This book explores the role of Jesse Mercer (1769–1841) within the debates of his day as he promoted the first form of the Georgia Baptist Convention. His Calvinistic theology governed his actions and life. He emphasized missions, theological training for pastors, and cooperation between churches in fulfilling the Great Commission.

The new edition of Scandalous Providence: The Jesus Story of the Compassion of God constructs a postmodern interpretation of the providence of God through a narrative rendering of providence on the basis of the epochal moments in the story of Jesus, a distinctive modern reconstruction of the theology of providence through a critical, non-reductionist interpretation of the Gospel traditions on the one side, and contemporary narratives of lived experience within the scientific understanding of the world on the other. Significant theological problems have rendered the reformulation of the doctrine of providence elusive and unachievable for more than half a century.

We live in a fractured world. Deep cleavages divide into competing camps those who could helpfully enrich and balance each other. As hostilities deepen, collaboration becomes impossible. Impasses develop that thwart any hope of progress. We lament destructive polarization in the political process, but the same kind of fragmentation has compromised the unity of most Christian denominations. When a rupture occurs, each side spends more time and energy attacking the other side than they do combating the true enemies of the faith.

This Festschrift celebrates the life, ministry, and academic career of Edmon Lewin Rowell, Jr.. His life has been dedicated to both the church (through numerous churches he has served) and the academy (as an editor for more than twenty-seven years at Mercer University Press).

After the apostles Peter and John had healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful, the two disciples were arrested and later brought before the Sanhedrin to account for their deed, one that continued to stir the already anxious leaders of the Jews: “And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” (Acts 4:7). Indeed, what was the source of their miracle? And by what power or authority did they perform it? The essays in this book address the central issue of such authority in the Christian life. Contributors include Peter A. Huff, Richard John Neuhaus, Bradley Nassif, Stephen D. Ricks, Gerald R. McDermott, Robert M. Randolph, Robert L. Millet, Steven C. Harper, George R. Knight, David Neff, and Roger E. Olson.

For more than twenty-five years, R. Kirby Godsey has been a regular in the Chapel Services at Mercer University as a proclaimer of the Word. Collected for the first time, these meditations reveal a vision for the Christian living out one’s faith in the world. Godsey’s unique perspective requires that the hearer/reader be a critical thinker in their faith. These meditations serve as a clarion call for faithful and radical discipleship and honesty.

Walter H. Conser rediscovers the conflict in the closing decades of the twentieth century between conservative and liberals in the opening decades of the nineteenth in the form of neo-Lutheran Germans, Oxford Tractarian English, and American church leaders.

From Biblical Criticism to Biblical Faith offers cutting-edge essays in the three discipline areas of theological education: History and Exegesis, Canon and Theology, and Christian Life and Ministry.

God of Mercy introduces and contains seventeen classic Old English sermons by the tenth-century Benedictine monk, Ælfric, translated for the first time into Modern English. God of Mercy presents the theologically and spiritually attractive work of this important early monk. At the heart of this book is The Rule of St. Benedict, around which this tenth-century monk ordered his spiritual and earthly existence.

What can a credibility-challenged Christianity contribute to a post-Holocaust world? Many argue that in a post-Holocaust world, Christians must address their own culpability in the destruction of Europe’s Jewry. If post-Holocaust Christians only lament Christianity’s sin, which has been catastrophically destructive in its anti-Jewish manifestations, the tradition will be ultimately left with little to say and no credibility. Post-Holocaust Christians must emphasize positive differences that Christianity can make, including • Repentant honesty about Christianity’s anti-Jewish history • New appreciation for the Jewish origins of Christianity, the Jewish identity of Jesus, and the continuing vitality of the Jewish people and their traditions • Welcome liberation from liturgies and biblical interpretations that promote harmful Christian exclusivism • Deepened understanding that the core of Christian practice is to love—inclusively and hospitably—one’s neighbors as oneself Informed by the best Holocaust scholarship and written in an accessible style, these essays show that God’s embodied presence in the world provides life and hope that even the Holocaust cannot destroy.