Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Howard Stone describes this expanded and revised edition as a 'vital lifeline' to comfort, restoration, and hope in situational and developmental crises. I would boldly call this classic a 'lifesaver.' Stone's adaptation of the A-B-C method of crisis intervention, applicable to both clergy and laity, has been used to save a life. I am witness. This book you must afford!”

Finding God on the Indian Road

World Religions

“Two roads diverge in a theological thicket of spirituality: the Indian Road and the Jesus Road. Chad Johnson, citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a Christian pastor, offers intersectionality between these two ‘roads.’ Johnson attempts to clear up and name not only doctrinal deadwood, the overgrowth of oppression, and the brambles of betrayal on the Jesus Road, but ‘the hurtful past and voices of hate, . . . marginalization, and stereotypical nuances” about the Indian Road and the Indigenous people who walk(ed) it.”

Greater Attention

Preaching & Worship

“Slemmons appeals to the preacher as prompter, the pastor as liturgist in his remarkable volume for Year D! Slemmons is unabashed about the essential and distinctive tenet of Reformed worship: perpetual repentance. Countering the liturgical renewal movement's embarrassment with medieval stereotypes of repentance, Slemmons lifts up the twin disciplines of self-examination and robust confession. These are the hallmarks of true reform and irrepressible joy!”

Healing the Wounds of Sexual Abuse

Christian Living

“The journey of recovery from sexual abuse is both scarred and sacred. Elaine Heath boldly covers theological terrain ‘that is perilous, beautiful, wild, unutterably holy.’ Her development of atonement theory understands Jesus (Emmanuel) as ‘the least of these.’ Heath asserts that Jesus was a victim of sexual abuse as he was publicly stripped naked, humiliated, bound, violated, penetrated, and torn. She proceeds fearlessly into topics of toxic shame, original wounding, vulnerability, spiritual eros, and healing. As a survivor of sexual assault, Heath goes with the reader into this difficult reality. Joining with the vast numbers of women, men, girls, and boys who are survivors of sexual abuse, Elaine Heath offers her unique contribution to the #MeToo movement.”

Practicing Care in Rural Congregations and Communities

Church Leadership & Ministry

“A talented trio of academicians team up with their practical wisdom and personal ties to rural congregations. The fertile theological understandings of life on the farm come not only from this team of scholars but from town and country churches. Who better knows the liturgy of the seasons, communal care in the absence of multiple specialists, and the healing and transformative attachment to God’s earth and to a place on the land? If our image of farm life has been shaped by Grant Wood's famous painting called 'American Gothic,' the image will now be reshaped by Jung, Hoeft, and Marshall’s new 'American Rural Classic!'”

Sharing Food

Christian Living

“Sharing Food is a feast in itself with its luscious lines and savory stories; both dished up with deep joy. Shannon Jung combines delight and sharing, the twin ingredients with which God – the hostess – created food and eating. He reminds us that eating is a primal delight; the forces of the universe sometimes do line up in the pecan pie or the pasta! A theological treat, Sharing Food develops hospitality as the central Christian practice.”

The Ministry of Lament

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Gene Fowler skillfully maneuvers the winding road of bereavement with the psalms of lament as accompaniment. With attention to the terrain of individuality as well as the congregational setting, Fowler traverses new territory in a twenty-first-century approach to caring for grieving people. Unlike an interstate with its clear ramps, markers, and exits, the valley of the shadow of death is uneven with hidden crevices, detours, and dimly lit passages. Challenging the traditional understanding of grief as a series of universal stages unfolding according to a preconceived timetable, Fowler draws from psychotherapists and theologians to ground a new relationship between spirituality and grief.”

The Pastoral Care Case

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Don Capps and Gene Fowler till theological ground for the local congregation and the academy with their 'pastoral care case.' They argue that neither the verbatim nor other forms of case study created for use in clinical or other noncongregational settings fits the congregational context. The case model in their book has its roots 'in the convergence of the healing stories of the villager Jesus and the congregational struggles of the urbanite Paul.' The pastor, seen by Capps and Fowler as local religious author and even more as poet, will delight in this fecund foundation for rethinking and rewriting ministry.”

The Spirituality of Grief

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Carrying the sorrow of a loved one's death will not end by reading this soon-to-be classic, but you will learn to carry grief differently. Fran Tilton Shelton equips us to lift our grief in ways that prevent us from falling under its weight. Combining the latest in academic research with case studies, spiritual exercises, and personal narrative, Shelton focuses on bereavement and the spirituality that can sustain us. She is a tender guide into a love stronger than death and into a way that we can love--even in separation.”