Books
Published work
Studies in Baptist origins, the Nicene fathers, and the church’s confession of Christ.
The Beginning of Baptist Ecclesiology
Pickwick Publications, 2017
The question “Where did Baptists come from and why?” has two camps: the English Separatist line through John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, and the Anabaptist movement, whether by lineage to the Swiss Brethren or by shared teaching. Anabaptist ecclesiology is akin, if not in some ways identical, to modern Baptist ecclesiology. This book shows why the Baptist church of 1607 was akin to both, and yet differed from both. Marvin Jones gives a fresh voice to Thomas Helwys’s conviction that a Baptist church is a viable New Testament church, and supplies the further rationale for the conversation about Baptist origins.
Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact
Christian Focus Publications, 2014; 2nd ed., 2020
- Early Christian writer and Church Father
- He fought the growing heresy of Arianism
- Champion of the underprivileged
Basil of Caesarea (329–379) was a Greek bishop in what is now Turkey, a thoughtful theologian, and a voice in the formation of the Nicene Creed. He fought the growing heresy of Arianism, including among those in high office, and stood as a champion of the underprivileged. The book traces his courage, wisdom, and confidence in God.
Athanasius: Concept of Eternal Sonship as Revealed in Contra Arianos
Mellen Press, 2006
- Examines Contra Arianos on the eternal relationship of the Son to the Father
- Reviews Athanasius’s approach to the Arian controversy and his reading of Scripture
A study of Athanasius’s doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ as set out in Contra Arianos, including the functional subordination of the Son to the Father as an eternal relationship, and the orthodox teaching Athanasius draws from the biblical texts.
Recovering Historical Christology for Today’s Church
Wipf and Stock, 2019
This book explains the basic tenets of Christology that a college student would encounter in a basic Christology class. The first section focuses on primary Christological passages and a limited survey of Christology in the New Testament. The second reviews the first four ecumenical councils—Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon. The third applies that witness to preaching and to the contemporary church.
Joseph: A Man of Integrity
Emanuel University Press, 2008
A study of Joseph's character and faithfulness that applies biblical integrity to contemporary Christian discipleship and leadership.