Tullian Tchividjian's Book 'Jesus + Nothing = Everything' Republished After Sex Scandal, Divorce
Former pastor Tullian Tchividjian, a grandson of the late evangelist Billy Graham, has revealed that his book, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, is being republished three years after it was taken out of print due to the morality clause he violated.
"Just over three years ago, the book was taken out of print by the original publisher because I violated the morality clause in my contract and the rights were returned to me. I never thought it would ever be republished," Tchividjian announced on his website last week.
"Well, not long ago I was approached by Fortress Press about the possibility of putting it back in print — slightly revised, newly designed, with a new introduction from me," he added.
"I'm honored, humbled, and greatly appreciative of Fortress for their support of me, their commitment to the Gospel, and their vision for this book. Of all the books I've written, this is the one that people ask about the most. And while the messenger fell hard, the message remains true and necessary."
Tchividjian resigned as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida in 2015 after admitting to having an affair on his wife, Kim, which also led to his divorce that same year.
The author and pastor, who later remarried, has owned up on several occasions to making big mistakes and has said that he deserved to lose his ministry for the choices he made.
"I'm 45 years old now, and my life is broken in ways now that it never was for the first 42 years of my life," he said in February.
"Two things that I had come to believe were secure forever were my marriage and my career. I lost both during the late spring, early summer of 2015 due to my own sin, my own selfishness. I was unfaithful to my wife, and therefore I deserved to lose both my marriage and the ministry God had given me, and I lost it all very publicly."
Tchividjian says in the latest blog that the message of Jesus + Nothing = Everything, which was published in 2011, is "more real and relevant to me today than it was when I wrote it."
Fortress Press announced in a press release that the book, which reflects on how Jesus Christ is enough to get people through the storms of life, had sold over 80,000 copies before it was pulled in 2015.
The publisher explained that it has consulted Tchividjian's pastoral counselor and other mentors in order to assure that he has repented of his past.
"The mission of our organization includes the phrase, 'to communicate the liberating grace of God,' and therefore we believe in second chances," said Tony Jones, senior acquisitions editor at Fortress Press.
"None of us is without sin, and Tullian's message of the radical grace of God is more applicable now than ever — he even needs to hear it himself!"
Tchividjian added that the book, which is to be republished in the fall, has helped many people, including himself.
"I believe — and need! — the message of this book even more now than when I first wrote it. My wife and I have received hundreds of requests for Jesus + Nothing = Everything, so I'm extremely grateful that Fortress Press is republishing it," he said.