Unafraid Available Now!
In Unafraid, selections from nearly thirty years of timeless, straightforward sermons are grouped according to the church year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost) beginning with Christmas 1939.
Reconstructed from Harald Ibsen’s sermon notes by his daughter Joy, each sermon is followed by a listener’s story (some autobiographical, some fictional) showing the relationship of the message to that person’s life.
The Authors
 |
Joy Ibsen is a writer, lay minister, and musician. She lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Joy is the editor of the journal Church and Life, and the author of Songs of Denmark; Songs to Live By. (More) |
 |
Harald Ibsen (1898 - 1972) was a Danish-American pastor as well as a gymnast, woodworker, sportsman, and scholar. He served small town congregations in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska. His candid sermons reflect the community-centered theology (Human First, then Christian) of N. F. S. Grundtvig, a Danish nineteenth-century philosopher-theologian, with unexpected relevance to issues of the twenty-first century. Harald Ibsen CV (PDF) |
What People Are Saying About Unafraid
"This intergenerational collusion of father and daughter makes available for us a testimony of faith that is light, knowing, hope-filled and honest."
Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
"I am mightily moved and impacted by the insightful sermons and stories"
Pastor Harry Andersen, Bishop Emeritus, Northern Great Lakes Synod ELCA
"Unafraid reminds readers -- preachers and parishioners alike -- that the gospel is rightly preached when it is heard and received: sometimes convicting, sometimes comforting, always bringing life."
L. DeAne Lagerquist, St Olaf College
"A pleasure to read, insightful, and often moving. Ibsen's father's
sermons and her own wonderfully written thoughts have become part of my
daily devotional reading."
Marcus Borg
Complete Endorsements & Reviews
The Publisher
Wipf and Stock of Eugene, Oregon publishes new works in theology, biblical studies, church history, philosophy and related disciplines. Its vision is to publish according to the merits of content rather than exclusively to the demands of the marketplace.