When asked about their plans for their publishing programs, several publishers of academic religious books shared their ideas.

Jon Boyd

(associate publisher and academic editorial director at IVP)

“We continue to be passionate about fresh light being shed on big questions. Scholars are doing lots of that in countless fields we’re active in—from psychology to history, law to literature—and of course biblical studies and theology are no exception. Our ears always perk up when a scholar can bring together insights from disparate (and hitherto separated) ways of thinking or methods of research. That’s where the electricity flows. I can’t imagine anything that wouldn’t be awesome to learn more about with renewed awareness.”

Richard Brown

(senior executive editor, religion and spirituality, at R&L)

“Exploring the tectonic shifts in religious affiliation in this country, better known as disaffiliation, with the dramatic rise of “nones” and the “spiritual but not religious,” and how these individuals are finding meaning and purpose outside traditional religious communities.”

Katya Covrett

(v-p and publisher at Zondervan)

“Academic has always been strong in biblical studies, including Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, biblical theology, and ancient languages. [The press] will continue to provide resources for all of the conversations that are taking place in the academy, the church, and the wider world.”

James Ernest

(v-p and editor-in-chief at Eerdmans)

“After a full century of fundamentalist-modernist conflict in American Christianity, events of the last couple decades have redrawn the lines between the camps, made them porous and squiggly. We need authors who are sensitive to all the deconstruction, reconstruction, realignment, retrenchment, resourcement, and re-visioning in the Christian, post-Christian, and Christian-adjacent constituencies that we serve. We need books that explore all those movements, especially efforts to re-form and re-vision Christianity. We need books on non-Christian religions that are growing in our society. Eerdmans needs to provide books that revisit the perennial questions—What is the Bible, and how should we interpret it? How should faith relate to culture? Is progress in doctrine legitimate?—in light of all the challenges I have mentioned.”

Bridgett A. Green

(v-p of publishing and editorial director at WJK)

“Particular topics of interest include scholarship that expands the best of biblical, theological, historical, and ethical traditions, research, and arguments toward well-being for all, while not shying away from examining the problematic elements of these traditions. We are also interested in diverse voices and perspectives of underrepresented communities and incorporating often marginalized stories into the primary academic discursive milieu.”

Jim Kinney

(executive v-p, academic publishing, Baker Academic)

“It’s tempting to look at my newsfeed for potential book topics. But chasing the headlines will never work in academic publishing. I think the best academic books are timely because they’re timeless. We need academics to plumb the depths of their areas of specialty to bring us wisdom and insight that help make sense of our world both today and tomorrow.”

Vanessa Myers-Dudley

(books strategist at Pilgrim Press)

“We continue to focus on building a catalog that prepares future ministers and theologians for the work they are going to be doing in the pulpit and in the streets. Topics include history, biblical studies, theology, fat liberation, gender studies, and disability studies.”    

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