In keeping with the classic Christian tradition, Great Is the Lord sets out the doctrine of God in a way that illumines the mind, moves the heart, and stirs the soul to praise the triune God. Ron Highfield introduces students, ministers, and others to the “traditional” doctrine of God held by the majority of the church from the second to the twentieth century: God is triune, loving, merciful, gracious, patient, wise, one, simple, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, omnipresent, immutable, impassible, and glorious. Irenically challenging open theism and process theology, Highfield shows that the classical doctrine of God actually preserves our confidence in God's love and his liberating action better than its opponents do. This traditional doctrine, Highfield argues, grounds our dignity and freedom in the center of reality, the trinitarian life of God. Highfield's work maintains the highest intellectual standards throughout even as it offers a true theology for the praise of God.

Great Is the Lord: Theology for the Praise of God

Christian Books & Bibles

Highfield, Ron

Theology

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Does God's all-encompassing will restrict our freedom? Does God's ownership and mastery over us diminish our dignity? The fear that God is a threat to our freedom and dignity goes far back in Western thought. Such suspicion remains with us today in our so-called secular society. In such a context any talk of God tends to provoke responses that range from defiance to subservience to indifference. How did Western culture come to this place? What impact does this social and intellectual environment have on those who claim to believe in God or more specifically in the Christian God of the Bible? Professor of religion Ron Highfield traces out the development of Western thought that has led us our current frame of mind from Plato, Augustine and Descartes through Locke, Kant, Blake Bentham, Hegel, Nietzsche--all the way down to Charles Taylor's landmark work Sources of the Self. At the heart of the issue is the modern notion of the autonomous self and the inevitable crisis it provokes for a view of human identity, freedom and dignity found in God. Can the modern self really secure its own freedom, dignity and happiness? What alternative do we have? Highfield makes pertinent use of trinitarian theology to show how genuine Christian faith responds to this challenge by directing us to a God who is not in competition with his human creations, but rather who provides us with what we seek but could never give ourselves. God, Freedom and Human Dignity is essential reading for Christian students who are interested in the debates around secularism, modernity and identity formation.

God, Freedom and Human Dignity: Embracing a God-Centered Identity in a Me-Centered Culture

Religion & Spirituality

IVP Academic

As Paul says in Romans, creation groans for redemption. But can we trust God to make all things new? The doctrines of creation and providence address the question of human anxiety in the face of suffering and evil. In a world that often seems to be spinning out of control, Christian faith confesses a "faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19) who promises a glorious future for all creation. In The Faithful Creator, seasoned professor and author Ron Highfield presents an overview of creation, providence and the problem of evil. He explores a wide range of issues, including the biblical accounts of creation, the dialogue between theology and science, models of providence, philosophical problems of evil and the proposals of open theism and process theism. Both accessible and scholarly, The Faithful Creator is an ideal text for classroom use.

The Faithful Creator: Affirming Creation and Providence in an Age of Anxiety

In this book veteran Pepperdine University professor of theology Ron Highfield makes the case for the truth of Christianity and defends it from attack. But so do many other books. Why do we need another? Because there are also plenty of books that deny Christianity’s truth, attack it in new ways and from almost every conceivable angle! Hence the work of Christian evidences and apologetics is never done. Christian truth does not change, but contemporary culture and thought change almost daily. To communicate effectively with our contemporaries we must listen to them, come to understand their most basic beliefs and values and learn how to explain Christian faith to them in ways they can understand. This task is not easy to accomplish, and there is no shortage of failed attempts. Indeed, the Christian cause suffers almost as much from its friends as it does from its enemies. Many efforts to support and defend Christianity have done as much damage as good and created as much doubt as confidence in the Christian faith. Some arguments for Christianity overstate their case and understate the force of objections. Others try to prove too many things. Good thinkers from the time of Socrates until today know that making bad arguments in favor of a good cause is worse than silence. This book is full of good arguments.

Christianity--Is It Really True?: Responsible Faith In A Post-Christian Culture

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Crafted by veteran professor of theology Ron Highfield, this book contains 51 short, easy to read chapters on basic Christian doctrine. It treats such topics as God, the Trinity, sin, salvation, faith, baptism, church, and hell without technical language or obscure historical discussions. Written at an introductory level and reasonably priced, it is ideally suited for personal study or group discussions, for classroom use, church gatherings or reading clubs.

A Course in Christianity: For An Unchurched Church

Have you ever found yourself repeating expressions such as "Jesus saves" or "Jesus died for our sins" without really understanding them? When popular speakers "explain" how Jesus's death satisfied God's wrath so you could be forgiven, do you ever think to yourself, "I don't get it"? If so, you're not alone, you're not dumb, and the problem is not with you.Ron Highfield reframes Christian teaching about the atonement so that it comes alive with fresh meaning. Drawing on biblical and traditional sources, Highfield explains why our frustration in trying to understand how Jesus's death satisfies God's judicial wrath is inevitable . . . because the idea doesn't make sense and the Bible doesn't teach it! Instead of viewing the atonement as the solution to God's problem of how to forgive sins while remaining perfectly just, Highfield argues that the atonement is God's solution to our problem. In Jesus, God rewrites the human story, forgiving our sins, correcting our mistakes, and realizing our destiny. As one of us, Jesus lives a perfect life, passes through death, and enters into eternal life. As the new Adam, he invites us to join his family, share his life, and enjoy his victory.

The New Adam: What the Early Church Can Teach Evangelicals (and Liberals) about the Atonement

Cascade Books

The New Adam

In this scholarly and accessible volume, Ron Highfield presents an overview of creation, providence and the problem of evil. He explores a wide range of issues, including the biblical accounts of creation, the dialogue between theology and science, models of providence, philosophical problems of evil and the proposals of open theism and process theism.

The Faithful Creator: Affirming Creation And Providence In An Age Of Anxiety

Apollos

Should conservative churches appoint women to the offices traditionally reserved for men? Many writers are calling for such changes; others oppose them. Are these proposals inspired by a deeper understanding of the gospel of Christ as their defenders claim? Or, are they inspired by contemporary secular philosophies as their opponents allege? Ron Highfield explores these and other questions in Four Views on Women and Church Leadership. In this book, Highfield stages a discussion in which three fictitious characters explain and defend their viewpoints and critique opposing views. The three views are Secular Feminism, Evangelical Egalitarianism, and New Complementarianism. In a fourth view, Highfield charges that the entire debate is based on a defective view of the church. He challenges the gratuitous assumptions that make the discussion necessary and meaningful: the church is a public institution, the ministry is a profession like other professions, and believers assemble to experience a performance. This book's brevity, non-technical nature, and its questions for discussion at the end of each chapter make it ideal for private study, small group discussions, Sunday school classes, and undergraduate courses.
 ”Ron Highfield has given a fair statement of different views, their strengths and weaknesses, on the important and controversial topic of female-male relations. His work is a reminder that more is at stake than the correct interpretation and application of Biblical texts, as important as those are. The theology of human nature has philosophical and practical implications for individual human life, the future of the human race, and human society at large. Out of the countless books and articles on women in the church, this book for its sound common sense and Biblical and theological depth is a must read.”
 —Everett Ferguson, Professor Emeritus, Abilene Christian University
 ”This book is an interesting treatment of the various viewpoints concerning women as leaders in the church. It may surprise you and make you think differently about the issue. It may also help you better define your own feelings about the issue. I highly recommend it.” 
—Jane Petty, Dickson, TN
 ”I learned from both Major League Baseball and Orthopaedic Surgery that the importance of following soundly established principles and best practices cannot be underestimated. The contemporary church is embroiled in a battle with our dominant Western culture in no less significant ways than was the primitive and early church with its culture. Professor Ron Highfield cleverly investigates the contemporary church-culture relationship by examining the current debate concerning the proper and acceptable role of women in the practice, preaching and leadership of today’s church. Ron uses an imaginary debate between three fictitious characters as a literary device to tease out the issues involved. Each of these characters represents a different contemporary position and idea on the role of women in today’s church. In the imaginary debate, he allows the reader to work through the issues and principles that are involved. The perceptive reader will see that the issues are fundamentally very simple; yet, they are profoundly important for today’s church. This very readable “little book” explores the nature of being human, the church and its authority. It allows the reader to see that progressive culture is fundamentally attacking one of the bedrocks of the church—especially, the inspired and authoritative Scripture. The role of women within the church is a symptom of the problem; it is not the problem or diagnosis. This is an important treatise for the church to read and understand.”
 Gail E. Hopkins, MD, PhD

Four Views on Women and Church Leadership: Should Bible-Believing (Evangelical) Churches Appoint Women Preachers, Pastors, Elders, and Bishops?

Keledei Publications

In this book, veteran Pepperdine University professor of theology Ron Highfield makes the case for the truth of Christianity and defends it from attack. But so do many other books. Why do we need another? Because there are also plenty of books that deny Christianity’s truth, attack it in new ways and from almost every conceivable angle! Hence the work of Christian evidences and apologetics is never done. Christian truth does not change, but contemporary culture and thought change almost daily. To communicate effectively with our contemporaries we must listen to them, come to understand their most basic beliefs and values and learn how to explain Christian faith to them in ways they can understand. This task is not easy to accomplish, and there is no shortage of failed attempts. Indeed, the Christian cause suffers almost as much from its friends as it does from its enemies. Many efforts to support and defend Christianity have done as much damage as good and created as much doubt as confidence in the Christian faith. Some arguments for Christianity overstate their case and understate the force of objections. Others try to prove too many things. Good thinkers from the time of Socrates until today know that making bad arguments in favor of a good cause is worse than silence. This book is full of good arguments. This is the second edition of the book.

Christianity—Is It Really True?: Responsible Faith in a Post-Christian Culture

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