Bible Revival: Recommitting Ourselves to One Book, by Kenneth Berding (M.A. ’96, professor of New Testament), Weaver, January 2014. Bible Revival explores why the Bible needs to be the single most important book in the Christian’s life — and how to make it so. Berding digs deep to uncover the motivations and distractions that keep Christians from engaging with the Bible as richly as they can. But he does more than just point out the problems; he lovingly offers solutions in order to learn, value, understand, apply, obey and speak the Bible.

The Story of the Old Testament, by David Talley (professor of biblical and theological studies), Reclaimed Publishing, August 2013. Have you ever thought about the story of the Old Testament? Have you wondered how to connect the dots of psalms and sacrifices, laws and kings, nations and wars? In this book, Talley examines the 11 storyline books of the Old Testament and shows where the other 28 books fit into the story. Unpacking the theology of each storyline book, he reflects on the Old Testament’s power for Christians today.

Celibate Sex: Musings on Being Loved, Single, Twisted, and Holy, by Abbie Smith (M.A. ’09), NavPress, February 2013. With transparency, Abbie Smith examines the raw emotions of always being the bridesmaid but never the bride. She delves into the heartache and confusion of being single when your heart longs for something else. By using a conversational style and her personal story, Abbie helps you acknowledge the feelings and reality of being single in today’s world, where sexuality is misconstrued and widely exploited.

Seeking Justice: Exploring God’s Perspective 10 Minutes at a Time, by Brian Cress (’80), Group Publishing, October 2013. This month-long devotional for teenagers offers daily Scripture readings dealing with God’s heart and passion for justice, along with thought-provoking questions, action steps and prayers. Teens will encounter stories from the life of author Brian Cress, director of student mobilization for International Justice Mission, and from the lives of other teenagers and people who have been rescued by IJM.

Urban Apologetics, by Christopher W. Brooks (M.A. ’10), Kregel, March 2014. Much of the New Testament was written in urban settings, in which the Christian communities had to deal head-on with issues such as race, equality, justice, sexuality, money and economics. But much of today’s apologetics come from suburban churches and academic studies. Urban believers — those who live and minister in America’s inner cities — often face issues not often addressed by the larger Christian community. In Urban Apologetics, Brooks seeks to connect the riches of the Christian apologetic tradition with the issues facing cities — such as poverty, violence and broken families.

Gospel Patrons, by John Rinehart (’02, M.Div. ’09), Reclaimed Publishing, January 2014. Behind the success of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” behind the explosive revival of The Great Awakening, behind the first translation of the English Bible, were visionary, risk-taking and generous men and women. They were active partners in great movements of God in the past. Rinehart excavates their stories from history so that we might reclaim the place “gospel patrons” have in furthering God’s kingdom. This book is a series of engaging stories about people whose generosity changed the world and the part we can play in the stories still to be written.

Christology, Ancient and Modern: Explorations in Constructive Dogmatics, co-edited by Fred Sanders (associate professor of theology), with contributions by Jason McMartin (associate professor of theology) and Jordan Wessling (’04, M.A. ’07), Zondervan, October 2013. Christology was the central doctrine articulated by the early church councils, and it remains the subject of vigorous theological investigation today. Christology, Ancient and Modern, brings together proceedings from the first annual Los Angeles Theology Conference, surveying the field and articulating the sources, norms and criteria for constructive theological work in Christology.