Healing Church Strife in the New Testament and Today

When churches experience troubling conflicts, they are likely to be offered Matthew 18:15-17 as the only solution. This book opens our eyes to the rich variety of conflict solutions that are described throughout the New Testament. Healing Church Strife explores options for our time, and the reader receives practical suggestions that are biblically based.

""Doctors James Christensen and Thomas F. Johnson have done the church a much-needed favor in providing practical, biblically-based wisdom by which to deal with the most challenging social and spiritual juggernaut of its existence: conflict. This book does a better job explicating the New Testament's teaching on healing strife than most books five times its length. . . . Do not let its brevity and accessibility deceive you. It will take just a few hours to read...and a lifetime to apply.""
--Charles J. Conniry, Jr., Vice President and Dean, George Fox Evangelical Seminary College of Christian Studies


James Christensen MSW, PhD, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), specializes in helping churches manage conflict. During the past fifteen years he has worked with congregations in northwest Washington, Alaska, and in Vienna, Austria. In addition, he trains pastors and other church leaders and consults with church judicatories on policies and practices. Currently he serves as Conflict Consultant for the Northwest Coast Presbytery.

Thomas F. Johnson, MDiv, ThM, PhD, a former Presbyterian minister, college and seminary professor of Bible and theology, seminary dean, and university president, is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association. He is the author of 1, 2, & 3 John in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Baker Books).