The Pursuit of Safety

What does it mean to pursue safety in the Christian life? Safety is among the most important concerns of human life: we pursue it instinctively and go to great lengths to avoid danger or harm. However, the category of safety has received surprisingly little focused theological reflection. Important questions for the church have gone unanswered: How do secular understandings of safety shape our imaginations? How can Christians navigate the tension of pursuing safety as a creational good in light of the eschatological aims of discipleship? In this volume in IVP Academic's Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture series, theologian Jeremy Lundgren provides a constructive theological analysis of safety. After addressing the conceptual development of safety and risk through premodern, early modern, and late modern settings, he gives practical guidance to the contemporary church on how to faithfully engage with the pursuit of safety in the present day. Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture, edited by Daniel J. Treier and Kevin J. Vanhoozer, promotes evangelical contributions to systematic theology, seeking fresh understanding of Christian doctrine through creatively faithful engagement with Scripture in dialogue with church tradition.

Jeremy Lundgren (PhD, Wheaton College) is director of Nicolet Bible Institute and coordinator of the MA in Biblical and Theological Studies program at Wheaton College.