The Church: An Interview with Brad East

Brad East is the author of The Church: A Guide to the People of God. In this sixth volume in the Christian Essentials series, East traces the story of God’s people, from father Abraham to the coming of Christ. He shows how we need the scope of the entire Bible to fully grasp the mystery of the church.

In our interview below, East reflects on bringing out his joy-filled and infectious affection for the church in his writing.

Brad East is associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He is the author of The Doctrine of Scripture and The Church’s Book: Theology of Scripture in Ecclesial Context.

---

Lexham Press: What is the story behind The Church: A Guide to the People of God and what is its basic thesis?
Brad East: This book argues that the story of the Bible is the story of God’s calling a people out of the world to be his beloved for all time. It is, if you like, a divine romance; the narrative of Scripture is one long wooing of a single family to be his wedded love into eternity. The father of that family is Abraham, and through the Spirit of Christ all who are baptized are both children of Abraham and children of God. The book introduces you to this family, which is your own. I’ve taught a college course called “The Church” every fall semester for seven straight years, and this book is the fruit of teaching earnest 21-year-olds who love Jesus but aren’t sure about the church or its place in God’s plan.

LP: Can you share what contribution you hope to make with your book?
East: I want Christians of all ages to understand, first, what the church is and why it exists; second, why “the elect people of God” is so important to the Bible, from Genesis 12 to Revelation 22; and third, why Abraham, Israel, and the Old Testament are indispensable components of Christian faith, past, present, and future.

LP: Can you recall a particularly surprising or enjoyable aspect of writing The Church?
East: My editor had the idea of framing the central ten chapters with “bookend” chapters that open and close the volume in a very brief but inviting and accessible fashion. I love the result. You will know very quickly if this book is for you.

I’m a scholar, so I also enjoyed greatly the challenge of writing without using jargon as a crutch. I wrote directly to an imagined reader who wanted me to get to the point, even as I try to do with clarity and beauty. I hope people who read the book will describe my affection for the church as joy-filled and infectious.

LP: Share with your readers something surprising about yourself that only your friends would know?
East: I love the NBA and in particular the San Antonio Spurs. We went from David Robinson to Tim Duncan to Kawhi Leonard and now to Victor Wembanyama. That’s 35 years of all-time great players, not to mention the greatest basketball coach of all time.