How to Live an 'In Christ' Life: 100 Devotional Readings on Union with Christ
Ken Berding (M.A. ’96)
Professor of New Testament Christian Focus, September 2020
Everywhere we look in the letters of Paul we encounter “in Christ.” But how many of us know why the Apostle Paul uses this expression — or ones like it — over and over again in his letters? What is so important about being in Christ? Is it possible that when Paul talks about inChristness, he is handing us a set of keys that will open up his letters and reveal what is most essential to living the Christian life? In these 100 devotionals, we discover why inChristness is so important and how to live an in-Christ life.
Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church
Rick Langer, Co-Authored with Tim Muehlhoff (M.Div. ’85) Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology; Director of the Office of Faith and Learning) InterVarsity Press, December 2020
We generally assume that those sitting around us in church share our beliefs. But when our personal convictions are contested by fellow Christians, everything changes. We feel attacked from behind. When other Christians doubt or deny our convictions, we don’t experience it as a mere difference of opinion, but as a violation of an unspoken agreement. Tim Muehlhoff and Rick Langer offer a guide to help Christians navigate disagreements with one another. In today’s polarized context, Christians often have committed, biblical rationales for very different positions. How do we discern between core biblical convictions and secondary issues? How do we cultivate better understanding and compassion for those we disagree with? Christian unity is possible. Discover how we can navigate differences by speaking in both truth and love.
How to Read Theology for All Its Worth: A Guide for Students
Karin Stetina Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies Zondervan Academic, September 2020
Too many Christians avoid reading theology for fear they won’t understand it or out of a misconception that it’s only meant for the academic elite. Similarly, students in introductory theology classes can feel overwhelmed by the concepts and terminology they encounter. Yet theology can be read with enjoyment and discernment. In How to Read Theology for All Its Worth, professor, author and devoted reader Karin Stetina introduces students to the basic skills of intelligent reading, applied especially to theological works. Anyone who’d like to read theology well, whether a formal student or interested layperson, will benefit from the simple steps Stetina outlines.
Creating Equality at Home: How 25 Couples around the World Share Housework and Childcare
Karen Quek (M.A. '90) Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy; Program Director) Cambridge University Press, June 2020
Creating Equality at Home tells the fascinating stories of 25 couples around the world whose everyday decisions about sharing the housework and childcare — from who cooks the food, washes the dishes and helps with homework, to who cuts back on paid work — all add up to a gender revolution. From North and South America to Europe, Asia and Australia, these couples tell a story of similarity despite vast cultural differences. By rejecting the prescription that men’s identities are determined by paid work and women’s by motherhood, the couples show that men can put family first and are as capable of nurturing as women, and that women can pursue careers as seriously as their husbands do — bringing profound rewards for men, women, marriage and children. Working couples with children will discover that equality is possible and exists right now.
Kenneth Berding is a professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology. He is an author of various books, some academic (such as Polycarp and Paul), some semi-academic (such as What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View), others for-the-classroom (such as Sing and Learn New Testament Greek or The Apostolic Fathers: A Narrative Introduction), and still others for-the-church (such as Walking in the Spirit or Bible Revival: Recommitting Ourselves to One Book). He has published articles in such journals as the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vigiliae Christianae, New Testament Studies, and Journal of Early Christian Studies. He is the director of Bible Fluency: Sing It, See It, Study It. Before coming to Talbot, Berding was a church planter in the Middle East and taught at Nyack College just north of New York City. He has a heart for God and ministry, has written many worship songs, and has served as a worship pastor in local church ministry.
Rick Langer is a Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology and the Director of the Office of Faith and Learning at Biola University. He specializes in the integration of faith and learning, and has also published in the areas of bioethics, theology and philosophy. He has a passion for helping Christians of all ages understand the connection between the Gospel and all the diverse facets of the created order in which we live. Prior to coming to Biola, he served for over twenty years as a pastor at Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Redlands, California.
Karen Quek
Karen Quek is a program director and professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. She is dual-licensed as a marriage & family therapist (LMFT) and a professional clinical counselor (LPCC) in the State of California. Quek has achieved national “Approved Supervisor” status of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and was a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). She has extensive teaching, clinical, and supervisory experiences in the United States and other parts of the world, including China, Singapore and the Philippines. Her innovative research and clinical focus reflect her expertise and interests in multicultural clinical work, cross-cultural family processes, couples relational dynamics, and intersectionality in family therapy leadership. These have resulted in several publications in high impact journals such as Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Journal of Family Therapy, Journal of Family Issues, Feminist Family Therapy, etc. and numerous research presentations in her guild. She co-edited a book titled Transition and Change in Collectivist Family Life: Strategies for Clinical Practice with Asian Americans in 2017.
Karin Spiecker Stetina is passionate about teaching theology that is aimed at loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Matt. 22:37). She aims to relate theology to following Christ in daily life. She taught theology and church history for nearly 20 years at Wheaton College before coming to Biola University where she serves as an Associate Professor of Theology at Talbot School of Theology. She has been a consultant and an editor for Luther Digest and is currently on the committee for Church History Since 1700 for the Evangelical Theological Society. She has her ministry license with the Evangelical Free Church and has served on the Women’s Ministry Team at Grace Ev. Free in La Mirada, Calif. Stetina’s research interests include Reformation Theology and the theology of John Calvin, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards. She is the author of The Fatherhood of God in John Calvin’s Thought (Paternoster, 2016), Jonathan Edwards’ Early Understanding of Religious Experience (Mellen Press, 2011), and How to Read Theology for All Its Worth (Zondervan, 2020). She is blessed with four wonderful children: Caroline, Ellie, Cole and Alex.
Biola University
