Lee C. Barrett

A Pastoral Proposal for an Evangelical Theology of Freedom

Theology

“Walsh's reflections, motivated by suggestions by Karl Barth, serve as an antidote to the church's tendency to mimic the environing society's identification of freedom with the expansion of opportunities for self-assertion. Against this view Walsh reminds us that genuine Christian freedom is the ontological gift of participation in Christ's act of reconciliation, and the enactment of service that issues from this gift.”

Born of Water and the Spirit

Theology

“These provocative essays articulate a potent alternative to revivalism's identification of conversion with a disjunctive psychological crisis. David Layman's magisterial introduction clarifies how the Mercersburg theologians sought to recover a vision of salvation as a process of being shaped by the corporate life of the church, and baptism as the initial insertion of the individual into the life of Christ. Our churches desperately need such an antidote to self-generated and self-aggrandizing forms of spirituality.”

Defining the Church for Our Time

Theology

“Peter Schmiechen boldly declares that the current malaise of North American Protestant churches is not a failure to develop new programs, worship styles, or evangelistic strategies. Rather, the problem is theological: it is a lack of clarity about the basic good news of Christianity. Schmiechen's proposal that churches need to incarnate the theme of new life in Christ in their institutional practices is both shockingly simple and richly provocative.”

From Despair to Faith

Philosophy

“In this sophisticated and sensitive reading, Christopher Barnett resists the common temptations to polemicize or fragment the thought of Søren Kierkegaard. Rather, he carefully demonstrates that there is a unifying focus in Kierkegaard's thought, namely, the conviction that the spiritual life is a homecoming, a return to God. To this end, Barnett illuminates how Kierkegaard persistently displays the intense human desire for that which brings fulfillment in concert with the Christian claim that the triune God can best satisfy that desire. In doing so, Barnett provides a much-needed theological reading of Kierkegaard that firmly places him in the fecund tradition of Christian spirituality and iconography." —Paul Martens Baylor University "Barnett's splendid book is one of the few scholarly efforts to read Kierkegaard in the way that Kierkegaard wanted to be read: as an edifying author who 'builds up' the individual. With a compellingly close reading, Barnett shows how Kierkegaard's authorship serves as a spiritual discipline, urging the pilgrim on her journey and shaping her heart. Barnett demonstrates that Kierkegaard may best be understood by situating him not in the history of philosophy or theology, but in the rich traditions of Christian spirituality that foster ‘the peace that passes all understanding.’”

Gift and Promise

Theology

“Peter Schmiechen's volume on eucharstic theology boldly integrates disciplines that are usually kept apart. By synthesizing insights from biblical studies, the history of sacramental theology, and contemporary ecumenical reflection, Schmiechen articulates an understanding of the Lord's Supper that moves beyond its traditional links to atonement theories of penal substitution. With rare deftness and insight, Schmiechen recovers a sense of the Supper as communicating new life in Christ and offering hope for a troubled world.”

Go Golden

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

Foreword

(wrote the foreword)

John Williamson Nevin

History & Biography

“This volume performs an invaluable and rare service for anyone interested in the history of theology in the nineteenth century. Linden DeBie deftly weaves together themes from John Williamson Nevin’s personal and professional life, his philosophical orientation and evolution, and his theological commitments. In these pages Nevin emerges as a unique and significant force in the speculative, sacramental, and ecumenical strand in American theology.”

Learning to See

History & Biography

“This lovely memoir is a rare combination of spiritual insight, theological reflection, poignant interpersonal anecdotes, and political passion. It provides a nuanced critique of the implicit colonialism in many missionary movements in southern Africa without minimizing the value of spreading the gospel in word and deed. The chapters exhibit how a Christ-centered faith can generate an emancipatory political engagement with the world without reducing faith to a specific political program.”

Original Sin in the Twenty-First Century

Theology

“This remarkable little volume is a rare synthesis of sermonic eloquence and expansive scholarship. Coleman admonishes us to heed the doctrine of original sin’s warning that something is terribly wrong with human nature. He exposes the ways that humanity’s perpetual discontent with creaturely limitations (the essential meaning of the doctrine) is threatening the planet with the unforeseeable consequences of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and insatiable technological desires. The ancient doctrine could not be timelier.”

Poetry and Heroism

Philosophy

“This wonderfully lyrical, edifying, and thoughtful book elucidates Kierkegaard’s use of literary strategies to clarify the contours and dynamics of divergent ways of living. Most importantly, it outlines Kierkegaard’s effort to show how a life of heroic moral and spiritual earnestness can be lived in the midst of mundane circumstances. McCombs’s poignant style reflects Kierkegaard’s endeavor to evoke in the reader a sense of the attractive beauty of such a life.”

Reading Kierkegaard I

Philosophy

“Paul Martens' volume performs a colossal feat: it simultaneously clarifies Kierkegaard's elusive text while it preserves its unsettling passion and mystery. Reading Kierkegaard I both orients new readers to Kierkegaard's provocative understanding of faith, and offers novel insights to seasoned scholars. Most significantly, Martens shows how Fear and Trembling consistently distinguishes authentic faith from conformity to societal norms, and how faith paradoxically combines the resignation of earthly well-being and the joyful acceptance of earthly blessings.”

Retrieving Catholicity in American Protestantism

History & Biography

“Michael J. Stell’s meticulously and judiciously edited volume illumines the uniqueness of John Williamson Nevin’s theology of history. These essays by Nevin show how he challenged prevailing nineteenth-century American assumptions about the disjunction of Protestantism and its Roman Catholic ancestry. Nevin’s writings subverted Protestant myths of a faithful remnant of true Christians that finally became overt and blossomed during the Reformation era. Critically using some of the methods of German historiography, Nevin paved the way for a more ecumenical appreciation of the evolving nature of Christian traditions.”

The Eucharist's Biographer

Theology

“This is a message the church, forgetful of its own identity, desperately needs to hear. Walsh witnesses to the transformative power of the Word and sacrament operating together to nurture conformity with the crucified and resurrected Christ. Counteracting humanity's infatuation with ideologies of self-aggrandizement, Walsh reminds the church that the 'eucharistic-evangel' manifests Christ's identity and presence, and empowers us to die to self in order to be reborn in the image of Christ-like love.”

The Mysticism of Ordinary and Extraordinary Experience

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“This slender volume is a gem. In a lively fashion, spiced with snippets of history and personal anecdotes, it opens the door to modes of experience that traditional Christianity has often treated with benign neglect. The book’s most significant virtue is its comprehensive treatment of ‘mysticism,’ a concept that includes both unsettling encounters with the paranormal and the most ordinary experiences of well-being. According to the author, all of these episodes of serenity or illumination are manifestations of the basic human drive toward unification with the mysterious source of our being. Amazingly, the author accomplishes this integrative goal without minimizing the differences among mystical experiences and traditions.”

Thirteen Turns

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“This slender volume is a remarkable and timely achievement. Marshaling insights from a diverse spectrum of thinkers, ranging from Friedrich Schleiermacher to James Cone, the book articulates a powerful African American message of life in the midst of death. Its reflections are both visceral and critical, informed by the memory of Jim Crow lynchings and by the eschatological speculations of Jürgen Moltmann. In the face of the resurgent white nationalism that plagues our era, Dr. Covin offers a revitalizing vision of resilient hope and undaunted resistance.”

You Must Change Your Life

Philosophy

“Thomas Millay’s volume performs an astonishing feat: it both edifies the general reader and stretches the Kierkegaard specialist. Its main contention could not be more culturally relevant. In this era of the intensified reading of tweets and posts, it reminds us that the ultimate purpose of reading should not be escapism or the accumulation of data, but rather the transformation of the self, which is nothing less than growth in love for God and neighbor.”