Theology Introductions

Nurturing Faith

A Practical Theology for Educating Christians Fred P. Edie and Mark A. Lamport

Foreword by Charles R. Foster In this comprehensive guide to educational ministries in the twenty-first century, Fred Edie and Mark Lamport explore how church leaders and others involved in Christian education can nurture a robust, cruciform faith within their communities. When discussing strategies and goals, Edie and Lamport consider a range of contexts and a variety of related fields that might give insight into educational ministry: theology, pedagogy, philosophy, social science, and more. Those working with any age group—children, adolescents, and adults—will find a relevant discussion of key underlying theological themes, a guide to concrete practices, and indispensable help in navigating shifting cultural dynamics. Exceedingly practical and consistent with the teachings of the gospel, the wisdom in this book will speak to all who long to foster discipleship in their church, school, or missional community.

“Here is the definitive book on Christian education for decades to come.”

— WILL WILLIMON

author of Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry

“A thought-provoking work on communicating and nurturing faith in people of all ages. All engaged in nurturing the Christian faith will surely find something here of relevance and value.” — JUSTIN WELBY

Archbishop of Canterbury

“I most strongly recommend this book for use in theological schools and seminaries and to pastors working in the field. Edie and Lamport have produced practical theology at its best.” — PETER C. PHAN

Georgetown University

Flourishing Together

A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools Lynn E. Swaner and Andy Wolfe

Foreword by Rose Hudson-Wilkin How do students, educators, and schools flourish together—especially in an era of increasing pressure from standardized testing, growing challenges to student mental health and well-being, and frequent educator burnout? The goal of this book—an ideal resource for professional development and strategic planning—is to call Christian educators back to a deeper vision of flourishing within a robust theological framework, with the practical guidance necessary for implementation in schools.

“Swaner and Wolfe, educational leaders with a global reputation, are a superb team, able to bring together the best in American and English school education. They are experienced and inspiring, deeply rooted in intelligent and imaginative Christian faith, and up-to-date in relevant research on education, learning, and well-being.” — DAVID F. FORD

Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus at the University of Cambridge

“This is a wonderful book. It explores, both in principle and in practice, what flourishing might look like in schools for students and educators alike. It is a mustread for anyone with a vision and passion for education.”

— PAULA GOODER

Canon Chancellor at St. Paul’s Cathedral

“Flourishing Together offers timely, practical advice to Christian educators seeking to live and share with students a resilient, grounded, and flourishing way of being in our era of widespread teacher burnout and student disengagement. This is an invitation to greater personal and communal wholeness.”

— MATTHEW T. LEE

Director of Empirical Research at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University

Fred P. Edie, a United Methodist pastor and veteran youth worker, is associate professor for the practice of Christian education at Duke Divinity School.

Mark A. Lamport is a professor of practical theology and the author and editor of several books, including the Encyclopedia of Christian Education.

978-0-8028-7556-3 • Paperback • 534 pages • $44.99 US • $60.99 CAN • £36.99 UK

AVAILABLE NOW

Lynn E. Swaner serves as the chief strategy and innovation officer at the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), where she leads thought leadership and research initiatives, including ACSI’s signature Flourishing Schools Research. Andy Wolfe is the deputy chief education officer (leadership development) for the Church of England, and he has national oversight of the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership.

978-0-8028-7957-8 • Paperback • 310 pages • $24.99 US • $33.99 CAN • £19.99 UK

AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2021

Notes of a Native Daughter

Testifying in Theological Education Keri Day

In Notes of a Native Daughter, Keri Day testifies to structural inequalities and broken promises of inclusion through the eyes of a black woman who experiences herself as both stranger and friend to prevailing models of theological education. Inviting the reader into her religious world—a world that is African American and, more specifically, Afro-Pentecostal—she not only uncovers the colonial impulses of theological education in the United States but also proposes that the lived religious practices and commitments of progressive Afro-Pentecostal communities can help the theological academy decolonize and reenvision multiple futures.

Deliberately speaking in the testimonial form— rather than the more conventional mode of philosophical argument—Day bears witness to the truth revealed in her and others’ lived experience in a voice that is unapologetically visceral, emotive, demonstrative, and, ultimately, communal. With prophetic insight, she addresses this moment when the fastest-growing group of students and teachers are charismatic and neo-Pentecostal people of color for whom theological education is currently a site of both hope and harm. Ultimately, she provides a redemptive narrative for moving forward into a diverse future that can be truly liberating only when it allows itself to be formed by its people and the Spirit moving in them.

“Wrapped in the enfleshed experience of the Pentecostal church, Day shows us what it means to desire the flourishing of others, to act ‘otherwise’ for that flourishing, to yearn and long and become ‘undone’ for the reign of God now.”

— M. SHAWN COPELAND

Boston College

Keri Day is associate professor of constructive theology and African American religion at Princeton Theological Seminary.

The Hope of the Gospel

Theological Education and the Next Evangelicalism Mark S. Young

Evangelicalism in the United States is fracturing along social, political, and ethical fault lines, to the extent that the very meaning of “evangelicalism” is in dispute. Having surrendered its theological character and missional heritage to partisan political activism and cultural conservatism, the movement has lost its unifying identity and undermined its own testimony in an increasingly diverse society.

Mark Young believes a revitalization of the evangelical movement must happen in our seminaries, where the shepherds of the next evangelicalism are being formed. Young argues that if these leaders of tomorrow are instilled with true gospel values, they will go on to form churches and missional organizations that offer a credible and compelling Christlike witness for the sake of the world. The Hope of the Gospel takes readers through the history of evangelicalism and back to the present to make the case for how this can happen through a renewed vision of theological education.

“Against those who would give up on the identifier ‘evangelical,’ Mark Young pushes back with a vision of evangelical theological education in which the gospel is at the center.” — MARK A. NOLL

author of Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind

“A highly relevant, insightful, and timely read for current and future generations of theological educators. “

— KAREN AN-HWEI LEE

provost and professor of English at Wheaton College

Mark S. Young is the president of Denver Seminary, a large evangelical school with students representing over fifty denominations.

978-0-8028-7886-1 • Paperback • 151 pages • $19.99 US $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK

AVAILABLE JANUARY 2022

Atando Cabos

Latinx Contributions to Theological Education Elizabeth Conde-Frazier

In this book, Elizabeth Conde-Frazier reflects on the history of Latinx Protestantism and the ways it has withstood colonizing agendas in the world of theological education. Drawing inspiration from mainline and Pentecostal movements within Latinx Christianity, she reflects on how a new paradigm, centered on the work of the Holy Spirit, can serve to decolonize theological education going forward, bringing about an in-breaking of the kingdom of God.

“With her usual ability to ground education on reality and her enduring commitment to the theological formation of the people of God, Dr. Conde-Frazier weaves critique with guidance and challenge with hope in a fashion that well merits the attention of anyone seeking paths into the future of theological education.” — JUSTO L. GONZÁLEZ

author of The Story of Christianity

“A clear invitation to innovate and to step into the ‘new thing’ God is doing, yes for the Latinx community but also beyond.” — JOANNE SOLIS-WALKER

pastor, consultant, and partner and strategist of CaminoRoad

“For theological schools looking for creative new pathways to welcome underrepresented communities, Conde-Frazier provides intriguing and practical suggestions for collaborative partnerships. This book will be one that I use and recommend repeatedly.”

— LOIDA I. MARTELL

vice president for academic affairs and dean/professor of constructive theology at Lexington Theological Seminary

Elizabeth Conde-Frazier is a nationally recognized authority on Hispanic Bible Institutes. Recently the dean of Esperanza College of Eastern University, she now leads a major grant project for the Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana.

978-0-8028-7901-1 • Paperback • 149 pages • $19.99 US $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK • AVAILABLE NOW