Two scholars of the early Christian movements find new perspectives in the texts that were excluded from the canonical New Testament.

Introducing dozens of excerpts from texts like The Odes of Solomon, The Gospel of Thomas, and The Thunder: Perfect Mind, In Trembling Boldness draws meaning and connection between ancient followers of Jesus and the most pressing issues of today, including LGBTQ+ inclusion, incarceration, addiction, immigration, violence, illness, the work of social justice, civil disobedience, and more. The epigraph of Toni Morrison’s novel Jazz is taken from one of the ancient, recently discovered writings it includes, and Umberto Eco discusses another one in his novel Foucault’s Pendulum.

Natalie Renee Perkins received her master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, where she was awarded the Karen Ziegler Feminist Preaching Prize. Perkins is the cofounder of the Tanho Center and works with the Westar Institute to bridge the gap between religious scholarship and the general public. She currently serves as minister for worship and online community at Middle Collegiate Church and as a chaplain for New York University. A singer, musical theatre performer, and composer, she continues to perform nationally and internationally.

A founding member of the Jesus Seminar, Rev. Dr. Hal Taussig recently retired as Professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He has published fifteen books including After Jesus Before Christianity and A New New Testament. He and his work have been featured in and covered by the New York Times, Time, The Daily Show, People, Newsweek, National Public Radio, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, The Bob Edwards Show on Sirius Radio, the History Channel, and the Washington Post.