Books published by Westminster/John Knox Press,U.S.

Jaime Clark-Soles takes readers on a dynamic journey deep into the heart of John in this lively reading of the Fourth Gospel. This book is not simply a commentary but a spiritual companion to be read alongside the Bible. Clark-Soles provides important historical and literary insights while illuminating the dramatic characters in John and...

Preacher and teacher David Mosser offers practical and spiritual guidance for pastors struggling to manage and respond to changes in the economy, changes in their neighborhoods, changes in their denominations, changes in the congregation, changes in culture, and the life changes present in every parishioner's life. Wise words from authors such...

While a large percentage of Americans claim religious identity, the number of Americans attending traditional worship services has significantly declined in recent decades. Where, then, are Americans finding meaning in their lives, if not in the context of traditional religion? In this provocative...

Weddings have become a billion-dollar industry, with the average cost of a wedding estimated at $30,000. Taking into account dramatic shifts in attitudes toward marriage in recent years, many pastors are confused and frustrated about their role. This book offers a foundational understanding of marriage for today's North American church...

Kalas offers a challenging and hopeful reflection on a conundrum that every human being deals with at some time in life, usually when facing a horrible tragedy, the death of a loved one, or the simple grinding pain of everyday existence: Why does God allow such suffering to exist? Is our pain God's will?Pastors, students, and general readers...

Considering that the Bible was used to justify and perpetuate African American enslavement, why would it be given such authority? In this fascinating volume, Powery and Sadler explore how the Bible became a source of liberation for enslaved African Americans by analyzing its function in pre-Civil...

This book presents a substantial introduction to the major methodologies, figures, and themes within African American theology. Frederick L. Ware explores African American theology from its inception and places it within dual contexts: first, the African American struggle for dignity and full humanity; and second, the broader scope of Christian...

The key to happiness is being rich, successful, and beautiful...right? Martin Thielen, best-selling author of What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?, insists that this is far from the truth. Happiness, Thielen argues, does not come from external factors like getting a job promotion or finally reaching your goal weight. Rather...

This volume in the Library of Theological Ethics series draws on writings from the early nineteenth through the late twentieth centuries to explore the intersection of black experience and Christian faith throughout the history of the United States. The first sections follow the many dimensions of the African American struggle with racism in...

For over a decade, A Biblical History of Israel has gathered praise and criticism for its unapologetic approach to reconstructing the historical landscape of ancient Israel through a biblical lens. In this much-anticipated second edition, the authors reassert that the Old Testament should...

This book gathers a diverse group of leading pastors and preachers and asks them, what is your best advice to colleagues in ministry about preaching and being a pastor? The responses are full of wisdom and practical advice, illuminating and helpful for all who are pastors and preachers. This book is a unique window into perspectives on...

Building on the foundation of the popular volumes The Bible from Scratch: The Old Testament for Beginners and The New Testament for Beginners, Griggs offers a series of volumes based on the individual books of the Bible. A leader's guide and a participant section are included for each book.This new addition to the series looks at the Gospel...

This important book provides a sampling of liberation theology's use of biblical texts, relating it to the "standard" methods of interpretation in Europe and America. Divided into four sections, the book sets out contemporary readings of the parable of Jesus influenced by a liberationist perspective; identifies the biblical and theoretical...

In this revised and expanded best seller, Rogers argues for equal rights in both the church and society for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people. He describes how he moved away from opposition to support, charts the church's history of using biblical passages to oppress marginalized groups, argues for a Christ-centered reading of...

Robert L. Short, author of the best-selling The Gospel According to Peanuts, presents a book of biblical meditations on everyday life. Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, Woodstock, and friends consider their religious beliefs, and the resulting cartoons offer some delightful insights into life. Short seizes the opportunity to explore these...

This biblical study writes on images of the road found in Scripture and explores their implications for the Christian spiritual journey. It covers contemporary issues like risk-taking, uprootedness, loneliness and change.

Leviticus offers many challenges for interpretation, including the laws contained within the book, as well as questions of the book's origins and compilation. This new commentary by Old Testament scholar Erhard Gerstenberger provides a sure guide through the text of Leviticus and these questions. Gerstenberger understands that Leviticus is the product of an Israel reconstituted as a community of faith during the Persian period. The commentary provides suggestions regarding daily life questions on how one worships the one universal God within the local communities of congregation and family. In this interpretation, the book of Leviticus offers clear words of instruction to those throughout the world who would live faithfully for Israel's God.

Written in a popular style, here is a book that challenges misconceptions about anger that have followed Christians down through the centuries. From the findings of psychologists and sociologists, as well as the teachings of Christianity, Andrew Lester uncovers a basic truth: anger occurs when you, or those important to you, are threatened.Lester looks at the biblical teaching about anger, focusing on the destructiveness--the dark side of anger--and the creativity that results from appropriate anger. He shows why anger must be faced, how it can best be handled, and when it is time to get help.

When tragedy strikes, the victim often asks, what have I done to deserve this? Or, why did God do this to me? Here, in W. Sibley Towner's absorbing book, we see the practical implications of biblical theology demonstrated, as they relate to how God deals with evil. The author explores the entire sweep of the canon to show the complexity of the...

Philip King utilizes archaeological artifacts and texts of the late seventh and early sixth centuries BCE, many of them unpublished or not easily accessible, to elucidate the text of the book of Jeremiah, a book that is sometimes described as difficult and whose formation is complicated. By doing so, he adds important spatial and temporal...

Psychotherapist Paul Hauck, whose popular books have brought help and advice to countless readers, now shows how jealousy and possessiveness--often the most tragic emotions--can be overcome. Applying the principles of Rational Emotive Therapy (RET), Hauck demonstrates how jealousy is a learned emotion and can be unlearned once you understand...

The book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings, poems, and "life's little instructions." Wrestling with the values of things such as creation, livelihood, or moral character, Proverbs exhorts its readers to seek the higher ideals--knowledge, discipline, piety, and order--and offers guidance on how to live in harmony with God, others, and...

In a style that is reverent and faith-filled, Anne Weems reflects on the mystery of the Christmas season. Included in this collection are twenty-six new poems as well as popular selections from her earlier works, especially Reaching for Rainbows and Family Faith Stories. Capturing the spirit of joyful celebration, they can be used in worship...

Distinctively coauthored by a Christian scholar and a Jewish scholar, this monumental, interdisciplinary study explores the various ways in which the Holocaust has been studied and assesses its continuing significance. The authors develop an analysis of the Holocaust's historical roots, its shattering impact on human civilization, and its...

A natural sequel to The Historical Jesus Quest, The Historical Jesus Question offers commentary on the work and significance of the classic writers presented in the earlier volume--Spinoza, Strauss, Schweitzer, Troeltsch, Bultmann, Kasemann--and some additional comment on the work of Pannenberg. Not merely a summary discussion of these...

In this volume, Walter Brueggemann writes on Isaiah 1-39, which many scholars believe had a single author, Isaiah, of the eighth century BCE, who wrote in the context of the Assyrian empire between 742 and 701.Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice...

Grounded in the latest archeological developments, Victor Matthews's A Brief History of Ancient Israel presents a concise history of Israel covering the ancestral period, conquest and settlement, the monarchy, and both the exilic and postexilic periods. Using supplemental figures and insets, the author concentrates on providing a cogent and...

Christian Doctrine has introduced thousands of laity, students, and theologians to the tenets of the Christian faith. This edition reflects changes in the church and society since the publication of the first edition and takes into account new works in Reformed theology, gender references in the Bible, racism, pluralism, ecological...

Ideas of the Christian church are changing, and Letty Russell envisions its future as partnership and sharing for all members around a common table of hospitality. Russell draws on her pastorate in Harlem, her classes in theology, and many ecumenical conversations to help the newly emerging church face the challenges of liberation for all...