Dale R. Stoffer

Piety in Song

Preaching & Worship

“Though there have been several excellent detailed studies of given periods of Brethren hymnody, what has been lacking is a comprehensive overview of the Brethren hymnic tradition. Peter Roussakis’ work fills this void in a very accessible and well-documented manner. In a little over one hundred pages of text, he introduces the reader to all the important hymnbooks and hymnals of the major Brethren bodies. Along the way he provides background sketches of Brethren composers of hymn texts and tunes and observes how the Brethren adapted or accommodated to the shifting cultural contexts in which they found themselves. Of special note, Roussakis traces the spiritual pilgrimage of the brethren through their hymnody, which is the inspiration for the title of his work, Piety in Song. This book should be welcomed by all brethren groups as well as those desiring an introduction to Brethren hymnody.”

Word-Spirit Communal Revelationalism

Theology

“Barnhart’s critical analysis of the thought of J. Allen Miller, the leading theologian of the Brethren Church during the first third of the twentieth century, reveals Miller’s unique but faithful explication of Brethren thought. Miller’s theological methodology modeled a third, mediating way amid the polarized theological terrain of classical liberalism and fundamentalism that also offers insights for traversing our own polarized landscape in the twenty-first century.”