The Published Works of Seminary Faculty and Alumni in 2020–21

 
R. Albert Mohler Jr.(Thomas Nelson 2020, $24.29)

A storm is coming. Western civilization and the Christian church stand at a moment of great danger. The storm is a battle of ideas that will determine the future of Western civilization and the soul of the Christian church. The forces we must fight are ideologies, policies, and worldviews that are deeply established among intellectual elites, the political class, and our schools. More menacingly, these ideas have also invaded the Christian church. From threats to religious liberty and redefinitions of marriage and family to attacks on the sacredness and dignity of human life, the perils faced by the West and the church are unprecedented. How should Christians respond to this challenge?

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Gregg R. Allison (Baker Books 2021, $19.99)

The view that our physical self is less important than our spiritual substance prevails among today’s Christians. Yet Allison maintains that we don’t have bodies; we are bodies. Eschewing monism and guided by Scripture, he offers a holistic theology of the human body as he addresses questions about sexuality, gender, death, resurrection, and other topics.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
 
Gregg R. Allison (Crossway 2021, $14.99)

This volume, also part of the multi-volume Short Studies in Systematic Theology series. It helps define the church and its mission by presenting an overview of the specific doctrines and practices of different churches and denominations. Allison lays the foundation for a better understanding of local church communities and the way they diverge from one another, but he also shows how they are ultimately united as the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Gregg R. Allison and Andreas J. Kostenberger (B&H Academic 2020, $44.99)

Why do evangelicals tend to treat the third person of the Godhead like a member of the junior varsity team? Allison and Kostenberger take an in-depth look at the Holy Spirit from biblical, theological, and historical standpoints. And it also deals with various views on contemporary issues surrounding the Spirit such as the continuation or cessation of the so-called sign gifts, how the Spirit shapes our worship, and much more

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Terry Betts (Lexham Press 2020, $28.99)

The book of Nehemiah highlights the priorities the people of God should aspire to and the principles needed to fulfill that mission. Bridging the gap between devotional and technical commentaries, Nehemiah: A Pastoral and Exegetical Commentary is an easy to understand exposition of this often overlooked Old Testament narrative. With a mixture of historical data and practical applications, T. J. Betts emphasizes the relevance of Nehemiah’s message for believers today.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Daniel Darling (B&H Books 2020, $17.99).

Social media was made to bring us together. But few things have driven us further apart. Sadly, many Christians are fueling online incivility. Others, exhausted by perpetual outrage and shame-filled from constant comparison, are leaving social media altogether. So, how should Christians behave in this digital age? Is there a better way? Darling points readers to a far better way, a way that exalts Jesus Christ and strengthens relationships instead of torching them.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
J. T. English (B&H Books 2020, $22.99)

The majority of Christians today are being discipled by popular media, flashy events, and folk theology because churches have neglected their responsibility to make disciples. But the church is not a secondary platform in the mission of God; it is the primary platform God uses to grow people into the image of Jesus. Therefore, as church leaders, it is our primary responsibility to establish environments and relationships where people can be trained, grow, and be sent as disciples. There are three indispensable elements of discipleship: (1) Learning to participate in the biblical story (the Bible); (2) Growing in our confession of who God is and who we are (theology); (3) Regularly participating in private and corporate intentional action (spiritual disciplines).

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Adam J. Howell with Robert L. Plummer and Benjamin L. Merkle (Baker Academic 2020, $22.99)

Three experienced biblical language professors inspire readers to learn, retain, and use Hebrew for ministry, setting them on a lifelong journey of reading and loving the Hebrew Bible. This highly practical volume incorporates research-tested strategies for learning; presents methods not usually covered in other textbooks; and surveys helpful resources for recovering Hebrew after a long period of disuse.

Purchase from Baker Books.

 
Ayman S. Ibrahim (Baker 2020, $22.99)

What is so unique about Islam’s scripture, the Quran? Who wrote it, and when? Can we trust its statements to be from Muhammad? Why was it written in Arabic? Does it command Muslims to fight Christians? Why is it so important for Christians to know what Muslims believe? Dr. Ibrahim frames this vital discussion by answering 30 questions.

Purchase now from Baker Books.

 
 
Oren R. Martin, Jason S. DeRouchie, and Andrew David Naselli (Kregel 2020, $27.99)

To understand what the entire Bible teaches about any given subject, we must practice biblical theology. By surveying the whole canon of Scripture, we can best discern what God has revealed about any particular issue. But doing so requires answering a number of important questions: What type of biblical theology will we choose? What overall story does the Bible tell? How should we understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments? How does our topic fit within salvation history? How do we apply the truths we discover?

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Aaron Menikoff (Moody Publishers 2020, $14.99)

Today’s pastoral world is packed with books, conferences, and seminars teaching you different techniques for being an all-star pastor, growing your church quickly, and changing the world. But the key to true success is much harder and much simpler. Pastors are called to be faithful, to have exemplary character, and to love Jesus. Without faithfulness, their ministry ends up harming others rather than helping them. Churches need pastors with sound doctrine and a sound life. This book encourages pastors to slow down, cut through the noise and distractions, and focus on what matters—the fruit of the Spirit.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
 
Tom Nettles (Christian Focus 2021, $14.99)

This book is not merely a summary of Nettles’ massive 2013 theological biography of Spurgeon. In this new work, Nettles isolates 10 key convictions that appear in Spurgeon’s life either before or immediately after his conversion, and traces them through his life as he develops into the charming, interesting, confident, humble, spiritually minded man and pastor whose work and witness dominated evangelicalism in the last half of the 19th century.

Purchase from Christian Focus.

 
Jonathan T. Pennington (Lexham Press 2021, $18.99)

Is bigger always better? It’s not often that we hear the virtues of the small. Our culture teaches that bigger is better—and that includes church ministry and preaching, too. But what if rather than swinging for the fences, preachers focused on improving their sermons through small habits, practices, and exercises? What if smaller is better?

In a world where “small” isn’t always celebrated, Jonathan T. Pennington provides Small Preaching, a short book of simple tips that can have revolutionary effects over time. Pennington offers preachers 25 words of wisdom that will help shape their preaching for the better.

Purchase now from Lexham Press.

 
Jonathan T. Pennington (Brazos Press 2020, $18.99)

Many of us tend to live as though Jesus represents the spiritual part of our lives. We don’t clearly see how he relates to the rest of our experiences, desires, and habits. How can Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity become more than a compartmentalized part of our lives? Highly regarded New Testament scholar and popular teacher Jonathan Pennington argues that we need to recover the lost biblical image of Jesus as the one true philosopher who teaches us how to experience the fullness of our humanity in the kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us what is good, right, and beautiful and offers answers to life’s big questions: what it means to be human, how to be happy, how to order our emotions, and how we should conduct our relationships.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Jeff Robinson (The Gospel Coalition 2021, $12.99)

It’s been estimated that the average human being utters between 10,000 and 20,000 words per day. Consider that fact in light of Solomon’s words in Proverbs 10:19: When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent, and you have 10,000 to 20,000 opportunities to sin. We are fallen people, and we utter fallen words. But we serve a communicating God. This work reminds us how in the gospel the Lord gives us a remedy for our troubled talk from our real-time conversations to our online and social media communications.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
Thomas R. Schreiner (IVP Academic 2020, $50.00)

Schreiner seeks to unearth Paul’s worldview by observing what Paul actually says in
his writings and laying out the most important themes and how they are connected. According to Schreiner, “The passion of Paul’s life, the foundation and capstone of his vision, and the animating motive of his mission was the supremacy of God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.” Now in its second edition, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ remains a sound, insightful, and trusted exposition of Paul’s theology that is well-geared to the needs of seminary students and working pastors.

Purchase from IVP Academic.

 
by Andrew T. Walker (Brazos Press 2021, $39.99)

In this profoundly timely work, Walker argues for a robust Christian ethic of religious liberty that helps the church defend religious freedom for everyone in a pluralistic society. “Whether explicitly religious or not,” says Walker, “every person is striving to make sense of his or her life. The Christian foundations of religious freedom provide a framework for how Christians can navigate deep religious differences in a secular age. As we practice religious liberty for our neighbors, we can find civility and commonality amid disagreement, further the church’s engagement in the public square, and become the strongest defenders of religious liberty for all.” The book begins with a foreword by noted Princeton scholar Robert P. George.

Purchase now from the Bookstore at Southern.

 
 
by Stephen J. Wellum (Crossway 2021, $18.99)

A volume in the multi-volume Short Studies in Systematic Theology series, Wellum helps readers to see the falsehood of the claims that Jesus was far more than a wise philosopher, a social revolutionary, or the founder of a religion—he is very God of very God. Wellum argues for the divinity of Jesus according to the Scriptures in line with historic, creedal Christianity.

Purchase from the Bookstore at Southern.