Theology

Reformed and Evangelical across Four Centuries

The Presbyterian Story in America Nathan P. Feldmeth, S. Donald Fortson III, Garth M. Rosell, and Kenneth J. Stewart

Foreword by George M. Marsden Reformed and Evangelical across Four Centuries tells the story of the Presbyterian church in the United States, beginning with its British foundations and extending to its present-day expression in multiple American Presbyterian denominations. This account emphasizes the role of the evangelical movement in shaping various Presbyterian bodies in America, especially in the twentieth century amid increasing departures from traditional Calvinism, historic orthodoxy, and a focus on biblical authority. Particular attention is also given to crucial elements of diversity in the Presbyterian story, with increasing numbers of African American, Latino/a, and Korean American Presbyterians—among others—in the twenty-first century.

“I’ve been eagerly anticipating this volume for some time! It is far more comprehensive than anything we have had before. It not only pays close attention to the controversies in the twentieth century over orthodoxy and modernism, but it shows the current and coming racial and national diversity of Presbyterianism. Highly recommended.” — TIMOTHY KELLER

pastor emeritus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New York City

“The history of Presbyterianism has often (and only half-jokingly) been characterized as a ‘split P’ narrative, with the story often being told from the perspective of one of the ‘splits.’ This wonderful book in no way ignores the diversity, but it succeeds—through a creative pan-Presbyterian team effort—to find important common threads in all of the diversity.” — RICHARD J. MOUW

president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary

Nathan P. Feldmeth is senior assistant professor of church history at Fuller Theological Seminary. S. Donald Fortson III is professor of church history and pastoral theology on the Charlotte campus of Reformed Theological Seminary. Garth M. Rosell is senior research professor of church history at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Kenneth J. Stewart is professor emeritus of theological studies at Covenant College.

978-0-8028-7340-8 • Paperback • 360 pages • $29.99 US • $39.99 CAN • £23.99 UK

AVAILABLE JANUARY 2022

The Bible in the Early Church

Justo L. González A concise history of the Bible: its creation, use, and interpretation

What is the Bible? To answer this question we must understand the Bible’s origins in the early church. In this book, celebrated church historian Justo González introduces the reader to some important features of the earliest Bibles—for instance, the Bible’s original languages, its division into chapters and verses, and even its physical appearance in its first forms. González also explores the use of the Bible in the early church (such as in worship or in private reading) and the interpretation of the Bible throughout the ensuing centuries, giving readers a holistic sense of the Bible’s emergence as the keystone of Christian life, from its beginnings to present times.

“Finally. A book on the Bible in early Christianity that answers the important questions that everyone asks and does it in a way that everyone will want to read. This is González at his best. He cuts to the chase, anticipates our queries, leads us to the best of the primary sources, gives us enough, but not too much, and does it all in the genre of bedtime story.” — D. JEFFREY BINGHAM

dean of the School of Theology and professor of historical theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“This is the best introduction to the Bible in the early church currently available. In clear and accessible prose, González surveys the Bible as a physical artifact, its uses in various settings, and the different ways it was interpreted by its earliest readers. The Bible in the Early Church is both conversational and dependable, hallmarks of González’s scholarship over the decades.”

— PETER W. MARTENS

professor of early Christianity at Saint Louis University

“Justo L. González has gifted us in The Bible in the Early Church with a very personal, clear, and erudite introduction to the writing, use, and transmission of the biblical text for the life of the church. This book should be a most welcome addition to introductory courses on the Bible in theological schools and universities as well as in parochial settings.” — ALBERTO L. GARCÍA

professor emeritus of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin

Justo L. González is a retired United Methodist minister and professor of historical theology. His more than one hundred books include The Story of Christianity, A History of Christian Thought, Teach Us to Pray, Knowing Our Faith, and A Brief History of Sunday.

978-0-8028-8174-8 • Paperback • 200 pages • $19.99 US • $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK

AVAILABLE MARCH 2022

A Reader J. Edward Walters, editor English translations of Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Arabic, Coptic, and Ethiopic Christian texts from late antiquity to the early modern period

In order to make the writings of Eastern Christianity more widely accessible this volume offers a collection of significant texts from various Eastern Christian traditions, many of which are appearing in English for the first time. The internationally renowned scholars behind these translations begin each section with an informative historical introduction, so that anyone interested in learning more about these understudied groups can more easily traverse their diverse linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions. A boon to scholars, students, and general readers, this ample resource expands the scope of Christian history so that communities beyond Western Christendom can no longer be ignored.

“Here is a really excellent and most welcome volume: it aims to provide ‘a series of windows’ into the literatures of the various languages of the Christian Middle East. For each language, well-chosen excerpts, ranging from four to nine in number, are introduced and translated, accompanied by helpful bibliographical guidance in each case for readers who wish to explore further. The book provides both the general reader and scholars in related areas with a wonderful gateway into little-known areas of early Christian literature.” — SEBASTIAN BROCK

University of Oxford

“Scholars and students have rarely had easy access to primary sources across the array of continents, languages, and cultures where ancient Christians forged their places. This volume responds to that need. Concise and efficient, it offers a rich assortment of texts from an often-unfamiliar variety of language traditions. Demonstrating fundamental commonalities as well as distinctive traits for each, this volume is a marvelously rich entry into global Christianity over its first millennium and more, far to the east of Europe’s shores.” — SUSAN ASHBROOK HARVEY

Brown University

“Providing short introductions to the various Eastern churches alongside fresh translations of some of their most important texts, this ‘dream team’ of contributors has created the first truly accessible entryway into the diverse traditions associated with Eastern Christianity. Thanks to their efforts, there is no longer any excuse for the history of Christianity to be taught as the history simply of Western Christianity. For anyone interested in understanding Christianity as a global religion—whether professor, graduate student, seminarian, undergraduate, or practitioner—Eastern Christianity is nothing short of required reading.” — MICHAEL PHILIP PENN

Stanford University

CONTRIBUTORS

Jesse S. Arlen Aaron M. Butts Jeff W. Childers Mary K. Farag Philip Michael Forness John C. Lamoreaux Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Erin Galgay Walsh J. Edward Walters Jeffrey Wickes

978-0-8028-7686-7 • Hardcover • 439 pages • $55.00 US • $73.99 CAN • £44.99 UK

AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2021

J. Edward Walters is a cataloger of Syriac manuscripts for Hill Museum & Manuscript Library in Collegeville, Minnesota. His research focuses on Christianity in late antiquity, especially among Syriac speakers. Walters is particularly interested in the early period of Syriac literature, and much of his research thus far has focused on the fourth-century author Aphrahat, the Persian Sage. More broadly, Walters has written and published on a number of topics pertaining to Syriac Christianity, including several translations of Syriac texts. He is also the general editor of the Digital Syriac Corpus, an online repository of digitized Syriac texts..

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David M. Gustafson is chair of the mission and evangelism department at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is an affiliate docent at Johannelund School of Theology in Uppsala, Sweden, and a fellow of the Billy Graham Center of Evangelism in Wheaton, Illinois.

978-0-8028-7622-5 • Paperback • 295 pages $24.99 US • $33.99 CAN • £19.99 UK

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Richard R. Osmer is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Ralph B. and Helen S. Ashenfelter Professor of Mission and Evangelism Emeritus. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he chairs the Committee to Write New Catechisms for the Presbyterian Church (USA). His other books include Practical Theology: An Introduction and The Teaching Ministry of Congregations. A History of Evangelism David M. Gustafson

Gospel Witness through the Ages is a definitive history of Christian evangelism from the full two thousand years of church history. David Gustafson introduces readers to evangelism’s noteworthy persons, movements, and methods from the past—including both examples to emulate and examples to avoid. With this thorough historical approach, Gustafson expands the reader’s conception of the evangelistic task and suggests new ways to shape our identity as gospel witnesses today through the influence of these earlier generations of Christians.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1. Beginning of Christian Evangelism 2. Early Church Evangelism 3. Christendom and Monastic Evangelism 4. Medieval Evangelism 5. Renaissance Evangelism 6. Reformation Evangelism 7. Pietist Evangelism 8. Revival Evangelism 9. Frontier to Urban Evangelism 10. Social Gospel versus Soul-Saving Evangelism 11. Global Indigenous Evangelism 12. Personal to Holistic Evangelism Epilogue: Evangelism in the Twenty-First Century

“Those of us involved in Christian higher education have needed a learned, faithful, general history of Christian gospel witness for quite some time. Kudos to David Gustafson for meeting the need so well. His prose is crystal clear, his chapters are reliable, his judgments fair-minded and theologically edifying. This is now the go-to textbook on the subject.” — DOUGLAS A. SWEENEY

dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

The Invitation

A Theology of Evangelism Richard R. Osmer

This is a book about evangelism for people who are uncomfortable with older, simpler notions about evangelism as conversionism. Drawing on Karl Barth’s understanding of who God is, and what that means for the church in its efforts to provide authentic, life-changing witness, Richard Osmer theologizes evangelism as a multifaceted act of invitation to Christ-following community.

“Richard Osmer has written the definitive book on evangelism today and likely for years to come. It is biblically rigorous, theologically erudite, lucidly written, and often quite moving. This is essential reading.”

— JASON BYASSEE

coauthor of Following: Embodied Discipleship in a Digital Age

“In this significant, scholarly, and accessible study, Richard Osmer unpacks the inherited church’s practice of evangelism as conversionism, with its accompanying limitations. Highly recommended for seminary students and ministry practitioners.” — ELAINE A. HEATH

author of The Mystic Way of Evangelism: A Contemplative Vision for Christian Outreach

“Richard Osmer has done Christians a great service by examining the cultural and theological toolkits with which conversionist approaches to evangelism operate. Osmer’s use of case studies gives to his examination a concreteness and liveliness from which readers will gain insight, clarity, and motivation.” — BRYAN STONE

author of Evangelism after Pluralism: The Ethics of Christian Witness

“Osmer provides a beautiful reimagining of evangelism that is deeply rooted in theology and Scripture. He manages to untangle the complexities found in various traditions and provides the reader with a hope-filled understanding of this invitation to the gospel message. It can be difficult to appeal to both the academic guild and the local church, but Osmer does this brilliantly. This is practical theology at its very best.” — AMANDA J. DRURY

associate professor of practical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University

That We May Be One

Practicing Unity in a Divided Church Gary B. Agee Transcending divisions and healing the Body of Christ

Disunity is a reality within churches today. Left unaddressed, political disagreements and racial inequities can fester into misunderstanding, resentment, and anger. But often the act of addressing this discord prompts further animosity, widening fissures into gaping fault lines between fellow members of the same community.

Gary Agee, a pastor well-versed in navigating the volatility of diverse church communities, reflects here on the roots of division within the church and the virtues and practices that can promote the restoration of unity. With disarming honesty and humility, Agee offers sage advice gleaned from Scripture and years of practical experience to show how we might fulfill Jesus’s prayer on behalf of the church: “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. . . . That they may be one as we are one.” At the end of each chapter, Agee includes exercises, discussion questions, and suggested practices, providing a concrete path to unity through dialogue and action.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Seeing and Not Seeing: An

Autobiographical Introduction in Three Acts 1. Getting Started 2. Speaking of Unity 3. Taking on a Posture of Unity 4. The Upper Room Experience 5. The Bible and the Practice of Unity 6. False Gospels 7. From Pew to Practice 8. Champions for a Cause Conclusion: Finding Home

Gary B. Agee has been a pastor in the Church of God (Anderson) since 1985 and is currently the lead pastor of the Beechwood Church of God in Camden, Ohio.

978-0-8028-8186-1• Paperback • 160 pages • $19.99 US $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK • AVAILABLE APRIL 2022

Why Can’t Church Be More Like an AA Meeting?

And Other Questions Christians Ask about Recovery Stephen R. Haynes

If Christians long for authentic spirituality rooted in fellowship and mutual healing, why not learn from groups that are committed to a way of life built on these values? Alcoholics Anonymous and related Twelve-Step fellowships often meet in the classrooms or basements of churches, but Stephen Haynes believes the guiding principles of TwelveStep recovery that guide these meetings can become a part of congregational life that extends to Sunday mornings—and beyond. In this book, he explores how adopting the ethos of recovery could transform faith communities into places of genuine vulnerability and radical hospitality.

“If you’ve attended a Twelve-Step recovery meeting, you’ve likely come to a simple conclusion: If church were more like this, no one would ever leave. In this book, Stephen Haynes highlights the hallmarks of programs like AA—the nonjudgmental curiosity, unmitigated acceptance, and unfailing support of the members—and casts a new vision for the church, one that sees brokenness as the first step in a miraculous healing journey.” — SETH HAINES

author of The Book of Waking Up: Experiencing the Divine Love That Reorders a Life

“For those Christians who are curious or suspicious about the Twelve-Step model, this book offers a balanced introduction to Twelve-Step recovery, including the Christian influence behind Alcoholics Anonymous and the many ways contemporary Christian groups have critiqued, adapted, or embraced Twelve-Step recovery.” — SONIA E. WATERS

author of Addiction and Pastoral Care

Stephen R. Haynes is professor of religious studies at Rhodes College, adjunct professor of recovery ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary, and theologian-inresidence at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

978-0-8028-7885-4 • Paperback • 240 pages • $19.99 US $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK • AVAILABLE NOW

Good Works

Hospitality and Faithful Discipleship Keith Wasserman and Christine D. Pohl

For over forty years, the community of Good Works, Inc., has shared life with its neighbors in rural southeastern Ohio, a region with high poverty rates and remarkably resilient people. Offering friendship to those without a support network and shelter, care, and community to people without homes, those involved with Good Works have made it their mission to embody the gospel in innovative ways.

Christians who hunger for lifegiving involvement in their local communities—wherever they might be and in whichever circumstances—will find inspiration and guidance in this quiet but powerful Appalachian ministry.

“This refreshing study will offer valuable guidance and inspiration for pastors, teachers, leaders of social ministries, and people of faith seeking to embed Christian ethics into the fabric of their communities.”

— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Beautiful. This book helps us all go deeper into Jesus’s call to hospitality and faithful discipleship and to be inspired to live more faithfully ourselves.”

— L. GREGORY JONES

president of Belmont University

“Wasserman and Pohl invite us to pull up a seat at the table of friendship where laughter and tears flow freely and where people who are counted as little in the eyes of the world discover they are seen and known.” — MICHAEL MATHER

author of Having Nothing, Possessing Everything

Keith Wasserman is the founder and executive director of Good Works, Inc.

Christine D. Pohl is professor emerita of church in society at Asbury Theological Seminary.

978-0-8028-7701-7 • Paperback • 188 pages • $16.99 US $22.99 CAN • £13.99 UK • AVAILABLE NOW

The Pastor’s Bookshelf

Why Reading Matters for Ministry Austin Carty

Foreword by Thomas G. Long It’s time to give pastors permission to read books besides the Bible.

Six months into his first senior pastorate, Austin Carty sat in his office reading—not the Bible, not a commentary, not a theological tract, but a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. As the minutes turned to hours, while he sat engrossed in this book, he noticed something: he began feeling uneasy. And then anxious. And then guilty. What would someone think if they opened the door and caught him reading fiction?

For busy pastors (is there any other kind?), time spent reading feels hard to justify, especially when it’s not for sermon prep. But what if reading felt less like a luxury and more like a vocational responsibility—a spiritual practice that bore fruit in every aspect of ministry, from preaching to pastoral care to church leadership?

Austin Carty believes that this is exactly how pastors ought to think about reading. The Pastor’s Bookshelf shows how worthwhile reading is more about formation than information and how, through reading, a pastor becomes a fuller, more enriched human being with a deeper capacity for wisdom and love, better equipped to understand and work for God’s kingdom.

“Time and again in my ministry I’ve been rescued from despair by a book. Partnering with novelists, poets, and scholars has stoked, funded, and fueled my ministry. Just last week Dostoevsky saved me from committing a boring sermon. That’s why I so enjoyed Austin Carty’s The Pastor’s Bookshelf and found it to be full of such wonderful, wise, invigorating guidance for pastors needing to read ourselves through ministry.” — WILL WILLIMON

professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School

“Austin Carty writes with great conviction on a truly significant topic: the need for pastors to be avid readers. He also writes with clarity, consistency, and grace. The church needs this vital book.” — CORNELIUS PLANTINGA

author of Reading for Preaching

Austin Carty lives and pastors in Anderson, South Carolina. He is the author of High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out.

978-0-8028-7910-3 • Paperback • 176 pages • $19.99 US • $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK

AVAILABLE APRIL 2022

We Aren’t Broke

Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry Mark Elsdon

Foreword by Craig Dykstra Despite talk of financial struggle and decline in the church, most religious institutions have more resources than they know. This book is an invitation to innovation, possibility, and hope in utilizing those hidden resources— property, investments, people, and passion—that are available right now to revitalize churches and missional organizations, as well as their surrounding communities.

“One of our biggest challenges in the church is imagination. In this book, Mark Elsdon reminds us that there is no scarcity of resources, only a scarcity of creativity and courage.” — SHANE CLAIBORNE

author, activist, and cofounder of Red Letter Christians

“This book packs a wallop—it could not be timelier or more important for congregations today. Elsdon calls churches to reckon with the impact of their finances—not just whether they can make bank—and turns impact investing into something mighty close to a spiritual practice. Given the tectonic shifts in giving and the global hand-wringing over the future of the church, We Aren’t Broke isn’t a moment too soon.” — KENDA CREASY DEAN

author of Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church

“Mark Elsdon knows what he is writing about: a capacious Christian vision of the common good. What he proposes is not abstract but grounded—a tested way of perceiving and acting that reorders the power of money and property for the sake of a more just and thriving neighborhood or town. Elsdon points a way to a comprehensive transformation of the church and the community.”

— MARK LABBERTON

author of The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor

Mark Elsdon lives and works at the intersection of money and meaning as an entrepreneur, pastor, consultant, and speaker. He is cofounder of RootedGood, which seeks to create more good in the world through social innovation; executive director at Pres House on the University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus; and owner of Elsdon Strategic Consulting. Mark is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his spouse and two daughters.

978-0-8028-7898-4 • Paperback • 239 pages • $18.99 US • $25.99 CAN • £14.99 UK

AVAILABLE NOW

Chasing after Wind

A Pastor’s Life Douglas J. Brouwer

Foreword by Richard J. Mouw One pastor’s journey from idealism, through disillusionment, to an acceptance of grace

After forty years as a Presbyterian pastor, Douglas Brouwer wondered if he had spent his life, as the author of Ecclesiastes laments, “chasing after wind.” But he also had the unmistakable sense that it had been worthwhile—even though not in the ways he had expected it to be at the start of his career. In this memoir, Brouwer recounts stories from throughout his life that speak to both the disillusionment and joy of ministry in the current age of shrinking mainline churches.

“It’s one thing to have a talented, theologically well-formed Reformed pastor. It’s quite another thing for that pastor to be honest, truthful, courageous, eloquent, and interesting. Doug Brouwer is that pastor. Doug’s book is bound to be known as one of the finest ministerial memoirs to come out of the last days of mainline Protestantism. Here’s a life, a ministry well lived, an inspiring testimonial to the grace of God in calling a life to service.” — WILL WILLIMON

author of Accidental Preacher: A Memoir

“In these pages, we encounter a thing far too rare—a pastor skilled in stringing together artful sentences, writing as a genuine human rather than a religious delegate clinching the script. If we had more stories like this, those of us who wear the stole would have a little more fear and trembling, and more wonder and laughter too.” — WINN COLLIER

author of Love Big, Be Well

“An intelligent, candid, and absorbing account of a deeply felt ministry.”

— CORNELIUS PLANTINGA

author of Morning and Evening Prayers

Douglas J. Brouwer is a retired Presbyterian pastor who served churches in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, and Zürich, Switzerland. His other books include Remembering the Faith: What Christians Believe and How to Become a Multicultural Church.

978-0-8028-8187-8 • Paperback • 238 pages • $22.00 US • $29.99 CAN • £17.99 UK

AVAILABLE MARCH 2022

At the Blue Hole

Elegy for a Church on the Edge Jack R. Reese

Foreword by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson At the Blue Hole is the story of Churches of Christ in America from their origins to their current state of rapid decline. Jack Reese offers an elegy of remembrance and a promise of hope—that if these churches claim their own death, this once-thriving fellowship may yet emerge from the grave into the light of resurrection.

“Equal parts theologian, pastor, and historian, Jack Reese has written a personal and prophetic book, a reflection on what has happened among Churches of Christ and a description of what must be changed. I consider Jack to be a good friend, careful student, and reliable counsel. I’m thrilled to read this book and privileged to encourage you to do likewise.” — MAX LUCADO

pastor and bestselling author

“It takes courage to offer a way forward, courage to name some of the failures of the past, courage to offer a diagnosis and prognosis that require actual change in lifestyle. That’s what Jack Reese offers in these pages, and I pray many readers take this positive, honest, and challenging book to heart.” — BRIAN D. McLAREN

author of Faith after Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do about It

“Part spiritual autobiography, part history of Churches of Christ, and part missional epistle for a denomination that, like so many others, is in steep decline, At the Blue Hole is Jack Reese’s prophetic call to his people to come back to Jesus. This book should be read by everyone who longs for renewal in the church.”

— ELAINE A. HEATH

author of God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church

“With a humility that acknowledges the present and owns the past, Jack Reese is pointing Churches of Christ to a better future. It will require death, but it can also mean resurrection!” — RICK ATCHLEY

senior minister at The Hills Church

Jack R. Reese has served as a preacher and missional leader in a variety of churches, urban ministries, and mission points across five continents. He is currently an interfaith leader and executive minister at the Northside Church of Christ in San Antonio.

978-0-8028-7952-3 • Paperback • 260 pages • $21.99 US • $29.99 CAN • £17.99 UK

AVAILABLE NOW