Bücher veröffentlicht von IVP Academic

C. S. Lewis had one of the great minds of the twentieth century. Many readers know Lewis as an author of fiction and fantasy literature, including the Chronicles of Narnia and the Space Trilogy. Others know him for his books in apologetics, including Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. But few know him for his scholarly work as a professor of medieval and Renaissance literature. What shaped the mind of this great thinker? Jason Baxter argues that Lewis was deeply formed not only by the words of Scripture and his love of ancient mythology, but also by medieval literature. For this undeniably modern Christian, authors like Dante and Boethius provided a worldview that was relevant to the challenges of the contemporary world. Here, readers will encounter an unknown figure to guide them in their own journey: C. S. Lewis the medievalist.

Christians can be adept at drawing lines, determining what it means to be a good Christian and judging those who stray out of bounds. Other times they erase all the lines in favor of a vague and inoffensive faith. Both impulses can come from positive intentions, but either can lead to stunted spiritual life and harmful relationships. Is there another option?The late missionary anthropologist Paul Hiebert famously drew on mathematical theory to deploy the concepts of bounded, fuzzy, and centered sets to shed light on the nature of Christian community. Now, with Centered-Set Church, Mark D. Baker provides a unique manual for understanding and applying Hiebert's vision. Drawing on his extensive experience in church, mission, parachurch, and higher education settings, along with interviews and stories gleaned from scores of firsthand interviews, Baker delivers practical guidance for any group that seeks to be truly centered on Jesus.Baker shows how Scripture presents an alternative to either obsessing over boundaries or simply erasing them. Centered churches are able to affirm their beliefs and live out their values without such bitter fruit as gracelessness, shame, and self-righteousness on the one hand, or aimless whateverism on the other. While addressing possible concerns and barriers to the centered approach, Baker invites leaders to imagine centered alternatives in such practical areas of ministry as discipleship, church membership, leadership requirements, and evangelism. Centered-Set Church charts new paths to grow in authentic freedom and dynamic movement toward the true center: Jesus himself.

Christian Zionism influences global politics, especially U.S. foreign policy, and has deeply affected Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian relations. With a fair-minded, longitudinal study of this dynamic yet controversial movement, Donald M. Lewis traces its lineage from biblical sources through the Reformation to various movements of today.

In this astute mix of cultural critique and biblical studies, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins.

How do we know the New Testament is reliable? In this clear introduction, Dr. Ben Shaw systematically surveys key scholarly topics related to the New Testament's historical credibility. Concise chapters provide guidance for exploring a wide variety of evidence including archaeology, authorship, text criticism, and non-Christian sources.

The evil that afflicts our lives often leaves us confused and directionless, wounded and powerless. How should we respond to evil's power to assault us? How can we understand God's work in a world that seems all too often to be permeated with evil?Narrating her own wrestling with evil as well as engaging in biblical and philosophical analysis, biblical scholar Ingrid Faro explores the many dimensions to evil. Soberly honest, biblically engaged, and theologically nuanced, Demystifying Evil examines the power of evil to disrupt and fragment our lives and tempt us to collude with it.But evil does not have the last word. Faro takes us on a journey into the book of Genesis, the Ancient Near East culture, the cross, and her own story of suffering to engage the undoing of evil.

People with disabilities are often excluded from full participation in church communities. Accessibility is a key component of the biblical ministry of reconciliation--but it's not enough. To truly work toward reconciliation, churches must both consider the theological implications of disability and also become places where people with disabilities lead.Disabling Leadership presents a practical theology of disability for thoughtful church leaders and congregants. Written by practitioners and a scholar-pastor who are engaged in ministry together, this book encompasses cutting-edge theological ethics as well as stories of how such commitments are embodied in a real church community. The authors equip readers to explore key themes such as: what it means to be humanhow to understand suffering and healinghow churches can be welcoming and accessible communitieshow to face common challenges and issues in resisting ableismDisabling Leadership moves beyond paternalistic views of disability that seek to extract "inspiration" from another's story without engaging in the difficult work of just and dignifying relationships. When we foster genuinely inclusive leadership teams, the authors contend, our churches will be less likely to treat anyone as a "project" and will better reflect God's love as the body of Christ.

The modern church is immersed in a competitive, polarized, and status-driven society. It's hard to have conversations about important issues when so many are defensive and unwilling to learn. Too often, Christians fall into these same traps. The health and witness of the church urgently depend on recovering an essential biblical virtue: humility.New Testament scholar Dennis R. Edwards illuminates humility as a, if not the, distinctive identity marker of followers of Jesus. Tracing the theme throughout Scripture, he demonstrates how true humility is grounded in submission to God and becomes manifest in all areas of life. Edwards defuses common misconceptions about humility and explores its role in Christian community, conflict, leadership, suffering, worship, and stewardship.As we learn from and honor the humble instead of the power-hungry, humility paradoxically empowers God's people--including those who are often marginalized. Filled with stories from the author's ministry experience, Humility Illuminated addresses common areas of leadership failure and how to avoid them, applies biblical texts on humility to multiethnic ministry and justice work, and issues a compelling challenge to the church.Biblical humility is not a tactic, and it's not just "being nice." It's a revolutionary path to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

In today's reading culture, it is easy to forget that we receive God's message far differently from how the original hearers would have heard it. D. Brent Sandy explores how oral communication shaped biblical writers and ancient hearers, and provides constructive ways for modern readers to be better hearers and performers of Scripture.

Does "saved through childbearing" in 1 Timothy 2:15 mean that women are slated primarily for rearing children? Sandra Glahn thinks that we have misunderstood Paul and the context to which he wrote. Combining spiritual autobiography with new research on the Greek goddess Artemis, Glahn lays a biblical foundation for God's view of women.

How should Christians read prophetic literature? Questions abound both in the academy and the church as to how to engage the prophets, particularly in light of the New Testament. The Gospel writers and the church fathers all read and appealed to the Old Testament, but are we as modern-day readers supposed to take the same approach? The Prophets and the Apostolic Witness is a dialogue among scholars that identifies the interpretive methods used throughout history while also charting a constructive way forward for our own approach to reading the Major Prophets.This comprehensive volume brings together experts on Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to illuminate the following topics: How the Apostles Read the Major Prophets as Christian ScriptureLimits on Reading the Major Prophets as Christian ScriptureReading the Major Prophets in the Footsteps of the ApostlesThe History of Interpretation of the Major Prophets as Christian ScripturePreaching the Major Prophets as Christian ScriptureThis collaborative endeavor offers fresh and helpful insights to scholars, students, and pastors alike as they engage with the text of the Major Prophets.

Be holy because I am holy. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.The Christian life includes many demands, but perhaps none are as challenging or as misunderstood as the biblical command to "be holy" (Leviticus 11:44 and 1 Peter 1:16) or to "be perfect" (Matthew 5:48). How should we understand these charges?In this volume, three scholars from the Wesleyan tradition offer a collective treatment of the theme of holiness that includes:In addition, the coauthors constructively argue for a "neo-holiness" model that encourages the pursuit of Christian perfection but avoids the pitfalls of Pelagianism by incorporating historic understandings of grace and the work of the Holy Spirit with the best of the Wesleyan tradition.Here, the commands to "be holy" and to "be perfect" take on new meaning. What may have been a burden becomes a blessing.

The good news from the Minor Prophets is that, even in dire times, God speaks.While the Minor Prophets are among the most succinct books of the Old Testament, their theological richness has much to offer us today. And not only did they have something to say to their original audience, but God continues to speak through their words in ways that are of utmost importance for the continued flourishing of God's people. In this unique introduction to the Minor Prophets, biblical scholars Craig Bartholomew and Heath Thomas survey the twelve books and explore the theological themes of each. Filled with helpful exegetical insights, this book is an invaluable guide for students, pastors, and scholars looking for a cohesive exploration of these often-overlooked books of the Hebrew Bible.More than a survey of the text, each chapter offers theological insights that help frame the message of the Minor Prophets for preaching and living in our world today. This introduction contextualizes the Minor Prophets within a larger biblical-theological framework, illuminating these twelve books as masterful works of literature that address the realities of human life with unblinking honesty and uncompromising hope.

Understanding the beliefs and practices of other faiths is essential not just to the task of interreligious dialogue, but also to grasping one's own faith.In this brief volume in IVP Academic's Introductions in Seven Sentences, philosopher Douglas Groothuis creatively uses a single sentence representing each of several world religions as a way to open readers to their depth and complexity, including: Atheism: "God Is Dead."Judaism: "I Am Who I Am."Hinduism: "You Are That."Buddhism: "Life Is Suffering."Daoism: "The Dao That Can Be Spoken Is Not the Eternal Dao."Christianity: "Before Abraham Was, I Am."Islam: "There Is One God, and Mohammad Is His Prophet."With a sympathetic but not uncritical approach, Groothuis welcomes readers to a vital and global conversation.The accessible primers in the Introductions in Seven Sentences collection act as brief introductions to an academic field, with simple organization: seven key sentences that give readers a birds-eye view of an entire discipline.

Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard was not afraid to express his opinions. Living amid what he perceived to be a culturally lukewarm Christianity, he was often critical of his contemporary church.But that does not mean Kierkegaard rejected traditional Christian theology. Indeed, at a time when many of his contemporaries were questioning the classical doctrine of God, Kierkegaard swam against the stream by maintaining orthodox Christian beliefs.In this volume in IVP Academic's New Explorations in Theology series, Craig A. Hefner explores Kierkegaard's reading of Scripture and his theology to argue not only that the great Dane was a modern defender of the doctrine of divine immutability (or God's changelessness) in response to the disintegration of the self, but that his theology can be a surprising resource today.Even as the church continues to be beset by "shifting shadows" (James 1:17), Kierkegaard can remind us of the good and perfect gifts that come from an unchanging God.

The book of Psalms is a treasure. These one hundred and fifty inspired poems have shaped the worship, prayers, and theology of God's people for thousands of years. While many of its riches are readily apparent, a deeper look into the nature and purposes of the book reveals further layers of meaning with abundant implications for the Christian life.In Treasuring the Psalms, Ian J. Vaillancourt orients readers to the Psalms and lays out a pattern for deeper study and application. From the composition of individual psalms through the shaping of the entire book, he argues, the Holy Spirit guided the creation of a work that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. In particular, Vaillancourt shows how the Psalms point to Christ and provide practical insights for the church community and individual Christians.Through these canonical, Christological, and practical emphases, readers will gain new viewpoints into the flow, context, and message of the Psalms, as well as gospel-centered applications for a living faith.

Many Christians and churches are rediscovering that God cares deeply about justice, but opinions abound as to what an approach to biblical justice might look like in contemporary society. What exactly does the Bible mean by justice, and what does it have to do with poverty, racism, and other issues in our world? More importantly, how do we become the kind of people who practice justice?Biblical scholar Michael Rhodes argues that the Bible offers a vision of justice-oriented discipleship that is critical for the formation of God's people. Grounded in biblical theology, virtue ethics, and his own experiences, he shows that justice is central to the Bible, central to Jesus, and central to authentic Christian discipleship. Justice stands at the heart of Scripture. Following Jesus demands that we become just disciples in an unjust world.

Despite the profound influence of the New Testament, a variety of questions related to its background and history remain common. Contemporary readers often find the subject of the canon's origin and formation to be complicated and confusing, while scholars continue to struggle to find agreement about basic elements of the canon's development. In this engaging study, Benjamin P. Laird explores several misunderstood, disputed, and overlooked topics in order to provide fresh insight and clarity about the canon's creation and modern relevance. The volume addresses questions such as: Was there a single "original autograph" of each New Testament writing?Who exactly were the "original readers" of the New Testament writings?Did theological controversies play a decisive role in prompting the canon's formation?How did such a diverse body of writings come together to form a single canonical collection?Is there a basis for the canon's ongoing authority?Wide-ranging yet accessible, Creating the Canon offers an illuminating treatment of the composition, formation, and authority of the New Testament and serves as a valuable guide to those with limited prior study.

In a world dominated by things, we must work hard to account for one another's personhood. Drawing a diverse set of thought leaders, Paul Louis Metzger helps us navigate a pluralistic world through a personalist moral framework, addressing issues such as abortion, genetic engineering, immigration, drone warfare, and more.

Humans are story-shaped creatures.We make sense of our world, pattern our lives, and reflect on what is ultimately significant through language and the words that compose our stories. But how does this relate to the narrative of the Bible and the story that God is writing through history?In Nourishing Narratives, writer and professor Jennifer Holberg engages with words from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O'Connor, Marilynne Robinson, and more while also offering some of her own stories to reflect on the importance of story to our lives and our faith.Here, readers are encouraged not only to understand how stories nourish our faith, but to discover how our stories are part of God's great story.

Drawing upon ancient and contemporary theologians, Dani Treweek offers biblical, historical, cultural, and theological reflections to retrieve a theology of singleness for the church today. Far from being a burden, she shows that singleness presents the church with a foretaste of the eschatological reality that awaits all of God's people.

Edward W. Klink III presents a holistic understanding of creation, one that is unfolded throughout all of Scripture and is at the core of the gospel itself. Along with offering rich insights about God and his purposes for the world, a biblical theology of creation guides how we engage nature, culture, and life as embodied beings.

What should the Christian life look like? What vision does Scripture cast for living as a follower of Christ?The New Testament scholar Jarvis Williams considers how Paul's letter to the Galatians can inform our understanding of the Christian life here and now as well as into eternity. What emerges from this careful study is a multifaceted vision of God's saving action in Jesus Christ for both Jew and Gentile, in both the vertical relationship between God and humanity as well as the horizontal relationships among people-with cosmic ramifications.Through Paul's instructions and Williams's interpretation, Christians can learn the importance of walking by the Spirit.

For centuries, discussions of early Christianity have focused on male leaders. But there is ample evidence in the New Testament that women were respected leaders at the frontier of the gospel ministry. Nijay Gupta shines light on the inspiring contributions of women like Phoebe, Prisca, Junia, Nympha, and more.

Many colleges and universities informally highlight the value of mentoring among academic professionals. Yet scholars often lack clear definitions, goals, practices, and commitments that help them actually reap the benefits mentoring offers. As new faculty members from younger generations continue to face evolving challenges while also reshaping institutions, their ability to connect with more experienced mentors is critical to their vocations--and to the future of higher education.In Cultivating Mentors, a distinguished group of contributors explores the practice of mentoring in Christian higher education. Drawing on traditional theological understandings of the mentee-mentor relationship, they consider what goals should define such relationships and what practices make their cultivation possible among educators. With special attention to generational dynamics, they discuss how mentoring can help institutions navigate generational faculty transitions and cultivate rising leaders. Contributors include:This book offers valuable insights and practical recommendations for faculty members, administrators, and policy makers. Whether pursuing their vocation in Christian or secular institutions, Christian scholars will benefit from the sharing of wisdom mapped out in Cultivating Mentors.

The church has often lost its way in reading the Old Testament for lack of sound principles of interpretation. John Walton offers a consistent approach to give us confidence as faithful interpreters, laying out his tried-and-true practices developed over four decades in the classroom. You may never read the Old Testament the same way again.

In every age, the church must consider what it means to gather together to worship God.If the church is primarily the people who follow the risen Christ, then its worship should be "gospel-centered." But where might the church find an example of such worship for today?In this Dynamics of Christian Worship volume, scholar, worship leader, and songwriter Zac Hicks contends that such a focus can be found in the theology of worship presented by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury during the English Reformation. Hicks argues that Cranmer's reformation of the church's worship and liturgy was shaped primarily by the Protestant principle of justification by faith alone as reflected in his 1552 edition of the Book of Common Prayer, which was later codified under Elizabeth I and has guided Anglican worship for centuries.Here, we find a model of "gospel-centered" worship through which the church of today might be reformed yet again.The Dynamics of Christian Worship series draws from a wide range of worshiping contexts and denominational backgrounds to unpack the many dynamics of Christian worship--including prayer, reading the Bible, preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, music, visual art, architecture, and more--to deepen both the theology and practice of Christian worship for the life of the church.

What do we do with a God who sanctions violence?Old Testament violence proves one of the most troubling topics in the Bible. Too often, the explanations for the brutality in Scripture fail to adequately illustrate why God would sanction such horrors on humanity. These unanswered questions leave readers frustrated and confused, leading some to even walk away from their faith.In Flood and Fury, Old Testament scholar Matthew Lynch approaches two of the most violent passages in the Old Testament - the Flood and the Canaanite conquest - and offers a way forward that doesn't require softening or ignoring the most troubling aspects of these stories. While acknowledging the persistent challenge of violence in Scripture, Flood and Fury contends that reading with the grain of the text yields surprising insights into the goodness and the mercy of God. Through his exploration of themes related to violence including misogyny, racism, and nationalism, Lynch shows that these violent stories illuminate significant theological insights that we might miss with a surface reading.Flood and Fury challenges us to let go of the need to rescue the Old Testament from itself and listen afresh to its own critiques on violence.

What if the biblical creation account is true, with the origins of Adam and Eve taking place alongside evolution? Building on well-established but overlooked science, S. Joshua Swamidass explains how it's possible for Adam and Eve to be rightly identified as the ancestors of everyone, opening up new possibilities for understanding Adam and Eve consistent both with current scientific consensus and with traditional readings of Scripture.