Helen Paynter

Comfort in the Ashes

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Biblical scholar Michelle Keener has taken up the book of Job and made it sing. And the song it sings, in the hands of this trauma survivor, is surprising and tender. It is a song of grief and loss expressed, of friendship that succeeds and fails, of a shattered world painfully reconstructed. Above all, this book sings of a Scripture that is sensitive to survivors of trauma, and a God who meets them in the ashes.”

Democracy After Christendom

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“Democracy and two world wars, it turns out, did not achieve the ‘end of history.’ In our day, democracy is threatened in ways that two decades ago would have been inconceivable. In this book the masterful Paul Lusk sets out a vision for a democratic nation that does not require a ‘sacred canopy’ to unite it—a vision that is theologically-informed but non-coercive. It is an urgent and important book for our time.”

Divine Council, Ethics, and Resistance in Psalm 82

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In Erica Mongé-Greer’s splendid new book, she carefully yet creatively reveals how Psalm 82’s ambiguities and complexities have a polysemous ethical function. The psalm plays richly and fruitfully in the imagination of the individual and community as it is liturgically employed. In the end, with the elohim of verse 1, all those who use the psalm are called to account for injustice. This is a must-read for scholars of the psalms and all who seek justice in the name of the God who governs the divine assembly.”

Hear Her Voice

Preaching & Worship

“The gap between evangelicals and those who read the Bible with suspicion is a difficult space to dwell in. The gap between the pulpit and the academy is often considered unnavigable. Christine Redwood has done the church a great service by dwelling in the first, in order to navigate the second. Preachers and pastors will benefit from studying her work and emulating her methods.”

How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this exciting new book by two of the great masters of biblical intertextuality studies, Gary Edward Schnittjer and Matthew S. Harmon set out for students and scholars alike both the why and the how of the discipline. The rigor and clarity of this book is the sort that only emerges after years of meticulous, detailed study. In a field where intertextuality is often located in the eye of the beholder, the authors are to be thanked for opening up the technicalities of the discipline in such an accessible way. Through methodological discussion and worked examples, they have, in effect, provided a roadmap for the next generation of biblical scholars. This is a book I will return to again and again.”

Is God a Vindictive Bully?

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Old Testament violence continues to be a thorny, painful, and faith-damaging issue for many Christians today. Among the voices attempting to address the questions, one of the most prominent is that of Paul Copan. We can expect anything that comes from his desk to be serious, rigorous, and honest. Is God a Vindictive Bully? is no exception. It will be helpful—even redemptive—for many who wrestle with these questions. And while not all will wholly agree with him, it will be one of the go-to books on the subject for years to come.”

Numbers

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“This fine commentary is the happy result of a collaboration between two scholars from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. As a result, the excellent technical commentary on the text is supplemented by sensitive pastoral reflections, which together will make the book an essential addition to the libraries of scholars, pastors, and preachers. I shall be consulting it repeatedly.”

The Kingdom of Children

Children & Youth

“Following the lead of liberation theologians, Ryan Stollar invites us to view Scripture and our Christian practices through the lens of childhood. He then leads us through the process, and the results are compassionate, profound, provocative, and sometimes astonishing. If we attend to his insights, we adults will both take more seriously the vulnerability of children and learn to listen to them as prophets. Maybe Jesus would like us to do those things.”