Participating in Abundant Life: Holistic Salvation for a Secular Age

Review\n"Mark Teasdale's new book comes at the right time. In a crisis-ridden world, churches everywhere are challenged to find timely expressions of the gospel. Without a clear and holistic understanding of what salvation means in our day and age, churches will struggle in ministry and mission in their given contexts. Participating in Abundant Life follows a positive approach and is deeply encouraging reading―rooted in Scripture, theologically comprehensive, and convincingly clear in its conclusions. It is a highly recommend resource for students of theology and evangelism as well as for clergy and lay leaders with a 'bias for the gospel.'" -- Achim Härtner, academic dean and E.-Stanley-Jones Professor of Evangelism at Reutlingen School of Theology, Germany\n"Mark skillfully widens the scope of salvation―connecting back to the concepts of shalom and the kingdom of God―to show that a more holistic and yet deeply biblical view of abundant and eternal life is for both the world now and the world to come. So good, and a much-needed word for the times we're living in." -- James Choung, author of True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In\n"In his book Participating in Abundant Life, Mark Teasdale encourages Christians to see salvation not as a personal possession or our one-way ticket to heaven but as an ongoing opportunity to seek justice, to deliver goods and offer services to the world as an embodiment of abundant life. Teasdale's book joins in a pressing conversation for Christians who are looking to do more with Jesus than attend a weekly morning worship service and midweek Bible study. Read this book and then chime in!" -- Starlette Thomas, associate editor and director of the Raceless Gospel Initiative at Good Faith Media\n"Dr. Teasdale powerfully connects the heart cry of contemporary culture for justice and flourishing with a biblical and much-needed expanded soteriology. Participating in the Abundant Life lifts up the important work of 'common good' missiology for both restoring the relevance of evangelism in the church as well as the relevance of the Christian message for those outside it. Dr. Teasdale's vision of evangelism gives the right attention to the human relevance of a gospel that transcends the captivity it has fallen into through the various echo chambers of faith traditions in the West, rightly reminding us that Jesus saves both from the hell to come as well as the hell that is now." -- R. York Moore, executive director for catalytic partnerships and national evangelist, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA\n"When I read Mark Teasdale's Participating in Abundant Life, I found myself immersed in a text devoted to a holistic understanding of salvation amid a global context. A text developed during a global pandemic and cultural upheaval, this book articulates a coherent expression of salvation that goes beyond eternal rewards and reminds us of redemption in our everyday contexts. Through Teasdale's approach, the reader can engage with a range of thinkers and theologians in exploring a fully developed view of salvation. As a pastor who frequently looks for texts to provide parishioners with breadth and depth of engagement, I find Teasdale's book to be exactly the kind I enjoy putting into their hands. This versatile text is useful in the classrooms of higher education institutions and around small group circles in local churches. Being able to read about the greater hope of our salvation, done within an ecumenical conversation, gives us a greater encouragement to share the news of Jesus Christ. I am sure this book will benefit many more and help grow God's kingdom." -- Garet D. Robinson, pastor of adult ministries at University Baptist Church, Houston\n"This is a must-read for pastors and believers who seek to avoid the aporia of being forced to decide between an exclusive emphasis on otherworldly concerns that comes from spiritualizing the gospel, or its opposite, a sole focus on social witness and improvi