Jonathan Merritt

“Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing--and How We Can Revive Them” (2018)

DISCOVER A FAITH WORTH TALKING ABOUT As America rapidly becomes a pluralistic, postmodern society, many of us struggle to talk about faith. We can no longer assume our friends understand words such as grace or gospel. Others, like lost and sin, have become so negative they are nearly conversation-enders. Jonathan Merritt knows this frustration well. After Jonathan moved from the Bible Belt to New York City, he discovered that whenever conversations turned to spirituality, the words he'd used for decades didn't  connect with listeners anymore. In a search for answers and understanding, Jonathan uncovered a spiritual crisis affecting tens of millions.  In this groundbreaking book, one of America's premier religion writers revives ancient expressions through cultural commentary, vulnerable personal narratives, and surprising biblical insights. Both provocative and liberating, Learning to Speak God from Scratch will breathe new life into your spiritual conversations and lure you into the embrace of the God who inhabits them.

“Step Out!: Leave Your Imprint on the World” (2018)

Join Pastor Jonathan Merritt as he embarks on his first literary venture spreading the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Merritt explores the call to STEP OUT on faith, as he takes readers through trials and tribulations he's faced over the course of his life. Foreword written by Bishop Andrew Merritt.At an early age, one could witness that Jonathan Andrew Merritt had the presence of God's spirit moving in his life. Jonathan shares the same birth date as his father, Bishop Andrew Merritt, who prophesied that Jonathan would be born on his birthday even before his birth.The Spirit of God was, once again, moving on Jonathan's behalf, when on the sixth day of his birth, he was anointed with oil and dedicated by Brother Kenneth Copeland before thirteen thousand believers.As the son of Bishop Andrew and Pastor Viveca C. Merritt, the founders of Straight Gate International Church in Detroit, Jonathan has learned many valuable lessons from whom he describes as, "the greatest role models a son could have"-- his parents. They have shown him great humility, strength, and perseverance, and inspired in him a passion for Christ, which can be seen laced throughout the journey he shares throughout this book.He has walked in the vision God gave his father more than 40 years ago, "to reach the city, nation, and world for Jesus Christ." He realizes that this vision can transform the lives of millions from darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ.

“Jesus Is Better than You Imagined” (2014)

“A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars” (2012)

“Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet” (2010)