S&P Awards

The Best Spiritual Books of 2005
A Man Without a Country By Kurt Vonnegut Vintage Vonnegut filled with wry humor, playfulness, incisive cultural criticism, savage political satire, and spiritual gems.
A Path and a Practice By William Martin Gives us a vivid sense of this classic's relevance to our lives today.
At the End of Ridge Road By Joseph Bruchac A fine philosophical memoir by the acclaimed writer and storyteller of mixed Abenaki heritage.
Blue Truth By David Deida An in-depth salute to the spiritual practice of openness.
Born Again and Again By Jon M. Sweeney A progressive Christian's autobiographical jaunt through his past fundamentalist experiences which also models the spiritual practices of openness and hospitality.
Compassion By Christina Feldman A top-drawer overview of the spiritual practice of compassion.
Divining the Body By Jan Phillips A compelling and imaginative work calling us to take seriously the Divine Presence within our bodies.
Gandhi's Hope By Jay McDaniel A soul-stirring and enlightening overview of the adventure of wisdom in our times.
God Has No Religion By Frances Sheridan Goulart A perfect model for the kind of devotional resource we need in our multifaith world of crossover seekers.
God's Politics By Jim Wallis A new vision for faith and politics in America based on prophetic religion's imperatives of justice, compassion, peace, and hope.
Hooked! By Stephanie Kaza Offers many practices as a resistance to the global phenomenon of excessive consumption.
How Now By Raphael Cushnir 100 spiritual practices to help you stay focused in the moment and savor the riches available to you there.
How Rembrandt Reveals Your Beautiful Imperfect Self By Roger Housden A masterwork on how the artist's paintings speak to our perceptions of self, vision, and meaning.
How to Expand Love By His Holiness The Dalai Lama Helpful and down-to-earth practices developed over the centuries in Tibet for cultivating love and compassion.
How to Free Your Mind By Thubten Chodron Recommends spiritual practices to achieve liberation from many dangers.
If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It? By Donald McCullough Outlines the various ways people understand this linchpin of Christianity.
Improv Wisdom By Patricia Ryan Madson Exercises for a way of living that is playful and creative.
Jewish with Feeling By Joel Segel, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi A mystical masterpiece filled with spiritual practices and an exciting vision of the future.
Kabbalah and the Power of Dreaming By Catherine Shainberg An excellent resource designed for those who want to make the most of their imagination through inner-vision exercises.
Last Child in the Woods By Richard Louv A hard-hitting and revealing study of today's wired generation of children who have little or no connection with nature.
Merciful Meekness By Kerry Walters Examines the implications of meekness and mercy, two spiritual attributes advocated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
No Time to Lose By Pema Chodron Commentaries by Pema Chodron on The Way of the Bodhisattva, a classic Tibetan Buddhist text.
Observing Spirit By Peter Rhodes An illuminating volume on the spiritual practice of Gurdjieff's 'Work along with insights by Swedenborg.
On the Threshold By Elizabeth J. Andrew An exquisitely written book that mines the spiritual meanings in the ordinary.
Peace Is the Way By Deepak Chopra Debunks the myths that make war so addictive and suggests ways to practice peace everyday.
Plan B By Anne Lamott Essays that reveal the Christian author's idiosyncratic faith as she finds tiny bits of hope and rebirth in her own experiences.
Sitting With Sufis By Mary Blye Howe An interfaith gem that ought to embolden others to act upon their deepest yearnings to draw closer to God.
Stop the Next War Now By Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin An inspiring and thought-provoking collection of essays and other resources for those who are determined to create a more peaceful world.
Storycatcher By Christina Baldwin Helpful and healing advice on the art and craft of personal storytelling.
The Anger Diet By Brenda Shoshanna A thoughtful and practical resource on dealing with anger in your life.
The Circle of Life By Joyce Rupp, Macrina Wiederkehr A wonderful devotional resource about nature as a great spiritual teacher.
The Compassionate Life By Marc Ian Barasch A highly readable overview of the practice that is the best hope for humanity's survival.
The Death of Innocents By Helen Prejean Makes a good case against capital punishment and for the positive value of compassion.
The Difference a Day Makes By Karen M. Jones An invaluable resource for the altruist in you.
The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature By Rami Shapiro Mother Wisdom in the teachings of the Hebrew Bible proving Herself to be a grand and nurturing presence.
The Exquisite Risk By Mark Nepo Explores the inner dimensions of holding nothing back and practicing love, compassion, listening and mystery in all that we do.
The Five Things We Cannot Change . . . By David Richo Ideas and spiritual practices that are gateways to contentment.
The Light and Fire of the Baal Shem Tov By Yitzhak Buxbaum A treasure trove of profoundly mystical stories and teachings by the founder of Hasidism.
The Mermaid Chair By Sue Monk Kidd A novel about Celtic spirituality, The Sacred Feminine, and God's manifold comings-and-goings in family, nature, rituals of remembrance, love, and marriage.
The Sacred Art of Fasting By Thomas Ryan An inspiring and down-to-earth manual on the spiritual dimensions of fasting.
The Sins of Scripture By John Shelby Spong A clarion call for reformation addressed to progressive Christians and others.
The Sufi Book of Life By Neil Douglas-Klotz A poetic, practical, and enlightening introduction to this mystical path.
To Heal a Fractured World By Jonathan Sacks A substantive treatment of the importance of responsibility in Judaism.
Unattended Sorrow By Stephen Levine Concrete spiritual practices for coping with grief and the losses that accumulate over time.
Urgent Message from Mother By Jean Shinoda Bolen A clarion call for a woman's peace movement to combat violence in all sectors of our lives.
Were You There? By Erik Kolbell Challenges us to see ourselves in the actions and reactions of those surrounding Jesus during his last days.
Where God Happens By Rowan Williams Ways for Christians to grow in holiness and to be a place where God happens for others.
White China By Molly Wolf Unpacks the spiritual meanings in everyday events and encounters.
Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? By Ajahn Brahm 108 Buddhist teaching stories brimming with humor, humanity and good will.