By Sydney Kerbow | Reporter
Since 1897, Baylor University Press has grown from a small, Baylor-focused publisher into a key player in academic publishing, especially in the areas of religion and theology. As Baylor itself strives to be a leader in faith-based education, BUP publishes works that help tackle important issues for both the church and society, according to Cade Jarrell, Assistant Director of Acquisitions for BUP.
“We exist with one foot in the Baylor world and one foot in the larger world of academic publishing,” Jarrell said. “It is our hope to serve both spheres, bridging excellence in our industry and prestigious service to our leadership while playing a role in furthering Baylor’s missional life as an R1 institution.”
Here are some recent releases from BUP.
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer—The Last Eight Days: The Untold Story of the Journey to Flossenbürg” by Rev. Dr. John McCabe
This work tells the story of German theologian Eberhard Bethge and his search for details regarding his friend Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s final days in 1945. For decades, the main account came from British agent Captain Payne Best’s 1950 book, “The Venlo Incident.” John McCabe revisits these original accounts to correct myths, add depth and provide a richer understanding of Bonhoeffer’s resistance. His layered approach brings new perspectives to Bonhoeffer’s legacy, offering a fuller appreciation of his final week and lasting influence.
McCabe is a research associate at the Von Hügel Institute at St. Edmund’s College in England. “Dietrich Bonhoeffer –– The Last Eight Days” is McCabe’s first publication. McCabe said he was grateful for the staff and the associate director of production at BUP Jenny Hunt, as she helped guide him through the whole process.
“I was brilliantly guided, as it turns out, by the — at times frustrating — peer review process, which provided input in a non-directive way,” Dr. McCabe said. “That was initially, and then I was very skillfully led and helped through the copy editing process by Jenny.”
“I Grew Up in the Church: How American Evangelical Women Tell Their Stories” by Dr. Bethany Ober Mannon
Bethany Ober Mannon’s work explores how women from different backgrounds have shaped and challenged American evangelicalism. Through personal stories, it examines how women push back against conservative politics, gender roles and racism in faith-based communities.
As a professor of English at Appalachian State University specializing in feminist and religious rhetoric, Mannon said she was excited and honored to work with BUP. She praised BUP for its supportive and engaged editorial process, which helped shape her book into its best form.
“The biggest difference [between BUP and other publishing companies] has been their interest in helping me build my ideas, which plays out in prompt, insightful, personal communication. I had proposed the book to three other presses; and when Baylor reached out to me, I was considering one other,” Dr. Mannon said. “The difference was night and day, though. The other press had a very hands-off, almost uninterested attitude, and I didn’t think they would invest in helping me strengthen the book … Baylor is driven by publishing books for good.”
“Kingdoms of This World: How Empires Have Made and Remade Religions” by Dr. Philip Jenkins
This work covers the imperial histories of multiple global religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and others. It examines how faiths inherited institutions, art and ideas from past empires and how their global centers still reflect old imperial maps. The book also looks at the impact of empire collapses on religion, showing how history continues to shape faith today.
Philip Jenkins is a professor of history at Baylor. He has written three other books under BUP and has had 30 books published in total.
“Partly that as a faculty member here, I like to support the [Baylor University Press,] but also because it is a well-recognized one in areas in which I publish, especially in the history of Christianity generally,” Jenkins said. “I have also had very good dealings with the editors and other staff here, so it was a natural segue. Once you work with an editor, you naturally generate momentum for any future projects.”
