Dennis Okholm
A Model for Evangelical Theology
Theology
“A preoccupation with theological method has been described as clearing one’s throat. If that is true, Graham McFarlane has accomplished this so well that those who read this book will speak with a more profound theological voice. McFarlane provides us with a truly evangelical prolegomena that goes further and deeper than anything that has been published, unpacking five dimensions of the theological enterprise in the company of a wide range of practitioners. He dissects, clarifies, and exemplifies the process of theological thinking that will assist us in remaining true to the Word and relevant to the human situation.”
Theology
“Without denying the helpfulness of theological constructions and metaphors to understand the atoning work of Christ, McNichols recalls us to the biblical narrative to rediscover the width, breadth, and depth of an atonement that extends far beyond what any one theory will hold. Through insightful retelling and sermonic illustration he takes us back two thousand years and re-members us to the original significance of what Christ has done.”
Arts & Literature
“Colón wends her way through Sayers's detective novels and religious plays in the context of her life and times to help us see what Sayers wanted us to learn about community and the work that God has given each of us to do with joy for the health of our communities—especially the church. Sayers comes through as one who passionately grounded these insights in essential Christian doctrines, such as God's triune existence and the atonement, during times of war and societal decay. At a time when we seem to be sinking into tribalism in a contentious world, there are lessons to be gleaned from Sayers thanks to Colón's guidance. And this study might just prompt one to hurry to the bookshelf and read or reread a Sayers piece, seeing in it what otherwise would have been missed.”
Christianity for Seekers and Skeptics
Apologetics
“Clinton McLemore’s Christianity for Seekers and Skeptics is a one-stop shop for everything a person would want to know about the Christian faith—what it is, why it’s believable, and how it affects our personal lives. McLemore’s knowledge is encyclopedic . . . he presents what he knows in an unpretentious and easily accessible way . . . a reference for believers to keep on the shelf . . . If you only have room among your possessions for one book on everything you need to know about the Christian faith, this is the one.”
Disciple Making in a Culture of Power, Comfort, and Fear
Discipleship & Christian Education
“Matt Dickerson reminds us that Jesus didn’t tell us just to win souls or get people to accept Jesus into their hearts; Jesus told disciples to make disciples. What is so good about Matt’s book is that he takes that imperative and turns it over and over to unpack the relationality it entails, the necessity of knowing and living the word it requires, and the temptations of a culture that clouds our discernment and threatens to undermine our calling as disciple-makers. The book is an engaging conversation that humbly helps get us back on track to do the most significant thing that Christ called us to do.”
Evangelical Postcolonial Conversations
Theology
“The contributors to Evangelical Postcolonial Conversations remind us that there is no view from nowhere. More importantly, they help western evangelicals realize how often we have confused our finite and fallible human responses to God's self-disclosure with the Word of God itself—how often we have confined God's Word to our words. What I enjoyed most about this book is the way it invited me, the reader, into an ongoing conversation that itself models how self-identifying evangelicals can better listen to the voices of those in the Majority World and on the margins in a manner that engenders humility, repentance and even our ongoing conversion to something that more closely resembles God's reign on earth as it is in heaven.”
Theology
“Operating under the premise of 'first theology' that our doctrine of God cannot be divorced from our understanding of Scripture, Kevin Vanhoozer brings together what modernism and postmodernism (not to mention some evangelicals) have rent asunder: imagination and historical-textual criticism, God's communicative performance and our missional response, the Bible that is God's Word and the Bible that becomes God's Word. He does this while graciously interacting with a wide range of theologians, philosophers and communication theorists. As a result, Kevin rescues the Bible from reductionist approaches that diminish the mighty and saving speech-act of the living, loving Lord.”
Discipleship & Christian Education
“Mike Kibbe's guide for writing research papers is an excellent resource for both college and graduate level students. Its compact size belies its wealth of helpful advice and information. The step-by-step instruction should give students confidence, while pointing out pitfalls and offering examples from the author's own experience. There are many time-saving suggestions that will make research and writing efficient without compromising integrity. And the tone is conversational, as if Kibbe is having a one-on-one conversation with the reader. This book is essential for students who write research papers . . . and for professors who want to enjoy reading what their students produce.”
Life Questions Every Student Asks
Christian Living
“Every church that sends its kids off to college and every parent who wants their child to navigate the higher education experience as a disciple of Jesus should give them a compass and this book. Both will help the matriculating student stay on course—in the case of this book, not with canned advice, as is so often the case, but with deep wisdom, honest reflections, and practical advice about the most significant questions that often haunt Christian students, whether they attend secular or religious institutions. In any case, every Christian college should make this book required reading during its students' first semester.”
Living Wisely with the Church Fathers
History & Biography
“Once again Chris Hall invites us to a banquet of guests from the early church, this time to learn from them how to live and love more faithfully as God's image-bearers. Through his reading and research, Chris has lived with these guests for many years and knows them so well that they come alive in this book, speaking to us words of wisdom about topics like killing, wealth, marriage, and entertainment. This is a feast that is easily digested but rich and nourishing. I will be coming back to this table for seconds and thirds.”
Philosophy
“Greer's map provides the educated Christian with a helpful orientation to locate the positions people have taken when postmodernism intersects the faith. He does this with a user-friendly grid that is neither simplistic nor in the academic stratosphere. And he explores this terrain as one who is on his own journey among Roman Catholics and Protestant fundamentalists. He rightly chastens conservatives and liberals alike for their reliance on modernity's promise of a universal human foundation upon which to anchor faith. He commends us to do what some folks have reminded us to do all along: to ground our faith in a relationship with the God revealed in Christ and alive in us through the Holy Spirit. This gives Greer a critical calm rather than a reactionary alarm that helps us to recognize the opportunities postmodernism affords the church to articulate her faith in fresh ways and the challenge postmodernism poses when it steers us toward 'radical relativism.'”
Theology
“What I love about Clapp’s book New Creation is that he succinctly brings together a host of fellow travelers in dialogue with all of Scripture to dispel any notions that eschatology is merely about what happens in the end. In fact, what makes this book essential for disciples of Jesus is what Clapp does to help us see the implications of eschatology for our lives now in everything from sex to politics, climate change to Black Lives Matter, and all else that has to do with contemporary life. He accomplishes what he sets out to do—to demonstrate that eschatology is the key to understanding the biblical story into which we have been baptized.”
History & Biography
“What is impressive about Whiting’s tour de force is the breadth of literature and episodes in the history of the diverse Christian church that he insightfully uses to help us see the ways in which manifestations of the four loves, as Lewis unpacked them, have played off each other for good or ill. And then he perceptively helps us see how a balanced integration of the practice of these loves can keep the church on course in a world that has grown increasingly secular.”
Christian Living
“Spiritual disciplines, if done wrong, can become a form of sanctified narcissism. Bennett’s book is a welcome corrective. He turns the disciplines sideways, and in doing so life gets oriented outward. We have focused much on the first great commandment. Bennett helps us put shoes on the second great commandment. After he discusses each spiritual discipline he gets down and dirty with specifics. If you take him seriously, your life and your neighborhood will be changed.”
Theology
“Jennifer Buck's Reframing the House gives a voice to Majority World women who have not been heard much in Western discussions about the nature of the church. And Buck uses their voice to propose a constructive global ecclesiology that has implications for the way we think about sin, salvation, and the existence of the church as an alternative society to the sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, individualism, and all the other -isms that even infect the contemporary church. She does this with graciousness and humility, yet conviction. There is no generic Christianity; the noun always requires an adjective--something we in the West often overlook. That is why Buck's book is needed: it participates in the answer to the Apostle Paul's prayer in Ephesians that we might come to know the dimensions of Christ's love 'with all the saints.'”
Preaching & Worship
“Like the Eucharist, Mike McNichols' Shadow Meal is a treat. In the style of Anne Lamott, Mike invites us on his journey to look at the table from many different angles. By the time you get through reading his musings, the table will look a lot bigger, some of the dinner guests will not look familiar, and the menu items will be tastier. This book is one to be savored!”
Christian Living
“Mangis says he wants to induce excitement on our Christian journey, not guilt or gloom. That is difficult to do in a book about sin, but he succeeds by helping us to recognize that sin is far more complex and grace is far more dynamic than we might have thought. By constantly reminding us that one size doesn't fit all, Mangis draws on Scripture and the Christian tradition, anecdotes from his own life and his practice as a psychotherapist, and a reservoir of helpful analogies to engage readers in an eminently practical and thoughtful examination of their own spiritual health with prescriptive suggestions for hearts that are prone to wander. What I found encouraging was his ability to integrate insights from the field of psychology with an honesty and humility that refrains from making Christianity obsequious to the social sciences.”
“I wish I had had Robinson's Soul Mentoring when I introduced graduate psychology students to Gregory's On Pastoral Care in years past. . . . Robinson's book is insightful, engaging, and eminently practical for those who want to learn how to care for the 'souls' of others, while taking stock of their own spiritual lives in the process.”
Work, Money & Leadership
“Dr. Bieber, as her students refer to her, has given those of us who teach a gift. With wit and transparency, this seasoned professor not only stimulates us to consider ways in which we can teach better but she provides us with specific strategies not only for the classroom but for maintaining sanity throughout the year—with specifics from managing emails to knowing how and when to say no to orchestrating the accomplishment of tasks on the to-do list. This book is not fluff; it is well researched, as Bieber Lake introduces us to resources that provide practical and soul-saving advice. Every teacher should read this book!”
Prayer & Spiritual Formation
“Michael Voigts helps us understand that prayer is more about being than about doing. . . . This is a feast that needs to be slowly savored. It is wise, deep, and theologically sound. Even those who have a profound spiritual life will find much in Voigts’s book that will lead to deeper introspection, awareness of God’s presence, and prayerful concern for others. I will be returning to this book, because its rich contents encourage more than just an initial read.”
NOTE: Only includes books currently in our catalog; not necessarily a complete list.
Christian Apologetics in the Postmodern World
Apologetics
Theology
Monk Habits for Everyday People
Church Leadership & Ministry
Waiting for God, Justice, and Rush-Hour Traffic
Christian Living
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