NASHVILLE (BP) — The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission announced Thursday (March 26) in a news release its plan to publish the “Gospel for Life” book series through a partnership with B&H Publishing Group.
The book series will feature issue-specific volumes from noted Baptist leaders that address hot-button ethical issues facing Christians in today’s culture, according to the release. The goal of the series is to produce gospel-centered resources that equip Christians and local churches to engage ethical issues with convictional kindness.
The announcement, the release noted, was made in conjunction with the start of the ERLC’s 2015 Leadership Summit on “The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation,” March 26-27 in Nashville.
ERLC President Russell Moore and ERLC director of policy studies Andrew Walker will serve as editors for the series.
“Our goal with this series is to help connect the agenda of the gospel to the complex questions of the day in a way that is accessible to and helpful for Christians and churches,” Moore said in the release. “I am thrilled to get to partner with this team of talented scholars and pastors to produce these volumes, and we pray the Lord would use them to equip the saints to face the tough questions of 21st century life from a kingdom perspective.”
Devin Maddox, Christian living and leadership publisher at B&H Publishing Group, also expressed enthusiasm about the book. “The time has long past for churches to begin preparing to engage a rapidly changing culture,” he said in the release. “I couldn’t be more excited for B&H to partner with the ERLC in a shared mission to serve churches in this way.”
There will be a total of nine books released in the series. The first three books, tentatively scheduled to release in spring 2016, will focus on racial reconciliation, same-sex marriage and religious liberty.
Authors for the first round of books:
— R. Albert Mohler Jr., president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
— John Piper, founder and teacher, DesiringGod.org
— J.D. Greear, pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh/Durham (N.C.) area
— Russell Moore, president, ERLC
— Trillia Newbell, director of community outreach, ERLC
— Eric Mason, founder and pastor, Epiphany Fellowship, Philadelphia, Pa.
“The books will be written in an accessible manner for laypersons in the church,” the release said, “and will include discussion questions at the end of each chapter to be used for small group discussion.”
