Here is a list of my books, beginning with the most recent. Go ahead. Treat yourself! Personally, I think they are worth reading.
I Pledge Allegiance: A Believer’s Guide to Kingdom Citizenship in Twenty-First Century America
EerdmansAdditional places to purchase: Barnes & Noble or Amazon
Recommendations:
Stanley Hauerwas (Duke Divinity School) — “…Crump has the courage to write a book in Christian ethics that explores how Christians must learn how to negotiate a world in which they are no longer in control. One of the delights of this book is Crump’s careful and constructive use of the New Testament to help us see what it means for Christians to recover the radical character of an ethic of discipleship.”
William T. Cavanaugh (DePaul University) — “[Crump] challenges evangelicals to take Jesus seriously in living out their citizenship. In forthright language and with the aid of real-life examples, Crump calls Christians to reject the idolatrous political and economic allegiances that divide the church.”
Ronald J. Sider (Palmer Theological Seminary) — “A powerful, passionate plea to American Christians to follow Jesus rather than conform to a broken culture…Biblical, urgent, provocative. A must-read.”
Gregory A. Boyd (Senior Pastor of Woodland Hills Church) — “Well-written, insightful, and compellingly argued. Crump exposes the frightful degree to which the church in America has been co-opted by the secular ideals and agendas of our country. [It] is a much needed clarion call…”
Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture: Reading the Bible Critically in Faith
EerdmansAdditional places to purchase: Barnes & Noble or Amazon
Recommendations:
James K. A. Smith (Calvin College) — from the foreword: “Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture is part bombshell, part pastoral epistle. . . . Both Kierkegaard and Crump have a way of chopping a path through all the brush of hermeneutical debates and academic wrangling about historical criticism to remind us of a simple but still disconcerting truth — that the point of Scripture is to encounter Jesus. . . . Students and other interpreters need to read this book to be reminded that what’s at stake in biblical studies is an encounter with the Lover of our souls.”
Stephen Evans (Baylor University) — “It is not surprising that David Crump’s Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture exhibits a deep understanding of the issues raised by historical-critical biblical scholarship. But Crump’s book is far more than a learned piece of New Testament scholarship. He shows how it is possible for a person who knows about the critical issues to read the Bible as God’s word for today, addressed to existing human beings. Crump carries on a continual conversation with Kierkegaard that I found illuminating and that the great Danish thinker would have found gratifying.”
Catholic Biblical Quarterly – “A passionate and exciting book . . . . It is a voice that should continue to be heard as it enriches and challenges us all.”
Choice (American Library Association) – “This engaging book emerges from applying the writings of Kierkegaard on faith in God to some important questions about New Testament interpretation. . . . Highly recommended.”
An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts, by Charles B. Puskas and David Crump
EerdmansAdditional places to purchase: Barnes & Noble or Amazon
Recommendations:
Charles W. Hedrick (Missouri State University) – “This well-written book admirably summarizes the contemporary results of the scientific study of the Gospels and Acts in language accessible to the general reader. Puskas and Crump handle the complex and often pedantic scholarly debates in a lucid and non-polemical way. Their documentation covers all sides of the discussion of critical issues. Deftly facing the challenges to a discriminating study of the Gospels, they deal with the problems in a fair-minded manner, providing readers with the scholarly information necessary to make their own decisions.”
Robert Van Voorst (Western Theological Seminary) – “An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts is a current, concise, and clear introduction to the historical study of the Gospels and Acts. It is an excellent resource for New Testament introduction courses in colleges and seminaries…”
Review of Biblical Literature – “. . . this volume is a valuable tool for the undergraduate classroom or independent study. It does not summarize the biblical texts and so replace reading them. Its clarity of style and big picture’ approach to the Gospels and Acts serve genuinely to introduce students to what is hoped will be their own satisfying study.”
Kelly Iverson (Journal for the Study of the New Testament) – “Puskas and Crump do a fine job of balancing various scholarly opinions, striking a charitable tone that reflects the authors’ different theological perspectives (mainline and evangelical), without offering quick solutions or unnecessary judgments.”
Brandon D. Crowe (School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh) – “The authors’ stated aim is to fill a gap in current literature by providing a concise, single-volume introduction for students, pastors, and teachers that covers both the Gospels and Acts. . . This concise and affordable introduction succeeds handsomely in what it sets out to accomplish.”
William Turns (Trinity Seminary Review) – “Puskas and Crump have produced a concise book, packed with information, introducing the Gospels and Acts in a non-technical fashion that, as intended, appeals to a broad audience. Regardless of what position on the Gospels and Acts each reader may hold, each will be challenged by this book’s objective, thought-provoking presentation.”
Knocking on Heaven’s Door: A New Testament Theology of Petitionary Prayer
Baker AcademicAdditional places to purchase: Barnes & Noble or Amazon
Recommendations:
Publishers Weekly – “[The author] brings together a series of insightful and deeply spiritual thoughts on some of the major petitionary prayers in the Bible. . . . Crump carefully studies several of Jesus’ parables, the Lord’s Prayer and the Pauline writings, among others, as they explain and clarify God’s intent in urging his followers to pray. Crump’s exacting attention to the original languages and a diversity of scholarship, along with his clear writing style, provide a rich and rewarding study of petitionary prayer. Academics and general readers alike will find much to appreciate.”
Laura Winner (Books and Culture) – “A complex, multilayered, and captivating scholarly study of petitionary prayer. . . . Crump seeks to honor both God’s sovereignty and the notion that we have a ‘truly reciprocal relationship’ with God, a relationship in which our concerns ‘make a real difference to God.’ Crump’s way into this mystery is a careful reading of New Testament passages pertaining to petitionary prayer. . . . Crump offers a radical affirmation of the centrality of the Cross to Christian prayer.”
Mark Kiley (Catholic Biblical Quarterly) – “[This] book fills a niche in English-language studies. . . . It will be particularly useful for those readers of the NT whose prayer for their personal growth in holiness has hit a seeming dead end and who want a big-picture summary of the canon’s contribution to that issue. . . . One may also recognize in Crump’s study a significant step beyond previous exegetical studies of the issue.”
Angus Paddison (Journal for the Study of the New Testament Booklist) – “Crump evinces considerable pastoral interests, alongside a fluency in evangelical literature on petitionary prayer. . . . Precisely as NT theology, both the church and the academy will find much stimulus in this book.”
Kenneth Berding (Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society) – “[Crump] has bridged the gap between exegesis of texts on prayer and practical applications of exegetically derived insights. In choosing to limit his discussion to biblical passages that address petitionary prayer, he has focused his discussion and is able to spend more time on interpretive issues in particular texts. Furthermore, since petitionary prayer is the area that creates the greatest number of difficulties for praying believers, his choice to focus only on this aspect of prayer makes the topics discussed in the book extremely relevant. . . . I have been enriched by many of Crump’s insights into particular biblical texts and found numerous helpful insights. . . . Readers, thus, will find in this book a wealth of detailed analysis of biblical texts that touch on the question of petitionary prayer.”
Donald Senior (Bible Today) – “Crump’s tone throughout is popular and pastoral, although based on serious biblical study. This is a valuable contribution on an important topic.”
David E. Holwerda (Calvin Theological Journal) – “Crump invites the reader into a serious engagement with the key biblical texts on petitionary prayer. His book is not an abstract theological essay but a wonderfully engaging biblical theology filled with pastoral significance on every page. . . . The author’s discussion of the Lord’s Prayer is exegetically very thorough and pastorally very rich. . . . I heartily commend Crump for his excellent exegesis and numerous pastoral applications and warmly recommend this wonderfully interesting book to pastors and all who are interested in serious reflection on their own petitionary prayers.”
Peter T. O’Brien (Bulletin for Biblical Research) – “David Crump’s insightful book makes an important contribution to our understanding of prayer in the New Testament. . . . This book blends careful exegesis with theological synthesis and integrates prayer within God’s saving purposes for his people. It thus encourages believers to come with boldness to the throne of grace in prayer, while at the same time critiquing false notions in popular piety about petitionary prayer and lack of faith.”
Mark Harding (Biblical Theology Bulletin) – “Crump combines exegetical comment on the key NT passages with insights offered from his personal life, his pastoral experience and concise theological analyses. . . . There is no doubting the essential soundness of his conclusions and the pastoral sense that shines through the book. . . . This is a book I can highly recommend to the seminarian, college student or church member wrestling with prayer and finding much that dissatisfies among the many contemporary voices on the subject.”
Jared Odle (Stone-Campbell Journal) – “David Crump has fruitfully combined the disciplines of biblical exegesis and pastoral application producing insights for scholars, students, pastors, prayer leaders, and pray-ers. The most important and unique aspect of this volume is the inviting way Crump forces readers to consider the formulation of their theology proper formed, informed, and reformed in both exegesis and in the act of prayer. In this volume, Crump has delivered a text successfully exploring the texts of the NT with the exegetical tools of the academy and present[ed] the findings to two audiences: the academy and those disposed to prayer and spiritual disciplines. Both audiences walk away enlightened and encouraged. . . . Readers will do well to incorporate the pattern of Crump’s work into their own prayer lives and into their teaching, preaching, and discipleship practices. This is simply an excellent text displaying how exegesis should affect the praxis of the church. As such, I highly recommend this volume for use with upper-level undergraduates considering their philosophy of ministry and graduate students. I also recommend this book for pastors to consider the way they pray, but also the way they teach their congregations how to pray. . . . This volume would also be a welcomed text for advanced discipleship groups, especially pastoral prayer and support groups. Crump’s work is a must-read for prayer and worship leaders. Crump’s insights into and acquaintance with the American prayer movement integrated with superb exegetical work should aid prayer and worship leaders further their practice and modeling of prayer in public.”
Feeling Like God: A Spiritual Journey to Emotional Wholeness
Recommendations:
Publisher’s Description – “An engaging blend of biblical study, historical theology, and personal testimony, Feeling like God takes the reader on a journey to understand God as revealed in Scripture. It shows that following Jesus Christ necessarily means bringing our feelings to God, rather than trying to suppress them, and shows how expressing emotion is something central to what it means to be created in the image of God.”
Jesus the Intercessor: Prayer and Christology in Luke-Acts
Where to Purchase: Barnes & Noble or Amazon
Recommendations:
Judith Lieu (Expository Times) – “A valuable contribution to Lukan theology and a good example of careful application of the redactional method.”
David Landry (Journal of Biblical Literature) – “Required reading for anyone interested in prayer in Luke-Acts or in the individual passages.”
Frederick Danker (Catholic Biblical Quarterly) – “That Luke had much to say about prayer is generally recognized, but Crump probes his thematic interest more deeply than others and comes up with arguments that cast doubt on many cherished positions, expose untenable viewpoints, and invite consideration of lines of thought in Luke-Acts that have not received the detailed discussion they deserve.”
J. Graham (Evangelical Quarterly) – “This published doctoral thesis bears all the hallmarks of the meticulous scholarship of Crump’s Aberdeen supervisor (the footnotes are impressive, the bibliography of over one thousand items, invaluable). [Crump] combines detail with clarity….It deserves a wide audience. ”
Publisher’s Description – “Employing careful exegesis, the author begins his study with an examination of Luke’s use of prayer notices and their relationship to Jesus content prayers. Crump then correlates the results of his study of Jesus prayer habits with didactic Lukan materials and various prayer texts found in Acts. His investigation concludes with a study of heavenly intercession as found in ancient Judaism that clarifies Luke’s specific contribution to New Testament Christology.
“Originally published as a doctoral dissertation in J. C. B. Mohr/Siebeck WUNT series, this latest addition to Bakers Biblical Studies Library includes voluminous footnotes, a thirty-four page bibliography, and full Scripture and subject indexes. This definitive work on Luke’s portrait of Jesus prayer is a must read for all students of Luke, Acts, and Christology.”