To Share in the Body: A Theology of Martyrdom for Today's Church »

Craig Hovey (PhD, University of Cambridge) is an adjunct professor of religion at the University of Redlands and an adjunct professor of Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. His articles have appeared in the Scottish Journal of Theology, Theology Today, and Studies in Christian Ethics. Hovey lives in Yucaipa, California.

In modern-day America, it is hard for Christians to imagine ever dying for their faith. And yet in To Share in the Body, author Craig Hovey challenges Christians to view martyrdom not as relegated to the past or to remote parts of the world but rather as having profound implications for Christian witness today.

By examining the Gospel of Mark's recurring theme of martyrdom, Hovey argues that martyrdom is a critical aspect of the gospel and therefore crucial to how the church today remembers martyrs and understands Christian discipleship. Written by an up-and-coming theologian, To Share in the Body provides engaging theological reflection that will benefit not only scholars and students of theology but also anyone interested in understanding a biblical view of martyrdom. The book also includes a foreword by Samuel Wells.

Publishers Weekly

Western Christians may feel safe from being called to die for their faith, but Hovey (adjunct professor at the University of Redlands and Fuller Theological Seminary) explores the Gospel of Mark to find evidence that "every church is meant to be a martyr-church." For Hovey, "all Christians [should] refuse to relegate the threat of martyrdom to the fringes of history or remote parts of the globe." A martyr-church is one in which members acknowledge the essential opposition of the church to the world and the possibility that they, too, may die in Christian witness. In a dense theological inquiry, Hovey uses the events in Mark to demonstrate that martyrdom is an inextricable feature of the Christian message. Hovey's inaccessible writing doesn't draw on the lived experiences of actual Christians in danger or analyze the differing relations between the church and the "principalities and powers" around the world. By not engaging nonspecialist readers or considering the real-life contexts of martyrdom, Hovey has probably limited his book's appeal to fellow theologians. (Feb.)

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Foreword   Samuel Wells     9
Preface     13
Introduction     17
The Waters That Drown     23
Carrying Crosses     43
Beholding Glory     63
Fleeing the Cross     81
Watching from a Distance     99
Not Seeing the Risen One     117
Martyrdom and Promise     133
Scripture Index     151
Subject Index     153