Gregory A. Boyd

Redeeming Violent Verses

Church Leadership & Ministry

“I’ve read my fair share of books and articles addressing the violence of the Old Testament, and, as a pastor and educator, I have to say that I have never encountered anything nearly as practically helpful as Redeeming Violent Verses . I am confident that anyone who is disturbed by the violent texts of the Old Testament will benefit from this very readable work. But if you are a person whom God has called to use the Bible to influence others, in any capacity, whether adults or children, I implore you to deeply digest this bold and insightful work!”

ReGrace

Christian Living

“In this insightful and transformative book, Frank Viola reveals with crystal clarity just how far removed our truncated gospel is from the kingdom of God that Jesus embodied and that He calls and empowers His followers to embody. I am convinced that this wisdom-packed book will be used by God to completely transform the lives of many who dare to read it.”

Reviving Old Scratch

Theology

“In our secular age, most western Christians instinctively dismiss the devil and demons as antiquated mythical notions of our superstitious past. Yet, as Richard Beck argues, this dismissal adversely affects both the coherence and the vibrancy of the Christian faith. In this insightful and highly important masterpiece, Beck helps Christians understand that they need not suspend their doubts about “Old Scratch” to discern his reality in the dark dehumanizing forces that are all around us. Whether you're convinced or doubtful of Satan’s existence, this book will inspire you to enter into the age-long spiritual battle that has always been at the center of the Christian faith.”

Scandalous Witness

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“In this well-written and concisely argued work, Lee Camp masterfully traces how the church in America has to a large degree lost its all-important ‘scandalous witness’ while suggesting ways we can begin to recover it. In the process, Camp provides us with a remarkably clear, carefully nuanced, and undeniably compelling defense of a biblical understanding of the kingdom of God. And precisely because his articulation is so clear, Camp brilliantly exposes just how wide the gap is between the biblical understanding of the kingdom, on the one hand, and what currently passes as ‘the Christian faith’ in America, on the other. Of course, even Anabaptist readers such as myself may disagree with Lee at certain points, but I can hardly imagine anyone who takes Camp’s arguments to heart putting this book down unchanged. If I had my druthers, I would make this book required reading for all American Christians.”

Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“At a time when debates about the viability of same-sex unions for Christians often generate more heat than light, this marvelous little book by Karen Keen is a true gift. . . . All readers will benefit from, and be blessed by, engaging with Keen’s well-researched, well-written, heartfelt book.”

Spiritual Warfare

Theology

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

Stricken by God?

Theology

“Stricken by God? is as fine a collection of scholarly essays on the atonement as one can find in print. This book offers insightful, compelling, and refreshing alternatives to penal substitution and is a must-read for all who care deeply about how Jesus' death saves us.”

The Day I Met Jesus

Christian Living

“Many Christians fail to experience the full power of the Bible’s stories because they never learned how to imaginatively ‘get inside’ the lives of biblical characters to make them come alive. I don’t know of any book that better helps readers do this than The Day I Met Jesus. Combining imaginative creativity, historical scholarship, and great storytelling, Viola and DeMuth help readers enter into the lives of five women in the Gospels to experience Jesus from their perspective. And by this means, they help readers deepen their own understanding of, and love for, Jesus. After reading this poignant and gripping book, you won’t view these five women, Jesus, or yourself the same way!”

The Destruction of the Canaanites

Apologetics

“One of the greatest challenges facing contemporary Christians who hold to a high view of Scripture is to give a plausible account of its violent depictions of God, and there is no depiction of God within the canon that is more problematic than the depiction of God ordering the genocide of various groups of Canaanites. In this well-researched and easy-to-read work, Charlie Trimm carefully and fairly reviews all the major scholarly proposals that attempt to address this problem, leaving it up to readers to decide for themselves which proposal they think is most compelling. Anyone who is disturbed by the violent depictions of God in Scripture (and how could any follower of Jesus not be?) will find much to chew on in this informative and engaging work.”

The End of Sexual Identity

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“The End of Sexual Identity is a brilliant, bold, personal and biblically grounded work that is destined to become a classic in its field. By exposing the culturally conditioned nature of our modern Western 'sexual identity framework,' Paris completely reframes Christian debates about sexual ethics and thereby helps us (finally!) move effectively in our understanding of what it means to pursue sexual holiness. As a pastor, I have to confess that this is the most helpful, paradigm-changing and stimulating book on this topic I've ever read. I couldn't recommend it more strongly!”

The End of the World as You Know It

Theology

“Anyone who has ever embraced or been influenced by the standard evangelical eschatology, or who knows people who have, needs to read this compelling and much-needed book!”

The Future of Open Theism

Theology

“In this well-written, impressively comprehensive, and compellingly argued work, Richard Rice outlines the past, present, and (what may be) the future of open theism. Reflecting an admirably irenic spirit at every turn, Rice discusses not only the multitude of theological and philosophical issues that separate open theists from their critics, but also that distinguish different varieties of open theism from one another. Whether you're an advocate, critic, or just an interested bystander, after reading The Future of Open Theism, I suspect you'll be surprised by how much about open theism you did not know! This is simply indispensable reading for anyone interested in this important topic.”

The God Who Trusts

Theology

“One mark of a great and rare book is that it demonstrates the central importance of a question nobody else was even asking. This, in a nutshell, is what The God Who Trusts does. I had never before wondered if trust and faith might be attributes of God. When I finished this work, I wondered how I had not thought about that before. In this well-written and hugely insightful book, Curtis Holtzen makes a compelling case that trust is not only an attribute of God, it's an attribute that has significant implications for our understanding of, and relationship with, God. I dare all thoughtful, open-minded Christians to read this book!”

The Human Faces of God

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The Human Faces of God is one of the most challenging and well-argued cases against the doctrine of biblical inerrancy I have ever read.”

The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Multitudes of Christians today assume that the book of Revelation gives us a sneak preview of a future in which Jesus returns to ruthlessly slaughter all his enemies. I once held this view, but I always struggled to reconcile the vicious 'end time' Jesus with the enemy-loving, nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels. Loren Johns's work, The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John, was one of the most influential books in opening my eyes not only to the symbolic nature of the apocalyptic genre, but also to the ingenious way John subverts typically violent apocalyptic symbols, transforming them into symbols of self-sacrificial love. For all who are confused by the last book of the Bible, and especially for those who think it depicts a violent 'end time' Jesus, I strongly recommend you digest this insightful work!”

The Leviathan Factor

“The Leviathan Factor is one of the most unusual, engaging books I have read in a very long while. Burkholder displays an astounding breadth of knowledge as he . . . boldly constructs a plausible account of how the existence of Satan helps explain evil in nature and society. Readers may not agree with everything Burkholder defends in this well-written and highly informative book (I did not), but I doubt anyone will fail to be impressed and challenged by the scope and depth of the case he makes.”

The Nonviolent God

Theology

“Powerful, insightful, and practical. . . . Denny Weaver doesn’t downplay the violent strand that runs throughout Scripture, but he compellingly argues that nonviolence lies at the heart of Jesus’ revelation of God and that this understanding of God is far more prevalent in Scripture than most Western Bible readers realize. Not all will agree with Weaver, but the profound challenge he presents in this book is one that every follower of Jesus needs to wrestle with.”

The Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Many seem to think that the non-violent, enemy-loving God revealed in Jesus Christ is altogether different from the God depicted in the Old Testament. With care and insight Philip Friesen demonstrates the fallacy of this type of thinking. While God had to make significant concessions to work with the ancient Israelites, he has always been a God of non-violence. Throughout the Old Testament, Friesen argues, God was laying the foundation for the full revelation of himself in Jesus. I heartily recommend this book for all who take Jesus' message of non-violence seriously.”

Tribe

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“The deeply personal framework of Tribe, combined with Sandra Mayes Unger's ironic wit and self-effacing humor, make this one of the most informative, enjoyable, poignant, convicting, and humor-filled books on racism and classism you're likely to ever read! If the racial and socio-economic divide in our country and within the American church bothers you (and it should), I strongly recommend you read this powerful book!”

Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed

Theology

“By sharing his own journey in and out of Calvinism, Fischer provides readers with an honest, interesting, insightful, and very compelling critique of the self-absorbed 'black-hole God' of Calvinism. With a disarmingly laid-back style, Fischer crafts a series of clear and astute arguments that demonstrate the unbiblical and irrational nature of each of the central claims of Calvinism. Just as importantly, however, Fischer helps readers discover the humble, other-oriented, self-sacrificial God revealed in Jesus Christ . . .”