Jason Byassee

The Pastor as Public Theologian

Theology

“For years I have told students that they were too smart for the academy, that they should stretch themselves with the harder intellectual work of the parish. And here I thought I was being original. Vanhoozer and Strachan show the original and eschatological unity of two things that modernity has tried to pull apart--the vital parish and the learned pastor. Suddenly the job seems harder and more blessed than ever.”

The Preacher as Liturgical Artist

Preaching & Worship

“Trygve Johnson is the campus minister whose college you hope your kid will choose. He is the wordsmith who will inspire the preacher, whom he doesn't make jealous. And with this book he shows he is a theologian with whom the church and the academy must reckon.”

TheoMedia

Theology

“The church has been unsure about how to discern God's presence in the new media deluge. Andrew Byers' work gives us much-needed language to draw on: from Scripture, tradition, and a savvy and nuanced wisdom about these media. This book should have existed long before. It is the definitive word on the church and digital technology.”

Turning Ourselves Inside Out

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Fennel and Daye are those rare, brave scholars willing to listen to and learn from lay people. May their tribe increase.”

Untangled

Arts & Literature

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

What Is Jesus Doing?

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Many of us make the mistake of speaking of Jesus in the past tense and subjunctive mood: 'What would Jesus do if he were here now?' This book answers another set of questions altogether: we must speak of Jesus Christ in the present tense as the living Lord, reigning, working for our transformation through the church. Andrew Purves has taught us all to speak, with Saint Paul, of the crucifixion and resurrection of our ministries. These essays represent the rich community of those gathered with a similar vision. May they find a wide and joyous readership.”

When Church Stops Working

Church Leadership & Ministry

“There are not many books on what ails the church that I would share with laypeople. This, in fact, might be the only one. Our real crisis—usually misdiagnosed—is that our churches can be great places to hide from God. Root and Bertrand make clear that we must put away our strategies and gimmicks and wait on the Lord all over again. I pray we all would follow this brilliantly antiprogrammatic counsel.”

Who’s Minding the Story?

History & Biography

“Something new is brewing north of the border. Pastors and theologians like Jeff Seaton are leading the way with a renewed desire for theology that is Trinitarian, christological, and dedicated to the blessing of the world. I learned a great deal from this winsome and erudite book and recommend it highly to those committed to seeking the renewal of the church.”

Wisdom from Babylon

Church Leadership & Ministry

“I just love how Gordon Smith does theology. His views are evangelical, ecumenical, catholic, orthodox, and justice-hungry, with that wild concoction all put in service to a small but scrappy university in Alberta. We need more leadership like his, informed by theology like his, expressed as lovingly and wisely as this.”

Witnesses of These Things

Evangelism & Missions

“The great Martin Marty used to say that the renewal of the church will come from the left of the right, and the right of the left, and I don’t mean the middle. J. Aaron Miller is precisely on those risky, dangerous edges. He’s the sort of pastor you want at your bedside and preacher you want at the mic when someone must say just the right thing. His first book is a must-read.”