Gerald Hiestand – författare

Pastoral ministry today is often ruled by an emphasis on short-sighted goals, pragmatic results, and shallow thinking. Unfortunately, those in the academy tend to have the opposite problem, failing to connect theological study to the pressing issues facing the church today. Contemporary evangelicalism has lost sight of the inherent connection between pastoral leadership and theology. This results in theologically anemic churches, and ecclesial anemic theologies.Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand contend that among a younger generation of evangelical pastors and theologians, there is a growing appreciation for the native connection between theology and pastoral ministry. At the heart of this recovery of a theological vision for ministry is the re-emergence of the role of the "pastor theologian."The Pastor Theologian presents a taxonomy of the pastor-theologian and shows how individual pastors—given their unique calling and gift-set—can best embody this age-old vocation in the 21st century. They present three models that combine theological study and practical ministry to the church:The Local Theologian—a pastor theologian who ably services the theological needs of a local congregation.The Popular Theologian—a pastor theologian who writes theology to a wider lay audience.The Ecclesial Theologian—a pastor theologian who writes theology to other theologians and scholars.Raising the banner for the pastor as theologian, this book invites the emerging generation of theologians and pastors to reimagine the pastoral vocation along theological lines, and to identify with one of the above models of the pastor theologian.

How far is too far? What does the Bible say about sexuality? How can I have a legit dating relationship?Considering the sex-crazed, hook-up based culture we live in—not to mention the ever-climbing divorce rate—it’s clear that we need a better understanding of sex, dating, and relationships. Pastors Gerald Hiestand and Jay Thomas give us a paradigm-shifting view of purity and relationships—a view that accounts for the biblical evidence and helps us guard against unnecessary heartache.Sex, Dating, and Relationships adds a new, almost provocative voice to the conversation that pleads with Christians to get serious about honoring Christ with their sexuality. The question is: Are you ready for the challenge?

What the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Traditions Teach Us About the Doctrine of JustificationIn Justification and the Churches, Gerald Hiestand explores one of the most debated doctrines in Christian theology--justification and salvation--by asking a deceptively simple question: What if Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians aren't just giving different answers but are answering different pastoral questions?Through a careful historical, biblical, and theological analysis, Hiestand traces the distinct pastoral concerns that have shaped each tradition's approach to soteriology:● the Protestant concern for assurance and acquittal● the Catholic concern for interior transformation● the Orthodox concern for glorification and union with GodRather than treating these as competing systems, he shows how each tradition's doctrinal conclusions grow organically out of its pastoral questions--and how recognizing this can turn theological disagreement into an opportunity for mutual enrichment. This is ecclesial theology at its best: rigorous scholarship written from the church and for the church.Ideal for professors and students of theology and soteriology as well as pastors seeking a deeper grasp of comparative theology, this book doesn't ignore real differences--it illuminates them, inviting readers into a richer, more charitable understanding of the doctrine that stands at the heart of the Christian faith.The volume closes with substantive responses from Bruce D. Marshall (Catholic), Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Protestant), and Esteban Julio Vazquez (Orthodox), turning the book itself into an ecumenical conversation on one of theology's most consequential questions.

Christians have an increasingly complex and often conflicted relationship with technology. As Genesis 1 succinctly and profoundly declares, God created humanity in his image, and as part of that vocation, we are called to make something of the world. Technology is one of the most important and powerful ways that human beings exercise this dominion. But while technology can extend our humanity in powerful and exciting ways, many of us feel that it can compromise or fracture our humanity at its core. As a result, questions quickly emerge. What does it mean to be human? How does our creation in the image of God affect the way we use, design, and understand technology? Should our general posture toward technology be cautious or optimistic? This collection of scholarly and pastoral essays, drawn from the 2019 annual theology conference of the Center for Pastor Theologians, offers substantive Christian reflection on a wide range of issues pertinent to a distinctly Christian vision of technology today--and in the future.

Over the past few years, Evangelicalism has been marked by a deconstructionist movement in which many, especially younger Evangelicals, have been leaving the Evangelical tradition. Some have left the Christian faith altogether due to what they perceive to be deep inconsistencies, inadequacies, and hypocrisies. But is deconstruction the right response to these problems, or is there a better way? Rather than tearing down the structures and institutions they inhabit, Evangelicals can, trusting in the promise that Christ will build his church, commit themselves to the project of reconstruction. With every challenge comes an opportunity to press deep below the surface, assess weak foundations, and build stronger, healthier Evangelicalisms than those inherited. Reconstructing Evangelicalism explores these very challenges and opportunities to aid the church in the rebuilding project necessary in the present age.

One of the greatest crises facing the church is the crisis of racial injustice that has so long marred the body of Christ in America. Evangelicals have traditionally had a set of biblical, theological, and cultural tools we have used for dealing with questions about race: the necessity of personal responsibility, the possibility of heart renewal through faith in Jesus, the transformative impact of interpersonal relationships, and the bedrock conviction that every human being is made in the image of God and is thus of equal worth and dignity. But in the world after 2020, the evangelical church must now recognize that our theological playbook has been ineffective in rooting out racism from the church and in confronting our own complicity in racial injustice. We must now ask: What other theological convictions are required of us as we consider the image-bearing humanity of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others? Confronting Racial Injustice explores theological vistas to aid the church in our pursuit of racial justice.