Sabbatical Begins

Today, I began my sabbatical. Please do pray for me over the next six months: I have several book projects that I'd like to complete, but three in particular that need to get done or nearly done.

For a Continuing Church: Southern Presbyterians and Fundamentalism. This is the main project; I've been working on this since 2002 and have shared parts of the project on this blog. Essentially, it is an academic book (although I hope that doesn't mean unreadable) that looks at the development of conservative dissent (or fundamentalism) within the PCUS that eventuates in the creation of the PCA in 1973.

Jonathan Edwards on the Christian Life. This is for a series that Crossway will be doing over the next couple of years. I believe that one can do the entire theology of Edwards by focusing on what he says about religious affections and the resultant practices of holiness. We'll see if I'm right.

Grace-centered Leadership: A Framework for Leading Wherever God Puts You. This is a book that Bob Burns and I are co-authoring; it basically looks at leading from two frameworks--one that roots it in the biblical storyline of creation-fall-redemption-consummation; another that roots it in the grace-motivation of indicative-imperative. The book will be less jargoned that this short description, I assure you.