God's Provision, Humanity's Need

“With the clarity born of epistemic humility, McKirland gives readers no less than a biblically and theologically robust picture of what it means to be human—namely, to need God and to have God meet that need. In so doing, she constructs a rigorous and insightful Christ-centered theological anthropology that does not abandon the Spirit. Readers will find this a resource for many pressing biblical and theological questions, but even more, they will find reasons through this text to worship the abundant God.”—Amy Peeler, associate professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

“In this book Dr. Christa McKirland has given us a text that is biblically rooted, theologically sophisticated, and attuned to vital issues that we face today concerning how we treat one another and how we relate to God. She moves easily between a rich variety of literatures as she makes a clear and compelling case for the thesis that human beings are fashioned so as to need the presence of God. This is theological anthropology of a higher order.”—Oliver Crisp, principal of St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews

“Howard Thurman memorably remarked that there is deeply rooted in each person an island of peace, and on that island is a temple with an altar built for the presence of God to dwell. What a person is and where they are going, he said, is all available to us in that presence. I know of no more careful and sustained theological mediation on that great insight about the human need of God’s presence than this book.”—Sameer Yadav, associate professor of religious studies, Westmont College

“Writing in a lucid style that students, church leaders, and scholars will all enjoy, McKirland has achieved something very rare. She has written a biblical theology that takes the best from analytic philosophy, drinks deeply from the wells of Scripture and biblical scholarship, and draws countless threads together with systematic creativity. God’s Provision, Humanity’s Need offers an exciting picture of humans as creatures with a fundamental need for relationship with God. Anyone looking for a Christian answer to the question, What does it mean to be human? needs to read this book.”—Joanna Leidenhag, lecturer in theology and liberal arts, University of Leeds

“Christa McKirland beautifully articulates the centrality of God’s presence for the well-being of the human person. Her convincing argument that human flourishing is grounded in the humanity of the Second Person of Trinity and the case she makes for relating to God’s presence through a second-personal relationship are innovative. They speak to diverse cultures and contexts since, like McKirland argues, the principal goal toward which God urges humanity is the true image, Jesus Christ, who is both the teleological prototype for all humanity and the one through whom the fundamental need of all humanity is fulfilled. McKirland has written a profoundly moving must-read for anyone interested in academic theology!”—Sofanit T. Abebe, lecturer in New Testament and Christian origins, head of student affairs, and program leader in biblical and theological studies, Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology