Books

J. Denny Weaver is steadfast in his conviction that any conception of God found in the Bible must first be compared to the person of Christ himself.

In these short talks, Gerhard Lohfink revisits themes from Jesus and Community. His account of Jesus is determinatively eschatological.

Nathan Deuel shows us things few readers will have seen or guessed at. His stories take us places that are familiar yet unknown.

Charles Marsh brings readers closer to Dietrich Bonhoeffer than, at the very least, any prior biographer writing in English.

J. M. Coetzee reportedly wanted readers to discover the title of The Childhood of Jesus after reading it. I thought of this often as I read it.

Anton Wessels emphasizes points of convergence among the Abrahamic religions, even assimilating their scriptural perspectives into a single story. It's an audacious wager, and not without dangers.

Bart Ehrman's conclusions aren't novel to anyone familiar with historical scholarship on Christology. But those aren't the readers he has in mind.

Can one be both an evangelical and affirming of same-sex relationships? Into this minefield have stepped two new voices, one younger and one older.

Chris Smith and John Pattison think that church should be less like a drive-through and more like a sit-down restaurant that grows its own vegetables.

Ruth Duck takes a balanced approach to liturgy. Her aim is not to champion a single style but to offer a foundation for reflection.

Micha Boyett writes tenderly about her Southern Baptist background, even as she grafts herself into a more liturgical expression of the faith.

Randall Balmer uses Jimmy Carter's career to trace the history of progressive religious beliefs in the post-Watergate political environment.

Ministry is one of the only professions besides writing where a person has daily need for poetry. Poetry refreshes and renews language and adds insight to stories we’ve heard many times. It can be woven meaningfully into sermons, and it bolsters the human spirit. But pastors often turn to the same poets over and over again, and time to explore new territory is limited.

In Simon Blackburn's inquiry into how to get our love of self into balance, self-esteem and shame appear alongside traits such as integrity and sincerity.

Pope Francis and Simone Campbell's recent books have much in common. Yet the standoff between U.S. sisters and the Vatican continues.

Nicholas Healy's central methodological criticism of Stanley Hauerwas is that he "is concerned with the logic of coming to believe and the logic of Christian living rather more than the logic of belief."