Publications
Jesus Stories: Traveling Toward Testimony
(2016)
You may have heard of the “historical Jesus,” the figure who lived in first-century CE Galilee as best as we can reconstruct. And you undoubtedly know the more-than-historical Jesus who is in search of us, alive to us in the Spirit of God. This vital volume ushers today’s disciples on a journey that moves from history into testimony seeking the man Jesus in order to embrace the savior we call the Risen Christ. There is history here. There is the author’s personal testimony as well, a story of faith and experience. And there is an invitation to piece out of that history and story your own testimony, your own story of how you have come to recognize the historic Jesus at work in your life and faith.
“Jesus Stories” is available on Amazon here.
Godstories
(1998)
These narrative essays present a new entryway into the Word for believers and nonbelievers alike.
“Steve Shoemaker is a gifted preacher whose gift lies in narrative- telling the stories of the faith- which is the most powerful preaching of all.” Garrison Keillor
“Mr. Shoemaker has cast a discerning eye over the entire Bible as a sequence of extraordinary stories about God and humankind, and in so doing has helped us to many refreshing new ways of seeing it and participating in it ourselves. His book combines scholarship, wit, and imaginative understanding.” Frederick Buechner
“God Stories” is available on Amazon here.
Finding Jesus In His Prayers
(2004)
In this brief but substantive examination of the prayers Jesus prayed, Dr. Shoemaker offers helpful applications of Jesus’ prayers as both a way to better understand Jesus and as a way to use his prayers as a model for our own prayer lives. The book addresses our twin hungers for spirituality and for a deeper grasp of who Jesus was and takes seriously the way Jesus prayed and how his prayers open a window to our own experience of God. Included are discussions of: the Lord’s Prayer, the Prayer of Thanksgiving Amid Life’s Reversals, the Gethsemane Prayer, the Prayers from the Cross, and Prayers from John’s Gospel.
A study guide is included to assist leaders in using the book with small groups.
“Finding Jesus in His Prayers” is available on Amazon here.
Being Christian In An Almost Chosen Nation: Thinking About Faith and Politics
(2006)
Since September 11 religion has been explicitly connected to most of the major events taking place in the national and international arenas. Seeking to make sense of developments in the world around them, Christians too often find that “help” in how to apply their faith to public issues only comes from those with the loudest agendas. How can thinking Christians seek authentic answers to such questions as America’s rightful place in world affairs, or the role of faith in government? Drawing inspiration from Lincoln’s description of America as an “almost chosen nation,” H. Stephen Shoemaker models a faithful, humble engagement of Christian conviction and civic affairs.
“Being Christian in An Almost Chosen Nation” is available on Amazon here.
The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome: A New Encounter with the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Lively Virtues
(1987)
Here is an examination of the Seven Deadly Sins- Pride, Sloth, Envy, Anger, Avarice, Gluttony and Lust- and the Seven Lively Virtues- Wisdom, Courage, Justice, Temperance, Faith, Hope and Love. As such it explores the mystery of evil and the mystery of goodness in the building of the moral self.
The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome is available on Amazon here.
Strength in Weakness: A Lyrical Re-Presentation of 2Corinthians
(1989)
This book is a lyrical commentary, which seeks to be a theological re-presentation of the letter both in form and content. It is thus a new from of expository commentary, a “post-liberal” exposition, making use of modern scholarship and trying above all to re-present the themes and motifs of the letter. It searches first of all for the “literal” meaning of the text- what Paul meant and what the words in their various structures and contexts mean- and for the song that lifts the words beyond themselves to Jesus Christ, crucified Messiah and risen Lord. If it is true to the letter, then, this book will be both a song of suffering transformed by grace and a theology of ministry arising out of Paul’s controversy with the super-apostles.
“Strength in Weakness” is available on Amazon here.
Retelling the Biblical Story: The Theology and Practice of Narrative Preaching
(1985)
This book offers a short homiletic of an important movement in preaching today: Narrative Preaching. There are also a collection of narrative sermons on figures from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.
“Retelling the Biblical Story” is available on Amazon here.