTHER LINES I’vE CROSSED Jay Bakker with Andy Meisenheimer 978-0-446-53952-4 $19.99/$21.99 • HC

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