The Academy of Parish Clergy Inc. has named the book "Remembering Jesus: Christian Community, Scripture, and the Moral Life" by Dr. Allen Verhey of the Hope College religion faculty one of the "Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry" published in 2002.
In the book, Verhey, who is the Evert J. and Hattie E. Blekkink Professor of Religion at Hope, asserts that following Jesus requires remembering Jesus, which entails reading and understanding Scripture, where the memory of Jesus is found. "Remembering Jesus" examines what Jesus said and did, and applies it to medical, sexual, economic and political ethics. The book also explores the church in relation to Jesus's teaching.
"Remembering Jesus" was published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. of Grand Rapids. A total of four books published by the company were on the academy's top 10 list, more than by any other publisher.
In December, "Remembering Jesus" was one of nine theology books included as recommended reading by "The Christian Century" in the publication's "Special Christmas Section of Books and CDs."
Verhey is the author or editor of nine other books, including "The Great Reversal: Ethics and the New Testament" and the anthology "On Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives on Medical Ethics," the latter of which won a CHOICE award as one of the outstanding academic books of 1987. He has written some 200 articles which have appeared in journals, as chapters of scholarly books or as contributions to encyclopedias.
His book "Reading the Bible in the Strange World of Medicine" will be forthcoming from Eerdmans in November.
The Academy of Parish Clergy is a voluntary and self-governing association of clergypersons, both men and women, with pastoral roles, ordinarily in congregational settings. The primary purpose of the academy is to clarify the vocational role of parish clergy and to enhance professional competence by setting standards, imposing self- discipline for effective service and collectively addressing the needs of their profession.