Douglas A. Sweeney

The Surprising Work of God

History & Biography

“This is insider’s history at its best. Garth Rosell is not only a truly first-rate historian but has also lived through many of the events he recounts. His front-row seat within the theater of post-war evangelicalism combined with careful work in little-known manuscript materials has yielded an accurate, vivid account of the evangelical movement’s twentieth-century revival. This book is real treasure—must reading for all who care about American religion.”

The Wartime Sermons of Jonathan Edwards

Preaching & Worship

“Jonathan Edwards’s life and ministry were shaped by warfare to a much greater extent than most appreciate. . . . Edwards thought, wrote, and preached about war quite a lot. Many thanks to Christian Cuthbert for driving this point home. More than any scholar before, he has worked us through the context and explored the larger significance of Edwards’s martial ministry.”

Theologies of the American Revivalists

History & Biography

“Conversion experiences and narratives have long been central to evangelical identity, but the doctrines undergirding them are seldom understood with much clarity by their subjects, let alone most others. In this evenhanded history of theologies of revival from the time of George Whitefield to that of Charles Grandison Finney, Robert Caldwell helps us out. He supplies what we need to understand our own experiences, those of converts in churches with different doctrinal perspectives, and the engine of the evangelical movement itself. Everyone interested in American church history, evangelicalism, or the history of revival and evangelistic methods will want to read this reliable, comprehensive, and fair-minded book.”

Theology of Mission

Theology

“Most of our churches need to teach their people more clearly what the mission of God in the world is all about, need to align their own missions more closely with God’s mission, and need to do so from the Bible―unpacking God’s purposes for us more fully than the usual passing references to the Great Commission do. This book by J. D. Payne will help them do these things. It offers a whole-Bible theology of mission that demonstrates that God is glorified in the blessing of the nations with the gospel. I pray that many read it and respond with greater resolve to play their part in God’s drama of redemption.”

Thoughtful Christianity

History & Biography

Foreword

“Alvah Hovey (1820–1903) is the most important Baptist in America about whom few nonspecialists have heard—and this is the first scholarly book about his massive scholarly footprint in Baptist life and American Christianity in general. Many thanks to Matthew Shrader for this first-rate scholarly monograph, and to Michael Haykin and friends for this crucial series of books. They are finally shining a light on an enormous but all-too-often neglected denomination in modern religious history.”

To Understand Things as Well as Words

Discipleship & Christian Education

“Many thanks to John Van Wyk for treating a topic in Edwards studies neglected for too long: his philosophy and practice of education. Edwards served as a teacher from adolescence to his death, from Yale through pastoral ministry to cross-cultural pedagogy at the Stockbridge mission and, finally, at Princeton. This fine book covers it all and offers pedagogical wisdom for thoughtful teachers today.”

Turning Points in the Expansion of Christianity

World Religions

“This is a fantastic book. Using the turning points method of historian Mark Noll, Ott tells the story of the spread of the gospel since the apostolic age by zooming in on kairos moments in the history of Christian witness across cultural, linguistic, and ethnic frontiers. I recommend her work wholeheartedly as a textbook in what used to be called history of missions classes in colleges and seminaries.”

Turning Points in the History of American Evangelicalism

History & Biography

“This is a great collection of essays by an all-star cast of scholars working on American religion. It is fascinating reading that will serve as a benchmark in the study of evangelicalism for many years to come.”

Wesley on the Christian Life

Christian Living

“As Fred Sanders shows us in this accurate and edifying life and thought of Wesley, we all have much to learn from this godly evangelical founder. I pray that God will use this book to awaken his people again, filling us with his Spirit and renewing our hearts in love. I plan to use it with my students in both seminaries and churches. It is a great place for Christians to acquaint themselves with one of the most important leaders in all of church history.”

Why Study History?

World Religions

“John Fea is quickly becoming one of the most important voices in the up-and-coming generation of Christian historians. His reflections on the study of history brim with scholarly insight, age-old Christian wisdom, and practical advice. This book will be a great conversation starter in a wide array of Christian college classrooms.”

Winds of Santa Ana

“There is no better guide to the California Bight, its natural beauty, human history, and spiritual potential than Rick Kennedy, a pilgrim who has sailed its shores for decades. Read this book and see its wonders through the eyes of Rick’s heart. You will never be the same.”

World Christianity and the Unfinished Task

Evangelism & Missions

“This is now the best introduction to world Christianity for thoughtful, literate, everyday Christians—the very people who most need to understand the realities that Lionel Young describes. God has rocked the Christian world during the past several decades, upending what many took for granted about the church. It’s time we paid attention and participated humbly in the surprising work of God in the Global South.”

Worship, Tradition, and Engagement

Theology

“This wide-ranging constellation of fascinating essays is a most fitting tribute to one of our most capacious minds, prolific writers, and Christian statesmen. I learned a lot from this book, which increased my esteem for its Baptist honoree and the ecumenical network of Christians he inspires.”

Writings on Reconciliation and Resistance

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“Will Campbell still has much to teach us all. Quirky and courageous, Christian and contrarian, his life of love and labor on behalf of civil rights-and plain civility to those in need-deserves a wider hearing than it usually receives. Many thanks to Richard Goode for spreading the word.”

Yesteryear’s Faith Seeking Understanding

Theology

“Many thanks to Philip Fisk for his herculean labors in keeping scholastic argumentation regarding the doctrine of God’s providence and the freedom of the will on the minds and hearts of scholars and pastors alike. We need the kind of careful thinking that work like this requires, in our churches most obviously, but even in the academy, where painstaking reasoning and fair-minded conversation are rarer than most people understand.”

Young, Restless, Reformed

Christian Living

“This lively account is must reading for ministry leaders working with young adults. A wake-up call to baby boomers to move beyond the superficial faith they taught their children and to grow with them in the knowledge and love of God.”