My new book is available in print and Kindle formats, and it will soon be available from Logos Bible Software. It’s 808 pages.

Naselli, Andrew David. What God Says in 1 Timothy. Build & Fight Press, 2026.

I explain and apply the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy. In addition to expositing 1 Timothy, I also teach what the whole Bible says about men and women, pastors, deacons, slavery, work, and money.

Contents

Endorsements

“Andy Naselli has given the church a timely and forceful exposition of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. In an age when the household of God is tempted to confusion, softness, and surrender, this book calls pastors and churches back to the apostolic charge: guard the truth, pursue godliness, and fight the good fight of the faith. Naselli writes with clarity, conviction, and pastoral urgency. He does not treat doctrine as an ornament for the mind, but as the architecture of a faithful church. Here is a book for elders, fathers, teachers, and saints who want to know how the church of the living God ought to behave in a world drowning in falsehood. Read it, mark it, and let Paul’s charge strengthen your spine for the good fight.”
—Uri Brito, Senior Pastor, Providence Church in Pensacola, Florida; Presiding Minister of Council, Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC)

“If Andy Naselli writes a book, I’m reading it! I am glad to add this insightful and practical book on 1 Timothy to my Naselli collection. And I warmly encourage you to read and share this study on a Pastoral Epistle that pastors and churches desperately need to hear and heed today.”
—H. B. Charles Jr., Pastor-Teacher of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville and Orange Park, Florida

“Paul’s first letter to Timothy is an important book for the church due to its teaching on church government and the duties of men and women. There are several good commentaries in print, but what sets Andy Naselli’s work apart is its application, as well as its unique format. Do not let the page count of this book intimidate you. The headers, bullet points, and question-and-answer format make it easily accessible for all Christians. I plan to consult it regularly.”
—Zachary Garris, Pastor, Bryce Avenue Presbyterian Church (PCA) in White Rock, New Mexico

“From its summons to ‘fight the good fight of faith’ (1 Tim 1:18) to its discussion of false teaching, the proper use of the law, and God’s design for men, women, and the church, Paul’s first epistle to Timothy is stuffed with the sort of applied theology the church desperately needs in every age, including our own. To that end Naselli offers a thorough analysis of the big doctrines contained in this little book, explaining them with a theologian’s precision and applying them with a pastor’s heart.”
—Doug Ponder, Academic Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies, Grimké Seminary; Teaching Pastor, Remnant Church in Richmond, Virginia

“Andy Naselli has proven himself to be a faithful scholar, a trusted theologian, and a prolific author. Yet now, in addition to serving the universal church as a professor, he has taken on the mantle of being a pastor of his local church. This commentary on 1 Timothy is the fruit of that preaching ministry. With exegetical skill, Naselli offers pastoral wisdom in a style of writing that gets right to the heart of the text. For anyone preaching or studying 1 Timothy, this book will serve you well as a trusted source of biblical and theological insight.”
—David Schrock, Pastor of Preaching and Theology, Occoquan Bible Church in Woodbridge, Virginia; Editor-in-Chief, ChristOverAll.com

“Andy Naselli is a thoughtful exegete and a reliable guide. Pick up this volume if you are looking for a conservative, theologically informed, and readily applicable engagement with Paul’s longest pastoral epistle, 1 Timothy.”
—Colin J. Smothers, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Maize, Kansas; Executive Director, The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

“This book is a rich asset for anyone thinking through 1 Timothy and the issues it raises. Andy Naselli’s sermons are marked by detailed analysis, careful attention to the text, and robust theological reflection and application. He speaks clearly and unashamedly, always pastorally with the aim of helping people live according to the truths of God’s Word so that they might please God and know the fullness of walking with God.”
—Ray Van Neste, Dean, School of Theology and Missions, Professor of Biblical Studies, Union University; author of Cohesion and Structure in the Pastoral Epistles, JSNTSup 280 (T&T Clark, 2004) and the notes on 1–2 Timothy and Titus in the ESV Study Bible (Crossway, 2008)

Preface (An Excerpt from the Book)

This book updates the first sermon series I preached to Christ the King Church in Stillwater, Minnesota. We first covenanted as a church on January 5, 2025, and it was my joy to explain and apply what God says in 1 Timothy. This raises five introductory questions:

Q1. Why are you publishing these sermons?

I wrote the sermons for my church—not for the internet and not for a book. But as I finished the series, it seemed good to my fellow pastors for me to lightly update my sermon manuscripts in a book.

When I study the Bible, it helps me to read not only technical exegesis of a passage but also how preachers and teachers have attempted to explain God’s words and to exhort God’s people in a church’s worship service. I pray that my teaching and exhorting may help you understand and obey what God says in 1 Timothy. That’s why I am publishing these sermons.

Q2. Why do some of your sermons explain what the whole Bible says about a matter?

For most of this book, I explain 1 Timothy passage by passage. (Those sermons are expositional preaching.) I also occasionally zoom out to explain what the whole Bible says about a matter and then show how that relates to what God says in 1 Timothy. (Those sermons are topical preaching.) I zoom out to address the following topics:

• God’s good design for men and women (with reference to 1 Tim 2:9–15)
• what shepherds do and how to discern if a man should be a pastor (with reference to 1 Tim 3:1–7)
• deacons (with reference to 1 Tim 3:8–13)
• slavery (with reference to 1 Tim 6:1–2)
• work (with reference to 1 Tim 6:1–2)
• money (with reference to 1 Tim 3:3; 6:6–10, 17–19)

I do that to show how the whole Bible fits together. The Bible brilliantly coheres. God does not contradict himself.

Q3. What resources on 1 Timothy do you recommend?

Here are five resources that I found especially helpful as I studied 1 Timothy—starting with the most helpful:

1. Knight, George W., III. The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text. NIGTC. Eerdmans, 1992.
2. Yarbrough, Robert W. The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 2018.
3. Burk, Denny. “1 Timothy.” Pages 371–451 in Ephesians–Philemon. Vol. 11 of ESV Expository Commentary. Crossway, 2018.
4. Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Edited and translated by William Pringle. Logos, 2010.
5. Mounce, William D. Pastoral Epistles. WBC 46. Word, 2000.

Q4. How can I access your phrase diagram of 1 Timothy?

A phrase diagram is a type of argument diagram. An argument diagram graphically displays the text’s logical flow of thought in two ways: (1) by dividing up the text into propositions and phrases and (2) by specifying how the propositions and phrases logically relate to each other. A phrase diagram traces the argument by (1) indenting clauses and phrases above or below what they modify and (2) adding labels and symbols like arrows to explain how the propositions and phrases logically relate.

The title of my phrase diagram is Tracing the Argument of 1 Timothy: A Phrase Diagram (Logos, 2026). It’s available from Logos Bible Software.

I meticulously phrased 1 Timothy line by line in Greek and then mirrored that in the ESV before I drafted my sermons. The structure of most of my sermons reflects how I think Paul argues.

Q5. Why are you dedicating this book to Nathan Colestock, Tom Dodds, and Dustin Williams?

Those three men are my fellow pastors, and they gave me constructive feedback on each sermon. In 2024, we prepared to plant Christ the King Church together, and it has been a joy to build and fight with these like-minded and like-hearted brothers.

My new book is available in print and Kindle formats, and it is available for pre-order from Logos Bible Software:

Naselli, Andrew David. How to Write a Paper: Five Steps to Writing a Theological or Literary Research Paper. Lake Elmo, MN: Build & Fight Press, 2026.

My first print copy:

Contents

Who is this book for?

This book is for students—especially at the level of college and graduate school.

Advanced high school students could use it as well.

How should you use this book?

If you are a student, read this little book straight through before you write a paper, and consult it along the way as you plan, research, write, and revise.

If you are a teacher, require your students to read this little book before they begin the paper-writing process.

(This book is about how to write a research paper, but the principles apply to shorter essays as well as longer works such as an MA thesis, ThM thesis, DMin thesis, or PhD dissertation.)

Endorsements

“Naselli’s book helpfully supplies students a step-by-step, uncomplicated guide to writing a research paper, and by this he supplies teachers greater joys in grading and mobilizing a new generation of faithful communicators.”
—Jason S. DeRouchie, Research Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology and Rich and Judy Hastings Endowed Chair of Old Testament Studies, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Pastor, Sovereign Joy Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri

“This is a remarkable resource that I wish I’d had on my desk years ago. As valuable for a professor as for a student, it is a practical guide to that dread academic exercise: the writing and the grading of research papers. It covers everything from conception to completion: researching and outlining, documenting and reasoning, editing and honing. I am buying copies for all my teachers.”
—George Grant, pastor of Parish Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Franklin, Tennessee; founder of Franklin Classical School, the Chalmers Fund, and the King’s Meadow Study Center; author of more than 70 books

“Andy Naselli is one of the most enjoyable authors to read because his prose is so clear and his style unencumbered by the typical academic jargon of our day. This book gives you direct insight on his writing process. Not only that, Naselli demonstrates what is the true foundation of clear writing—namely, clear thinking. Students and professors will gain practical, actionable insights for their academic writing and grading. Our day is in need of coherent and logical arguments made in a way that is faithful to God’s word and comprehensible to readers. That is where impact is made. I am grateful for the way this book paves the way for such writing to take place.”
—Jeremy M. Kimble, Professor of Systematic and Applied Theology, Cedarville University

“Professors often jest (with that kernel of truth that every good joke contains) that we teach for free and are paid to grade. Poorly researched, badly argued, sloppily written papers are to blame, of course, but the sad fact is that far too many papers match this description. And while only the gifts of God can make a great writer, anyone can become a good writer—or, at least, a better one. Naselli shows the way as a man who is no stranger to the author’s pen, having written two dissertations and a full shelf of books. Wise is the student who follows his advice, and blessed is the professor who makes this book required reading in his classes.”
—Doug Ponder, Academic Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies, Grimké Seminary; Teaching Pastor, Remnant Church in Richmond, Virginia

“Professors know the joys of teaching. Students know the joys of learning. And both professors and students know the pains of grading. In How to Write a Paper, Andy Naselli aims to increase joy and relieve pain for professors and students alike. Clearly and succinctly, he guides the reader through the research-and-writing process, modeling careful thinking, discipline, and pastoral wisdom. Practical and easy to read, this needed work will benefit every student looking to improve his research and writing. I heartily recommend it!”
—Michael Riccardi, Assistant Professor of Theology, The Master’s Seminary; Pastor of Local Outreach Ministries, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California

“Like Dr. Naselli, I’m a professor who teaches for free and gets paid to grade. And I’m always on the lookout for resources to help students with the writing process. Dr. Naselli has written an accessible guide for both students and teachers. It will aid students in research and writing, and it will bless teachers with better papers. Read it, and then get to writing.”
—Joe Rigney, Fellow of Theology and Director of Greyfriars Hall, New Saint Andrews College; Associate Pastor, Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho

“In a world so often confusing and needlessly complicated, full of ambiguity and conflicting authorities shouting each other down, it is a profound relief to have someone sit you down and explain in a kind, clear voice exactly what is expected and why. This book speaks to you as if you were a slightly panicked student grasping at straws, and it offers you a life-raft of sound, plain-spoken advice, with helpful tables and examples. Read it.”
—Carson Spratt, Rhetoric and Integrated Humanities Teacher, Logos Online School

“This short book presents clear, practical, step-by-step help for students writing research papers. Naselli is a seasoned writer, editor, and teacher, and here he offers wise counsel applicable to anyone who wants to write well.”
—Brian J. Tabb, President and Professor of Biblical Studies, Bethlehem College and Seminary; General Editor, Themelios

“Writing research papers does not come naturally to any of us. We need expert guidance, and Andy Naselli’s short work may be the best concise one-stop shop for students to get started. If used well, it should result in clearer writing, better thinking, and happier teachers.”
—Justin Taylor, Executive Vice President of Book Publishing and Book Publisher, Crossway; Managing Editor, The ESV Study Bible

“Unfortunately, in our current educational system and the age of social media, the skill of how to write a solid research paper is becoming a lost art. This is why I am thrilled to recommend Andy Naselli’s How to Write a Paper. Naselli covers the crucial points with helpful illustrations regarding how to write an excellent paper, which will greatly aid students and receive the thanks of many teachers. Simply a wonderful resource for students of all ages and educational backgrounds.”
—Stephen J. Wellum, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Editor, The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology; Pastor, Providence Baptist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana

“Andy Naselli has given students a gift: a guide that helps them steward their written words. Clear, practical, and accessible, this book trains students to write with patience and precision. Those who take its counsel seriously will not only write better papers—they will become better communicators.”
—Jonathon Woodyard, Vice President of Student Life and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology, Southwest Baptist University

God has been so gracious to Christ the King Church in Stillwater, Minnesota. We recently celebrated our first year with our first guest preacher: Dr. John Piper. Now it’s our joy to announce our first conference:

“Christ the King of Your Home: Dating, Marriage, and Parenting” (August 21–22, 2026).

Pastor Doug Wilson plans to give three keynote addresses followed by Q&A that I plan to moderate.

There are also pre-conference sessions for men and women, and on Friday evening we plan to host a Contra Dance and singles mixer.

Seating is limited for our venue in downtown Stillwater.

More info here: conference.ChristTheKing.build.

Published today by Center for Baptist Leadership:

“I’m a Pastor in Minnesota. Here’s How I Prayed for ICE Yesterday”

Update on January 16, 2025: I recorded a follow-up interview with Joe Rigney and William Wolfe.

Wanted: A few good men to join us at Bethlehem Theological Seminary for in-person (off-line only) pastoral training for an MDiv.

Here’s the kind of seminary student I love to teach at Bethlehem Theological Seminary—and why in-person training is superior to online training (2:18 min.):

Here’s what the classroom is like for my seminary students—and why in-person training is superior to online training (4:26 min.):

Here’s what makes our seminary program rigorous—and why that’s so important (2:42 min.):

More info: bcsmn.edu/seminary.

In this little book, I give advice to young men:

Andrew David Naselli. Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man. LifeLine for Teens. Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd, 2025.

A manly man contrasts with a harsh macho man or a soft girly man. In this little book, I show you how to be a manly man by unpacking four statements:

1. A manly man is on a mission.
2. A manly man is responsible.
3. A manly man is hardworking.
4. A manly man is strong.

Here are resources I recommend at the end of the book:

• DeYoung, Kevin. Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024. DeYoung is gifted at explaining complex topics clearly and accessibly.
• Foster, Michael, and Dominic Bnonn Tennant. It’s Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2021. Motivates men to have weight-bearing gravitas through God-honoring, delightful duty—a mission with an excellent wife and a fraternity.
• Hughes, R. Kent. Disciplines of a Godly Man. 3rd ed. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019. Wise advice for men.
• Naselli, Andrew David. Tools to Study the Bible and Theology. Stillwater, MN: Christ the King Church, 2025. I organize the tools into various categories, and I annotate them.
• Piper, John. 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy: Faithful, Flawed, and Fruitful. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022. These theologically informed, God-centered biographies are instructive and inspiring.
• Riccardi, Michael. Gender and Sexuality: Biblical Sanity in a World of Confusion. The Institute for the Christian Life Series. Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2024. Clear, insightful, and sound teaching.
• Wilson, Douglas. Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families. Nashville: Nelson, 2012. Wilson defines masculinity as “the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility.” Wilson’s insightful teaching on men, women, marriage, and the family has influenced me more than I know. It’s hard to know sometimes if one of my thoughts about manhood is original or if I learned it from Wilson. I drafted this little book without rereading or relistening to Wilson’s works, but I’m sure that some of what I say here repackages what I’ve learned from him.

Update: I recorded what I thought was an audio podcast about the book, and it turned out to be a video. Whoops. I was walking on the treadmill in my cold Minnesota garage in December.

“Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man” (64 seconds):

Here’s an interview with Pastor John Dalrymple (recorded on April 28, 2026):

This book should release by August 2026:

Carson, D. A., and Andrew David Naselli. Exegetical Fallacies. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2026.

Dr. Carson wrote the first two editions, which released in 1984 and 1996. Baker Academic plans to release the third edition thirty years after the second edition.

While Dr. Carson’s voice still predominates in the third edition, I have updated Exegetical Fallacies in three ways:

1. I have removed some less relevant examples and added new ones, including some new fallacies. This third edition is about 30% longer than the second edition.
2. Instead of using only labels as the headings for fallacies throughout the book, I have labeled each fallacy, and then I concisely define that fallacy. This makes the book a bit more user-friendly.
3. I have lightly updated the style to make it as accessible as I could for non-experts. I have attempted to make it readable for beginning theology students as well as stimulating for those who are intermediate or more advanced.

Related: Tools to Study the Bible and Theology.

Earlier this year my fellow pastors assigned to me the task of preparing a list of recommended resources for our church’s website. As I worked on this project, it snowballed into a little book—over 80 pages (over 30,000 words). My church has published it as a free e-book in PDF format:

Naselli, Andrew David. Tools to Study the Bible and Theology. Stillwater, MN: Christ the King Church, 2025.

• I organize the tools into various categories, and I annotate them.
• It may be a bit overwhelming to see such a long document of tools, so at the beginning of the document, I include a list of ten tools to prioritize.
• I want to encourage my church to continually benefit from excellent tools that help them study the Bible and theology.
• You may want to add some of the tools I recommend to your reading queue, and in the future you may want to search this document when you are looking for helpful tools on particular topics.

Take up and read!

I am preaching a series on 1 Timothy to Christ the King Church in Stillwater. When it came time to preach on 1 Timothy 2:9–15, I zoomed out and preached four sermons on God’s good design for men and women, and then I zoomed back in and preached five sermons on 1 Timothy 2:9–15. The videos are below, and audio is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts (I use Overcast).

1. God’s Good Design for Men and Women: Part 1 of 4—A Spectrum of Views and Two Types of Complementarianism | March 30, 2025

2. God’s Good Design for Men and Women: Part 2 of 4—Five Exhortations | April 6, 2025

3. God’s Good Design for Men and Women: Part 3 of 4—Three Arguments for Biblical Patriarchy | April 13, 2025

4. God’s Good Design for Men and Women: Part 4 of 4—Three More Arguments for Biblical Patriarchy | April 27, 2025

5. How Should Women Dress? (1 Timothy 2:9–10) | May 4, 2025

6. A Woman Must Learn Quietly and Submissively (1 Timothy 2:11–12) | May 18, 2025

7. Two Reasons a Woman Must Learn Quietly and Submissively (1 Timothy 2:13–14) | May 25, 2025

8. Responding to Objections to 1 Timothy 2:11–14 | June 15, 2025

9. A Woman Will Be Saved through Childbearing (1 Timothy 2:15) | June 22, 2025

Related: Pastor Tim Stephens, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, interviewed me on July 19, 2025: “Sunday Seminar: Evangelical Feminism, Egalitarianism, Complementarianism, & Patriarchy” (~64 min.):

Bethlehem College and Seminary hosted the “Theology for Everyone” Conference on April 4–5, 2025. The videos are now available for the five talks and the panel:

John Piper | Providence

Fred Sanders | The Holy Spirit

Tom Schreiner | Justification

Greg Allison | The Church

Andy Naselli | Predestination

Panel

Related:

The member covenant of Christ the King Church says that we commit “to encourage fathers to bring up their children with a Christian education and enculturation.” Here is a letter I coauthored with my fellow pastors to our church regarding Christian enculturation and government schools (PDF).

In this free little book, I give advice about how to decide what to do:

Naselli, Andrew David. God’s Will and Making Decisions. Field Guides. Kingsburg, CA: The Mentoring Project, 2025.

• Free PDF
• Free Spanish PDF
• Free audiobook (at the top of this page)

After disagreeing with what I call “the subjective view” of finding God’s will, I propose four diagnostic questions as a set of principles to help you decide what to do:

1. Holy Desire: What do you want to do?
2. Open Door: What opportunities are open or closed?
3. Wise Counsel: What do wise people who know you well and know the situation well advise you to do?
4. Biblical Wisdom: What do you think you should do based on Bible-saturated wisdom?

Then I give five closing exhortations:

1. Don’t be anxious. Trust God.
2. Don’t be sulky. Be holy and happy.
3. Don’t be inflexible. Be willing to adjust your plans.
4. Don’t overthink past decisions. Strain forward to what lies ahead.
5. Don’t be cowardly. Be courageous.

Updates: I gave a lecture on the topic with Q&A on February 2, 2025 (68 min.):

In my sermon “How to Discern if a Man Should be a Pastor” on 1 Timothy 3:1 (13 July 2025), I apply the principles in my little book:

Related: “God’s Will and Decision-Making” (August 15, 2012)

Here is the new website for Christ the King Church in Stillwater: www.ChristTheKing.build.

About four months ago, I announced that my family is planning to plant Christ the King Church with some dear friends. If you have been praying for us, thank you. There has been so much to do (this is probably the most I have felt saturated with responsibilities), and God has been kind to us each step of the way. It has been a joy to work with the Dodds, Williams, and Colestock families to prepare to make disciples who glorify God in all of life for all of Stillwater.

We are planning to covenant together as a church on the first Sunday in January, and we plan to start out meeting on Sunday mornings at the beautiful Historic Courthouse in downtown Stillwater. Here’s some drone footage of that building and area from on overcast day in late October (thanks to my former student Kyle Grindberg):

We are asking God to empower us to be faithful and fruitful in this good work. Would you please pray for us? And would you consider partnering with us by investing in this good work?

For more info, see www.ChristTheKing.build.

Christ the King Church (the church we are in the process of planting in Stillwater, Minnesota) is planning to sing selections mostly from the hymnal Treasury of Psalms and Hymns. Here’s why and how.

Why Our Church Plans to Use the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns

A good hymnal collects high-quality songs that span centuries and continents and cultures. It is a rich devotional resource for churches and families and individuals, and it fosters beautiful harmonious singing that stirs our hearts. Hymnals also make it easier to trace the argument of a hymn from line to line and stanza to stanza (which is harder to do with slides).

We plan to use the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns for at least eight reasons:

1. It helps us obey Ephesians 5:18b–19: “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (cf. Col 3:16). The three terms translated “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” appear in psalm titles in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, so God clearly wants Christians to sing the psalms. Our church plans to sing all 150 psalms. Selections 1–481 in the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns are various settings for the 150 psalms—usually at least three selections for each psalm. Selections 482–1135 are other hymns, including most classic hymns that Reformed churches sing.
2. It has more songs than most hymnals (1,135!).
3. It includes songs that Christians have been singing for hundreds of years as well as ones that are more recent.
4. It sets the music to a very singable pitch, especially for men.
5. It is more affordable than most hymnals.
6. It includes excellent indexes and online resources, including free recordings available for each song.
7. It arranges hymns 482–854 under the five headings that our church plans to follow as the gospel-shaped structure for our worship service: (1) Call to Worship, (2) Confession, (3) Consecration, (4) Communion, and (5) Commission (cf. Jeffrey Meyers, The Lord’s Service). That does not mean that we may sing those selections only if we are in that particular part of the worship service, but that organization is helpful for us.
8. It includes guitar chords. This makes it easier to sing from the hymnal while playing the guitar at home or in other settings.

How Our Church Plans to Use the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns

We plan to use the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns for most of what we sing together, and if you meet with us, we encourage you to prepare for the upcoming Sunday worship service by listening to and practicing what we plan to sing together:

1. We encourage you to practice singing the selections that we plan to sing together during the upcoming worship service. When our church begins in early 2025, God willing, we aim to upload a draft online of the Worship Service Guide for the upcoming Sunday worship service by 5:00pm each Monday so that families may start practicing those psalms and hymns together on Monday evenings.
2. We encourage you to own copies of the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns so that you can use it to sing at home. Once you own a copy of the hymnal, you may have access to an online folder that includes a PDF of the hymnal as well as free recordings for each selection. (You may request access using the contact form here.)
3. We encourage you to listen to selections from the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns on Youtube. If you listen to the selections once or twice a day the week prior to singing them together with the church, your joy while singing them may increase.
4. We encourage you to see and listen to our upcoming selections in the Sing Your Part app. It works as a web app on a computer and as an iOS app on an iPhone and iPad, and it recently became available on the Google Play Store for Android. If you select “Christ the King Church (Stillwater, MN)” in the app, then you can see and hear what we plan to sing in our upcoming worship service. In the app you can adjust a song’s tempo, and you can adjust the volume of each of the four parts (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) so that you can hear your part better. When our church begins in early 2025, God willing, we plan to purchase a family subscription for members. A subscription gives you access to all of the resources in the app—not just the songs that we plan to sing in the upcoming worship service. Between now and then, the good folks who operate the Sing Your Part app are giving us complimentary access to the app.

Note to leaders of other churches: If you would like to consider setting your church up with the Sing Your Part app, you may schedule a 30-minute call with Isaiah Holt, CEO of Crescendo Software.

New article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Politics, Conscience, and the Church: The Why, What, and How of Political Disagreement.” Christ Over All, 9 September 2024.

It updates an article I coauthored with Jonathan Leeman four years ago by tweaking it throughout and by adding a new section at the end: “Test Case: May Christians in America Vote for a Pro-choice Candidate?”

Updates:

1. Kevin McClure reads the article aloud for the Christ Over All podcast—with an introduction by David Schrock (52 minutes).
2. On 9/23/2024, Christ Over All released a 61-minute podcast episode in which I discuss this article with David Schrock and Steve Wellum.

My school just published this short article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Three Reflections on Being a Pastor and a Professor.” Bethlehem College and Seminary, 16 August 2024.

I expand on these three reflections:

1. It is helpful to lay out a spectrum of six options for being a pastor or professor.
2. It is good for seminary professors to be pastors as they train pastors.
3. Pastor-professors labor to build up Christ’s church.

Related:

• Announcing a New Church Plant
• 3 Reflections on Evangelical Academic Publishing
• Application to Bethlehem College and Seminary (Completing the initial step will take less than 10 minutes.)

Big news for the Naselli family: We’re planning to plant Christ the King Church with some dear friends.

More info at www.ChristTheKing.build.

(I plan to continue teaching full-time at Bethlehem College and Seminary. And our family hopes to move closer to the Stillwater area in due course.)

Would you please pray for us?

Update in mid-October 2024: Our family has moved to the Stillwater area. Please pray for us as we settle and labor. We plan to covenant together as a church on January 5, 2025.

Related:

1. Three Reflections on Being a Pastor and a Professor
2. Why and How Our Church Plans to Use the Treasury of Psalms and Hymns

New article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Our Priest in the Pattern of Melchizedek: Eight Conclusions Hebrews 5–7 Draws about Jesus the Messiah from Genesis 14:18–20 and Psalm 110:4.” Christ Over All, 5 July 2024.

Summary: Because Jesus the Messiah is our priest in the pattern of Melchizedek …

1. he is the supreme priest (Heb. 4:14–5:10).
2. he has entered the Most Holy Place on our behalf (Heb. 6:19–20).
3. he is both king and priest (Heb. 7:1–2).
4. his priesthood is eternal (Heb. 7:3).
5. he is greater than both Abraham and Levitical priests (Heb. 7:4–10).
6. he is better than Levitical priests, and he fulfills the Mosaic law (Heb. 7:11–17).
7. he guarantees a covenant that is better than the Mosaic covenant (Heb. 7:18–22).
8. he can save his people completely (Heb. 7:23–28).

I wrote a book on how to read a book:

Naselli, Andrew David. How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers. Moscow, ID: Canon, 2024.

Last evening my family opened the package with my author copies:

Contents

Audiobook

My book is also available as an audiobook (4 hours, 45 min.) on Canon Plus and Audible. To listen to the audiobook on Canon Plus requires a subscription, but Canon Plus is offering a deal: a 21-day free trial. (I highly recommend subscribing to Canon Plus because it includes so much edifying content for the whole family.)

This is my first book that I wrote with the audiobook in mind. I tried to write for the ear and not just for the eye. I wrote headings and transitions with listeners in mind, and I don’t hide the good stuff in footnotes (since audiobooks don’t read the footnotes). And for tables (which I love to include), I verbally describe them instead of saying something like, “See the accompanying PDF file.”

This is also the first of my books that I read aloud myself. I hadn’t recorded one of my books yet; instead, other professional readers have done that. I asked Canon Press for permission to read this one because when I listen to audiobooks I prefer to listen to the author read it, even if the author isn’t as polished as a professional reader. And I say that as someone who has listened to hundreds of audiobooks. I love audiobooks! I hope you enjoy this one.

Who Is This Book For?

Only a certain kind of person would consider reading a book titled How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers. I am guessing that one of the following three descriptions fits the readers of this book:

1. You already like to read, and you want to pick up tips and inspiration from a fellow reader who shares your love for reading. This short book is for you.
2. You have a love-hate relationship with reading. You like to read, but it’s intimidating. You feel discouraged that you don’t read enough—or enough of the best stuff. You think you should read more and better somehow and are looking for help. Maybe you are frustrated that you read too slowly or that you have a hard time understanding what you read. Maybe you are gifted at math and science and are already decent at reading for information, but you would like to get better at reading literature. This short book is for you.
3. You are a student, and your professor is requiring you to read this book. Perhaps you are dutifully planning to slog through it—even though your expectations may be low since it seems strange and boring (and maybe even a waste of time) to read a book on how to read a book. Hang in there. I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised how the advice in this book enhances your reading.

Sometimes my reading advice may appeal more to one of those three audiences than the other two. But as a whole, the book is relevant for all three. Every reader can get better at reading—including high school students and distinguished scholars.

I also assume that the readers profess to follow Christ since this is a book for Christian readers. Does being a Christian make a difference to how you approach reading? In one sense, not much difference. The basics of reading apply to Christians and non-Christians alike. But in another sense, it makes all the difference. Christ is Lord over everything. That includes reading. When Christ is your King, he transforms how you approach reading—why you read, how you read, what you read, and when you read.

Five Endorsements

1. “In a time when reading has fallen out of favor, Andy Naselli has done the Church (and the world) a great service by not only encouraging us to read, but also showing us how. I have long been a fan of Adler’s work on this topic, and I am grateful to Naselli for expanding on that work. This is a helpful and useful tool for anyone wanting to become a better reader. It is also an invaluable tool for those who, like me, have young people in their lives whom they wish to encourage to become lifelong readers. Please read this book! And when you’re done, you will be better equipped to read others as well.”

—VODDIE BAUCHAM JR., senior lecturer at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia, author of Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (Salem, 2021)

2. “Andy Naselli’s How to Read a Book will become a cherished tome in every Christian’s library. Offering salient and comprehensive advice for reclaiming the love and skill of good reading in a world filled with distractions, How to Read a Book is friendly, pastoral, and inspiring. I especially appreciate Andy’s numbered lists, sober counsel about the use of social media, and loving wisdom for avid readers with dyslexia. Andy’s tips about organizing a home library put me to shame—and inspired me to make needed changes. Every Christian will benefit from this book! This book goes straight on my required reading list for my Rhetoric Literature students!”

—ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD, author of Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age (Crossway, 2023), pastor’s wife, former professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University, high school rhetoric literature teacher in a large homeschool co-op

3. “Is there a more fundamental educational need in the world than instruction on reading? As someone who has already used Naselli’s material in ministry to lay people and seminarians in China, I can testify to the immense value of this book, regardless of one’s culture or background. The flood of information (and books!) in our age is overwhelming. Naselli helps us not only stay afloat but also sail confidently through the ocean of literature before us. Whether or not your mother tongue is English, I highly recommend this book.”

—MARK B., seminary president and pastor in China

4. “I suspect that I’m not the only one who didn’t pay attention in English class. Man, do we need this book. Sure, we know how to read in the sense that we are not illiterate. But do we know how to really read—carefully, perceptively, and enjoyably? Andy’s book is for people like me who need help with an avalanche of words that is a book. Take up and read!”

—C. J. MAHANEY, senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville

5. “This book is more than meets the eye. It is like ‘the Wood between the Worlds,’ filled with pools that lead to many other places. You will learn not only how to micro-read, macro-read, and survey a book, but also how to think, how to cultivate good habits, how to avoid distraction, how to organize your thoughts, how to write, and many other skills to enrich your mind and heart. Filled with practical advice, helpful illustrations, and recommendations for further study, not only will it help you to read well, but it will help you to live well for the glory of God. Take up, and learn how to read.”

—JOE RIGNEY, fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho, and author of Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World (Canon Press, 2024)

Promotional Video (1 min. 20 sec.)

Lectures and Q&A

I shared the gist of the book in an hour in a lecture (with Q&A at the end) on October 19, 2023 (on the occasion of commemorating my promotion to full professor):

I gave the same basic talk (with Q&A at the end) to the Sojourners Fellowship Group of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, on January 14, 2024.

* * * * * * *

In order to live, to grow, and to enjoy, Take up and read!

Updates:

On May 10, Chase Davis interviewed me for his podcast “Full Proof Theology”: “Andy Naselli on the Value of Macro vs. Micro Reading in Bible Study” (50 min.):

On July 1, Christ Over All reprinted Appendix A: “Forty of My Favorite Books.”

On October 25, Phil Cecil and Mark Snoeberger interviewed me for Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary’s podcast:

Four videos from December 7, 2024 when I visited Canon Press and New Saint Andrews in Moscow, Idaho:

1. Jared Longshore interview: “How to Read the World (and Books Too) | ft Joe Rigney and Andy Naselli”

2. Lennox Kalifungwa interview: “Teaching Theology Through Stories | Andy Naselli | Of Flames and Crowns Ep. 21”

3. Doug Wilson interview: “You Read Weird | ft Doug Wilson & Andy Naselli”

4. Disputatio Lecture for New Saint Andrews: “How to Read at Different Levels”

Some reviews:

1. The Master’s Seminary Journal 35 (fall 2024), reviewed by Daniel Clouthier (pp. 301–3)
2. Themelios 49.3 (December 2024), reviewed by Luke Johnson (pp. 759–60)

This new article is insightful:

Laughlin, Bryan, and Doug Ponder. “Complementarians and the Rise of Second-Wave Evangelical Feminism.” Sola Ecclesia, 26 February 2024.

Here is one of my takeaways from the article (the below table is my own synthesis but in line with the article by Laughlin and Ponder):

Four Views on Hierarchy and Complementarity

	Hierarchy	Complementarity
1. Biblical patriarchy / broad, thick, or natural complementarianism
2. Narrow, thin, or ideological complementarianism	*	**
3. Egalitarianism / evangelical feminism (initially)		**
4. Egalitarianism / evangelical feminism (increasingly now)

*barely (see below)

**in a sense (see below)

Some explanations:

• For a primer on the spectrum of major views, see §2 in Andrew David Naselli, “Does Anyone Need to Recover from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood? A Review Article of Aimee Byrd’s Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood” (Eikon: A Journal for Biblical Anthropology 2.1 [2020]: 109–51)—PDF | web version. See especially my table “Narrow vs. Broad Complementarianism.”

1. Biblical patriarchy / broad, thick, or natural complementarianism

• This view affirms hierarchy broadly in the home, church, and society.
• This view affirms complementarity in the sense that complementary differences between men and women are part of God’s good design of our different natures and are reasons supporting the rules.
• From my review of Rosaria Butterfield’s Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age: “Patriarchy means father rule. For the past thirty years, complementarianism has been a common label that English-speaking conservative evangelicals have used for the biblical view of God’s design for men and women. It captures what God says in Genesis 2:18: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’—that is, ‘corresponding to him’ (ESV note, CSB) or ‘who corresponds to him’ (NET). But as self-identified complementarians have become less broad and more narrow, some prefer the label patriarchy. In contrast, some complementarians think the label patriarchy has insurmountably negative connotations. I think both labels are fitting. Complementarianism emphasizes that God designed men and women to complement each other; they are not interchangeable. Patriarchy emphasizes that God designed fathers to rule; God designed both complementarity and hierarchy. (The subtitle of the second edition of Discovering Biblical Equality—a prominent textbook defending evangelical feminism—is Complementarity without Hierarchy. Egalitarians reject hierarchy.) But what matters most is not the label but what we mean by it.”

2. Narrow, thin, or ideological complementarianism

• This view affirms hierarchy narrowly in two specific areas: marriage (but emphasizes “mutual submission” and not a husband’s authority) and the church (only qualified men may be pastors, but an unordained woman may do anything an unordained man may do).
• Laughlin and Ponder describe this view as “complementarian in name only.” They argue that this view “is historically novel, theologically problematic, and internally incoherent. As such, narrow/thin complementarians—regardless of their intentions—are unwittingly sowing the seeds of second-wave evangelical feminism.”
• Laughlin and Ponder argue, “By ignoring or downplaying the differences between men and women taught in the Scriptures and observed in the natural world, these complementarians act as if men and women were not all that different and, therefore, are interchangeable in principle. The most succinct expression of this is found in Kathy Keller’s statement, ‘Anything that an unordained man is allowed to do, a woman is allowed to do.’ Setting aside the fact that such statements overlook male and female differences in marriage, where ordination is of no consequence, the real issue is that such statements attempt to carve out space for narrow sex-based prescriptions while undermining the very reason why God established such prescriptions. … In effect, narrow/thin/ideological complementarians are arguing for hierarchy without complementarity, which means random rules without reasons, divine commands divorced from created order, and a complementarianism without any actual complementarity. In other words, they are complementarian in name only. More than that, most of them are future egalitarians. For if there is no sexual complementarity grounding the gender-specific commands in Scripture, that means there is no reason why God says a man must (not) do this or a woman must (not) do that.”

3. Egalitarianism / evangelical feminism (initially)

• This view strongly rejects hierarchy in the home, church, and society.
• This view claims to affirm complementarity but defines that differently than broad complementarianism: “Women should participate equally with men precisely because they bring complementary gender qualities to marriage, ministry and society” (Rebecca Merrill Groothuis and Ronald W. Pierce, “Introduction,” in Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy, p. 17).
• Laughlin and Ponder observe, “Early egalitarians seemed to accept sexual distinctions so long as those distinctions did not reflect a divine design that came with God-given prescriptions.”

4. Egalitarianism / evangelical feminism (increasingly now)

• This view contrasts with early egalitarians who recognized complementarity in some sense. Laughlin and Ponder explain, “More recently … egalitarians have moved away from speaking of ‘complementarity without hierarchy.’ In fact, the latest edition of Discovering Biblical Equality has dropped that language from its subtitle and concedes in the introduction that ‘contributors to this volume are varied in their opinions on the degrees of gender-related complementarity.’” As the culture changes, so do theologies that accommodate to culture.
• Laughlin and Ponder argue, “Whereas first-wave evangelical feminism took aim at gender hierarchy in marriage, the church, and society, second-wave evangelical feminism takes aim at gender complementarity. Indeed, it must do so, not only because the gender binary is increasingly passé but also because the very concept of sexual complementarity entails sexual difference, and sexual difference implies varying levels of sexual fitted-ness for certain roles—the very thing egalitarians are increasingly keen to avoid. In other words, second-wave evangelical feminists have realized the need to go beyond ‘complementarity without hierarchy.’ For to admit differences between men and women outside the reproductive realm is to leave open the door for arguments that gender differences convey God’s design for gendered duties in various spheres of life. Thus, for feminists of any stripe, gender complementarity will never do; they must have gender interchangeability. But to argue for that, of course, one must continually downplay, overlook, or flatly deny the very real differences between men’s and women’s bodies, brains, communication styles, prosocial orientations, and even sin tendencies (e.g., compare 1 Tim. 2:8 with 1 Tim. 2:9–10). That is what egalitarians have long done, but that is also what thin/narrow/ideological complementarians are now doing, too.”

Related: See other articles tagged “Complementarianism.”