During Louisville Seminary’s 2002-2003 academic year, ten of its 21 full-time faculty members have published 11 books, addressing a variety of topics both inside and outside the classroom. Collectively, the publications represent one of the strengths of the Louisville Seminary faculty —the ability to employ scholarship and research for academia, the church, society, and family life simultaneously.

“This volume of publishing is remarkable from a full-time faculty of 21 professors. Our faculty carry full teaching loads, and nearly all serve in their local congregations in some capacity or travel to other congregations offering adult Bible study and preaching on occasion,” said Dean Dianne Reistroffer. “The faculty’s capacity to write for a variety of audiences —religious scholars, church leaders, children and parents, and the laity—demonstrates their dedication to the integration of theology with the practice of ministry. As ‘scholars of the church’ they understand the necessity of relating theological scholarship with the needs of the church and society,” she said.

Among this impressive collection of publications is Making Time for God: Daily Devotions for Children and Families to Share (Baker Book House, 2002). The result of two professors’ frustration in searching for suitable devotional material for their own children, this book has become an instant success and is already in its second printing since its early fall release. Authors Susan Garrett and Amy Plantinga Pauw answered a significant need in many Christian households with their new book, which was highlighted in recent issues of The Christian Century (Sept. 2002) and Christianitytoday.com (October 14, 2002).

Pauw has also made a huge contribution to theological studies with two works on theologian Jonathan Edwards. The Supreme Harmony of All: The Trinitarian Theology of Jonathan Edwards (Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002) and The Works of Jonathan Edwards: Vol. 20, “The Miscellanies,” 833-1152 (Yale University Press, 2002) represent two key resources to which scholars of American religion and Edwards will consult for many years to come, according to Milton J Coalter, Acting President of LPTS. “The first book offers insight into a largely overlooked area of Edward’s theology, namely his views on the Trinity, that Amy Pauw has discovered reveals much about his overall theological perspective and the conflict that he experienced with parishioners. The “Miscellanies,” on the other hand, represent a faithful rendering of Edwards’ private reflection on the philosophical and religious issues of his day,” he said.

J. Bradley Wigger, a professor of Christian education and director of the Seminary’s Center for Congregations and Family Ministries, has published The Power of God at Home: Nurturing Our Children in Love and Grace (Jossey-Bass, 2003). Written for parents and practitioners in family ministry, the book is one of the first releases in the new Families and Faith Series, a series of 12 books devoted to exploring the relationship between the spiritual life and our closest human relationships. Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund, endorses Wigger’s book for its ability to use storytelling, biblical interpretation and concrete suggestions for family practice that can “help parents and caring adults give children the moral start they need in life.”

The moral life of abolitionist Frederick Douglass is not a new topic. However, Scott Williamson’s The Narrative Life: The Moral and Religious Thought of Frederick Douglass (Mercer University Press, 2002) explores the lesser-known life of Douglass’s early years and, in particular, how Douglass’s earliest moral and religious thoughts shaped the humanitarian work of his later years. Williamson, professor of theological ethics, makes the observation that as we are formed by the individuals and context around us, we are simultaneously “editing” what we inherit and what we experience — “we are at the same time shaped by and shaper of moral meaning.”

As part of the “armchair theologian series” published by Westminster John Knox Press, Christopher Elwood has added Calvin for Armchair Theologians (2002). Elwood, an historical theologian, offers a concise introduction to the life, thought, and key teachings of John Calvin, a major architect of the Reformed Tradition. As Elwood explains some of the theological controversies associated with Calvin, illustrator and cartoonist Ron Hill provides humorous interpretation to some of the book’s key points.

Issues related to gender and religion among Indonesian women; understanding the differences between black theology and folklore; and interpreting the books of Ruth and Esther in the Bible are also addressed by these faculty publications. Any of them may be found in the theological classroom, the public reading room, or the family room. A complete list of new works produced this year follows. They are available at your local bookstore, through online bookseller outlets, or at the Louisville Seminary bookstore. For more information about the authors, contact the Office of Communications by e-mail or by calling toll-free 800.264-1839.

Calvin for Armchair Theologians (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002). Christopher L. Elwood

Christian Women in Indonesia: A Narrative Study of Gender and Religion (Syracuse University Press, 2002). Frances Screnock Adeney

Do No Harm: Social Sin and Christian Responsibility (Fortress Press, 2002). Stephen G. Ray

The Works of Jonathan Edwards: Vol. 20, “The Miscellanies,” 833-1152 (Yale University Press, 2002). Amy Plantinga Pauw, editor

Making Time for God: Daily Devotions for Children and Families to Share (Baker Book House, 2002). Susan R. Garrett and Amy Plantinga Pauw

The Narrative Life: The Moral and Religious Thought of Frederick Douglass (Mercer University Press, 2002). Scott C. Williamson

The Power of God at Home: Nurturing our Children in Love and Grace (Jossey-Bass, 2003). J. Bradley Wigger

Practical Theology for Black Churches: Bridging Black Theology and African-American Folk Religion (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002). Dale P. Andrews

Ruth and Esther, Interpretation Bible Study Series (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002). Patricia K. Tull

The Supreme Harmony of All: The Trinitarian Theology of Jonathan Edwards (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002). Amy Plantinga Pauw

Vital Signs: The Promise of Mainstream Protestantism Revised, with John M. Mulder and Louis B. Weeks (FaithWalk Publishing, 2002). Milton J Coalter