Scholarship

Featured Publication

The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008)

If we are honest with ourselves, we will acknowledge that we pray very little. When we do pray, we are often focused on our own performance or on making a "good impression" on God or those around us. As a result, we lose the joy, delight, and childlike dependence of heartfelt prayer. But despite our weakness in prayer, Jesus' teaching and example provide support rather than condemnation. This uplifting book highlights this encouragement and calls believers to turn their eyes away from their own performance and follow Jesus as they pursue the heart of prayer.

Books

Being Human, with Ranald Macaulay, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press (1975, reprinted many times); this book has been translated into several languages.

Building Up Bridges, Breaking Down Walls (video series). Covenant Theological Seminary.

Echoes of Eden: Reflections on Christianity and the Arts (forthcoming).

Learning Evangelism from Jesus. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2009.

The Great Rescue. Bletchley, Milton Keynes, England: Scripture Union Publishing, 1989.

The Heart of Evangelism. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005.

The Heart of Prayer. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008.

Shepherds and Sheep: A Biblical View of Leading and Following, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press (1983). Published in UK as Freedom and Discipleship, IVP, 1983.

Through His Eyes: God’s Perspective on Women in the Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, February 2009.

Who are the Peacemakers? Wheaton, IL: Good News Publishers, 1983. Published in UK as Peace and Justice in the Nuclear Age. Greatham, England: Garamond Press, 1983.

Articles

Numerous articles in books, various academic journals, and other publications.

Presentations

Professor Barrs brings to his teaching a special sensitivity toward those outside the Christian faith and is in great demand as a speaker in the United States and abroad. He has given many sermons, lectures, seminars, and classes in a variety of local, national, and international settings. In addition to preaching in the St. Louis area, Professor Barrs lectures and preaches in many different settings—usually twice per month he speaks at an out-of-town engagement.

Sample of Recent Speaking Engagements

“Echoes of Eden in Literature, Legend, and Myth I&II,” “God the Great Evangelist,” “Cooperating with God’s Varied Testimonies,” “Money, Money, Money–The Shrewd Manager,” “Sexual Immorality in the Churches of Asia Minor,” presented at L’Abri Fellowship Conference, Sacramento, CA, July 2008.

“Loving Your God With All of Your Mind, Heart, and Soul: The Ultimate Call for all Christians,” presented at Colloquium conference, Goiânia, Brazil, June 2008.

“Learning from Jesus: The Greatest Evangelist,” “The Heart of Prayer–When God Seems Distant and Silent,” “Harry Potter and the Triumph of Self-Sacrificing Love,” “Disciple-Making as a Way of Life - Loving People in the Real World,” “Echoes of Eden,” “Women of God – Tamar a Woman of Tragedy,” presented at European Leadership Forum, Eger, Hungary, May 2008.

“Standing Together That We May Be One,” presented at Ethnic Ministries Summit, St. Louis, MO, April 2008.

“The Heart of Evangelism,” presented at Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, AL, April 2008.
A Well Remembered Life,” “Greed and Grace,” “Do We Have a Choice: Abandoning or Transforming Culture,” presented at Ethics and Character Formation Lecture Series, Grove City College, Grove City, PA, March 2008.

“Harry Potter and the Triumph of Sacrificial Love,” “The Kindness of God in a Broken World,” “When God Seems
Distant and Silent,” presented at L’Abri Fellowship Conference Culture and Common Grace: God’s Good Gifts in All of
Life, Rochester, MN, February 2008.

“The Death of Reason in a Postmodern World,” “The Problem of Evil,” “The Woman of Samaria,” “Christians and Culture,” presented at Colloquium conference, Goiânia, Brazil, May 2007.

“An Unusual Dinner Invitation: Jesus and Zacchaeus,” presented at Grace Evangelical Church, Germantown, TN, June 2007.