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Book of the Month

July 2025
Prophet, Priest, and King: Christology in Global Perspective
Edited by Michael Horton, Elizabeth W. Mburu and Justin S. Holcomb

About Prophet, Priest, and King

Christology in Global Perspective

A Conversation with Adam Smith (Managing editor of Theology Together project)

EV: What is the origin of this book?

AS: This volume is an outcome of the Theo Global project, which has been creating global theological conversations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East since 2015. In the first years of Theo Global, we quickly realized how much we stand to learn from one another as we do theology together with professors and theologians from around the world. Our annual theology symposiums and interactions were noticeably full of a wealth of insights, articulations, and unsung histories from the Majority World scholars. It quickly became apparent that these insights would be a treasure to believers around the world. Not only were these fresh to us westerners, but to many of the Majority scholars as well, who themselves had sparse access to theological work from other parts of the world. 

EV: Why is it important to read non-Western theologians? 

AS: We will often ask people as a friendly diagnostic – “Who is your favorite theologian?”  Then we’ll ask “who is your favorite non-Western theologian?  Can you name any?” 

We know that the global church has been growing and maturing at astounding rates in recent decades, and that it has also been around for centuries in many places. Because we have experienced it so personally over the last 10 years of interacting with global theologians through Theo Global, we are convinced that the church in its different parts has much wisdom, insight, and experience to offer one another. This is not just a conceptual admission, but it is a tangible reality as we’ve had the great privilege to get to know a vast network of theologians and professors around the world. We hope to participate in opening up some channels for communication and access through Theo Global’s annual symposiums, our publications, newsletters, and our video productions – that the church may be strengthened by one another.

EV: Who did you enlist to contribute to this book?

AS: This book was a wonderful opportunity to bring theologians from around the world together, to work on a collaborative theological project. It is the first volume in a plan for five Theology Together volumes around locii of Christian theology. The team was intentionally a wonderfully diverse collection of academic disciplines and areas of expertise, Protestant denominations, and areas of the world. We chose the topic Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, which is central to the Christian faith and church where we felt both the unity and diversity of Protestant Christianity could be on display for all of our benefit and for the praise and glory of God.

EV: What was the goal of this project?

AS: As the project began coming together amongst the team, the purpose statement emerged as: 

Doxology being the proper end of theology, this project is conceived as a global anthem of appreciation of Jesus Christ in his triple office of Prophet, Priest, and King—an anthem raised by regional voices united by the desire to do theology together for the edification of the universal church and for the greater glory of God.
A central value to the book’s process was not simply to include chapters/essays from a wide variety of individual scholars, but rather to put the scholars together, to work through their ideas, structure, elements, their possible sources, their questions and their reactions to one another. This was done primarily together, face-to-face, during a week in Istanbul, Turkey and secondarily through a series of Zoom events. In these conversations, we all gained so much value and enjoyment that we sought to incorporate elements of commentary and exchange within the book itself. For example, the reader will notice times when, in a chapter on Christ as Priest, a scholar from a different country or denomination begins to comment and supplement the original content of the chapter with insights on how Christ is also shown to the better priest in dialogue with their own cultural context’s concept of a priest.   

EV: What were the greatest challenges in putting together this book?

AS: In the process of this unique book’s generation, I believe that the most difficult challenges we faced were related to navigating the wealth of ideas and insights generated from the team, in order to try to stay consistent with the concept and through-line for the volume. When we took this idea to the publisher they were at first both eager and uncertain – how would this first book come together with such a diversity of worldwide contributors. Hopefully the readers will find this to be the case.

Because of the time we had together face to face, the distance between people did not seem like a significant inhibitor on the project as later took shape. This was a wonderful outcome of God’s providence on our time together.

EV: What is your hope for this book?

AS: It has been our hope and aim that this book would be a valuable resource to theological students, educators, and practitioners (such as pastors) not just in North America, but around the world. The volume seeks to provide a fresh glimpse into untapped voices and nuances related to Christ’s Threefold Office, for the benefit of pastors, students, teachers, and laypeople alike. Not only do Westerners not have access to theological insights from the Majority World, but scholars in Africa, Asia, Latin America,and the Middle East have very little exposure to one another’s theological thought and insight. So it is our hope and endeavor to make the book available widely in the Majority World. We have already begun hearing that translation rights are being requested and granted. May the Lord be glorified and His church strengthened toward faithfulness.