In an increasingly secular world, Christians are often pulled in two directions—Stephen O Presley takes us back to the first few centuries AD to show us how the first Christians approached cultural engagement. Some urge us to retreat and build insular communities. Others call upon us to wage a culture war, harnessing the government to shore up Christian cultural power. But there is another way—and it’s as old as the church itself. Stephen O. Presley takes us back to the first few centuries AD to show us how the first Christians approached cultural engagement. Amid a pagan culture that regarded their faith with suspicion, early Christians founded a religious movement that transformed the ancient world. Looking to great theologians like Augustine, Origen, and Tertullian, Presley shows how the early church approached politics, family, public life, and more. From these examples, he draws lessons for practicing authentic, pious discernment in how we engage with the wider culture.

Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church recasts biblical theology as a practice cultivated in Christian community rather than a solely academic pursuit. Stephen Presley argues that the early church fathers crafted an ecclesial biblical theology that was lived out communally and oriented believers toward beholding God’s glory.

The Baker Academic Biblical Theology Collection analyzes the relationship between Old and New Testament theology. Exploring what the Old Testament says about the Messiah, divine kingship, and the nature of God in Christian Scripture, this collection addresses key theological themes while also examining how New Testament documents fit together as a canonical whole that supplements the Old Testament to make up the Christian Scriptures.