By Bart D. Ehrman

Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Storie

Despite flaws in its premise, this readable treatise on Christ has much to recommend it

Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World

A compelling argument that the roots of non-belief sprouted millennia ago.

By Rev. Barry W. Lynn

God and Government: Twenty-Five Years of Fighting for Equality, Secularism, and Freedom of Conscience

This take-down of the Religious Right is more screed than story.

Private Doubt, Public Dilemma: Religion and Science Since Jefferson and Darwin

This accessible exploration of the science/religion conflict refuses to take sides in the debate.

Luther’s Fortress: Martin Luther and His Reformation under Siege

A portrait of the reformer during a perilous time both for him and his movement.

The Nuns of Sant’Ambrogio: The True Story of a Convent in Scandal

A look at the intrigue and impropriety wrought by a notorious Catholic novice.

Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East

An informative, compelling analysis of the world’s vanishing faiths.