InterVarsity Press Books

In this award-winning commentary, Craig Keener presents in verse-by-verse format the cultural background you need for responsible—and richer—Bible study. This revised edition of the standard reference work in its field has been expanded throughout to now provide even more up-to-date information by one of the leading New Testament scholars on Jewish, Greek and Roman culture.

In a fast-food world, Christianity can seem outdated, archaic. The temptation becomes to pick up the pace and play the game. Chris Smith and John Pattison invite us out of franchise faith and back into the ecology, economy and ethics of the kingdom of God, where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loved the church.

Showcasing the work of a new generation of scholars, this volume surveys scholarship and method in historical Jesus studies, New Testament textual criticism and more. Nearly all 175 articles have been reconceived and rewritten to reflect developments in the field since the 1992 edition.

What are the pathways that lead us to God? In this book Helen Cepero leads you through the journey beginning with three ways of love, then three ways of continuing in faith, and then lastly, three ways of living in hope. These nine pathways will lead you into deeper life with Christ.

Alister McGrath argues that Christian thought has a vital role to play in the survival of the Christian vision of reality. By setting the gospel in the great tradition of Christian theological reflection, we have the makings of a robust engagement in the public sphere of ideas.

God can use your unique gifts, passions and personality to help you become a better leader. While personality inventories can help you understand your temperament, Olson's model is designed to form fruitful Christian leadership. Coupled with a free online assessment, this book helps pastors and Christian leaders harness gifts and balance weaknesses.

Images and analogies can provide concrete handles for making the Christian faith more plausible. Evangelist and apologist Rick Mattson has collected dozens of easy-to-use images for explaining Christianity. With practical tips on how to interact with your skeptical friends, this book provides a handy toolkit of evangelistic resources.

Violence against women and girls is a pressing global problem. In this groundbreaking study, Elizabeth Gerhardt proposes a holistic theology of the cross as the basis for a prophetic response by the church to a problem that is not only moral and ethical, but also confessional.

Headlines rage with big stories about big churches. But tucked away in neighborhoods throughout North America there is a profound work of hope quietly unfolding. Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens and Dwight J. Friesen have seen—in cities, suburbs and small towns all over North America—how powerful the gospel can be when it takes root in the context of a place. The future of the church is local, contextual; the seeds of that future are shared and spread here.

There are some things we just don't talk about. Pastor T. C. Ryan narrates the unsettling story of his lifelong struggle with sexual addiction, one that predated and pervaded his pastoral ministry—one that went on for years in secrecy and isolation. In light of his full experience of exile and healing, Ryan calls the church to a ministry of unsettling grace that is the worthy of the gospel.