Building a Library: 5 Years of CCS Books
- Keith Stanglin
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
“Of making books there is no end” (Ecc. 12:12), writes the editor at the end of his book of Qoheleth’s wisdom. If he could see us now. The world seems to have plenty of books. Have you been on Amazon lately? So why do we need more books? Why does the world need another Bible study?
Five years ago, when we started the Center for Christian Studies and wanted to produce resources useful for equipping Christians and churches, we asked these very questions. The answer was not so difficult. Although there is no shortage of books in general, there’s not a lot of selection when it comes to thoughtful, reliable, scholarly yet accessible and succinct curriculum and study books. There’s an obvious gap to be filled.
Starting with nothing—a continuing theme when describing our humble beginnings—we determined to produce a series of books that we could be confident putting into the hands of both new and experienced Bible class teachers.
We collaborated with Kevin Burr and Luke Dockery of Regnum Media to pursue this
goal. We wanted books that would provide basic but insightful explanation of the biblical text, a closer look at select linguistic and historical matters, discussion questions inserted throughout each chapter where they fit, and discipleship prompts that encourage readers and students to put into practice the principles being taught.
That’s what no other book out there is doing. And so we did it.
The nature of books, as large and therefore long projects, means that more patience is required. Still, thanks to the work of our excellent authors and many people behind the scenes, we have produced new studies, Biblia and Doctrina series, on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Luke, and 1-2 Peter, as well as a study on baptism, assembly, and the Lord’s Supper. All of these titles are available on Amazon and through our website.
We have published other titles outside of the Biblia and Doctrina series, including the volume celebrating Harding School of Theology’s tenure in Memphis, a volume of essays in memory of Michael and Libby Weed, a new Chinese translation of Allan McNicol’s Preparing for Baptism, and a reprint of the Journal of Christian Studies issue on marriage and sexuality. And we carry a number of other books on theology and worship that are suitable for small group and family study.
And, as with all our resources, this is only the beginning. There is much more to come.