Kimlyn J. Bender

Breakfast with Barth

Bible Studies & Devotionals

“Donald McKim has produced a beautiful little book that makes Barth accessible to readers of any variety. He presents devotions on texts from Barth that foster not only further thought but aim toward wisdom and edification. In this, McKim has rightly discerned that Barth is read best when he is read in and for the church and for Christians who seek to follow Christ’s way.”

Epiphany

Preaching & Worship

“There is no one better to introduce the little-understood church season of Epiphany than Fleming Rutledge. This book is a gift—not only for those who belong to traditions that closely observe the church calendar but also for those who may not. Rutledge's love for Epiphany shines throughout, not least because she elucidates its biblical foundations and edifying purpose for the church. Most importantly, Rutledge gets to the heart of the matter—Epiphany is a celebration of the gospel, the season unfolding the manifestation of God's revelation in Christ, of 'God's definitive and unique actions in the One who has been born in Bethlehem.'”

Karl Barth and the Making of Evangelical Theology

Theology

“In 1962 Karl Barth made his one and only visit to the United States. The thoughtful and insightful essays in this volume reflect upon the importance of that visit, and they further the North American conversation with Barth’s theology that continues to this day. Moreover, they give evidence that the reverberations of Barth’s visit have not been exhausted and provide reason to believe that his theology may have yet more to contribute to the American ecclesial experience of our time.”

Kenosis

Theology

“The mystery of the incarnation witnessed in Scripture and confessed by the church lies at the heart of Christian faith. These outstanding essays examine a facet of this mystery—the humility and self-emptying of Christ in his earthly life. This book is a testament to the gifts of the individual authors and the theological insights of their respective chapters. It offers an exemplary collection examining the mystery of the Son’s journey into the far country of the world.”

Leading with the Sermon

Church Leadership & Ministry

“William H. Willimon keeps his eye firmly on what is too often forgotten: leading a congregation—together with its call, task, and effectiveness—begins with the preaching of the Word of God. This book helpfully serves as an antidote to the widespread separation of pastoral preaching and leadership, as well as an immunization against the temptation to think of them more as personal accomplishments than gifts from God for the church.”

One Church in Christ

Theology

“Troy Onsager’s One Church in Christ is a remarkably clear exposition of Barth’s development as a confessional theologian in the formative decades of the 1920s and 1930s. It sets forth not only Barth’s understanding of the Reformed confessions of the past but also casts light upon Barth’s own confessional identity. Onsager’s book reveals Barth’s confessionalism as one that is both particular in character and ecumenical in aspiration and in turn points to Barth’s continuing relevance for the church’s present task of confession.”

Representing Christ

Theology

“The priesthood of all believers is a phrase that is often cited but a doctrine that rarely receives sustained attention. Representing Christ provides this attention and does so in a way that brings needed theological reflection to this important though neglected subject. It does so with clarity, constructive purpose, and in a manner accessible to all believers.”

The Early Barth – Lectures and Shorter Works

Theology

“This translation of Barth’s earliest works is to be welcomed. These lectures and essays provide, for the first time in English, a window into Barth’s earliest academic labors and theological formation. In light of all that would come, they bear witness not only to the beginning of his theological travels, but reveal how very far those travels would take him from the religious reflections and nascent convictions of these early years.”

The Early Barth – Lectures and Shorter Works

Theology

“This translation of Barth’s earliest works is to be welcomed. These lectures and essays provide, for the first time in English, a window into Barth’s earliest academic labors and theological formation. In light of all that would come, they bear witness not only to the beginning of his theological travels, but reveal how very far those travels would take him from the religious reflections and nascent convictions of these early years.”

The Essential Karl Barth

Theology

“Johnson has provided a wonderful collection of texts judiciously selected from the voluminous corpus of Barth's works. Each reading is accompanied by excellent introductions and commentary. This volume will no doubt introduce many students to Karl Barth, and it is a marvelous resource for all who would seek to learn more about one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century.”

The Significance of Singleness

Christian Living

“In The Significance of Singleness, Christina Hitchcock challenges the church to rethink its understanding of both single life and married life. Hitchcock reminds us that we find our ultimate fulfillment and purpose not in earthly relationships but in our identity in Christ. This is a timely and impassioned argument that challenges an idolization of marriage prevalent in both contemporary church and society, while not belittling or relativizing marriage itself. Hitchcock’s work goes against the grain of much popular thought, but it runs along the grain of the deeper wisdom of Scripture, reminding readers that singleness provides a sign of the kingdom of God every bit as much as marriage does, and that both are necessary for the church’s witness to the gospel.”

Theology as Discipleship

Theology

“Keith Johnson has done a great service not only for the academic study of theology but for the church. In a time when the church's proclamation of its faith and the academy's reflection upon faith seem to be deeply divided, Johnson builds a bridge across the chasm. He shows not only why theology is necessary for the church but also why it can only find its true meaning when joined to the church's life as a form of Christian discipleship. Drawing upon the riches of the church's past yet grounded solidly in Scripture, this book expounds and reflects upon the gospel as the mystery of God's will that was foreordained in Christ and does so in a way that is not only deeply learned and careful, but also caring and clear. For those wondering why they should bother with theology at all, they will find here a wise and compassionate answer. For those who turn theology into a practice of intellectual theatrics or point of pride, they will find here an incisive and needed corrective. This book is, in short, a wonderful and exemplary primer to the task of theology that deserves many readers.”