Books published by Cascade Books

Borrowing from the ancient rabbinic use of midrash as a means of opening Scripture to students, James Lowry has chosen six texts from among those in which he believes Mark deliberately left silences. The author is convinced Mark hoped his readers would be encouraged to raise a variety of possibilities as to what the evangelist left unsaid. Beginning with Mark choosing not to name the temptations of Jesus (Mark 1:12-13) and concluding with Mark choosing to conclude his narrative with the women leaving the tomb of Jesus in stunned silence (Mark 16:8), Lowry spins short stories that suggest several alternative ideas as to how the biblical narrative might have played. In half of the tales, Lowry enters the text and adds fictitious material to Mark''s narrative. In the other half, his stories are set in the small textile town of Great Falls, South Carolina, where the author grew up in the 1950s. The hope is these stories will encourage readers of Mark and groups of his readers to raise other possibilities.""Two extraordinary talents intersect in the pages of this unique volume--that of an insightful biblical scholar and that of a consummate storyteller. Jim Lowry''s narrative imagination wanders in the same territory as Garrison Keillor and Fred Craddock to fill in the pregnant gaps in the Second Gospel with tales faithful to Mark and as down-to-earth as Great Falls, South Carolina.""--Michael L. Lindvall, Senior Minister, Brick Presbyterian Church, New York""Jim Lowry, an exceptionally fine preacher, has plunged into the silences of the Gospel of Mark, has listened carefully for what the silences have to say, and has reemerged to tell us what he heard. Drawing on traditions of interpretation, his years as a pastor, and front-porch storytelling, Lowry hears in the silences gospel-filled stories about biblical characters and eccentric folk in his hometown. Take the plunge with him, listen, and be amazed!""--Erskine Clarke, Publisher, Journal for Preachers""Deep inside the heart and soul of Jim Lowry--a writer, pastor-scholar, Southerner, and Christian--there''s a searingly captivating story. That story--Jim''s story, our story, the story--speaks to you in these pages. It dwells within characters from around the world and back and forth through time, some of whom could live across the street. I promise that in this book you will make new friends, and one of them may be a new side of yourself.""--Theodore J. Wardlaw, President, Austin Presbyterian Theological SeminaryJames S. Lowry is a retired pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). His last installed pastorate was the Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He lives with his wife, Martha Nichols, on a small farm near Great Falls, South Carolina. His previous books include Low-Back, Ladder-Back, Cane-Bottom Chair: Biblical Meditations (1999), and Prayers for the Lord''s Day: Hope for the Exiles (2002).

This book proposes new and comprehensive chiastic structures as well as new unifying themes for the often-neglected New Testament letters of 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude. In accord with these structures, which organize the oral performance of these letters in a context of communal worship, the subtitle of the book, ""Worship Matters,"" expresses the letters'' main concern. By ""worship"" is meant not only liturgical worship but also the ethical behavior that complements it for a holistic way of worshiping God. ""Matters"" refers not only to the ""matters"" or issues regarding worship in these letters but also to the fact that worship ""matters"" in the sense of making an all-important difference to Christian living, not only for the original audiences of letters, but equally for their contemporary audience. Accordingly, this book proposes that: 1 Peter exhorts its audience to worship for life, both present and eternal, through the sufferings of Jesus Christ; 2 Peter exhorts its audience to worship in the knowledge regarding the final coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and Jude exhorts its audience to worship in the mercy and love of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.""John Paul Heil applies to the letters of Peter and Jude the thoroughgoing chiastic analysis he has previously applied to Philemon, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Hebrews, and James. He argues that they are focused on worship, broadly understood, as he has previously argued is true of the letters of Paul, Hebrews, and James. All should find his application of these perspectives to the letters of Peter and Jude illuminating.""--Terrance Callan, Dean of Special Studies and Professor of Biblical Studies, The Athenaeum of Ohio""This is not a standard commentary in that few of the traditional introductory topics are covered. Nor is it a discussion of classical rhetorical methodology, but that allows Heil to focus on structure, specifically the macro- and micro-chiastic structures he sees in the letters. Having already applied such analysis to James, Hebrews, and several Pauline letters, Heil is no stranger to this methodology. I look forward to the response his contribution receives in this new field.""--Peter H. Davids, Visiting Professor in Christianity, Houston Baptist University""John Paul Heil offers new proposals for the structures and main themes of these three closely related letters. . . . Heil''s very careful attention to the texts has revealed their chiastic structures, which convey the authors'' thinking. With ''audience response'' Heil clarifies the reactions sought in each letter and presents these to his own reader. The book is truly insightful; and, as always, Heil''s treatment scholarly.""--Robert F. O''Toole, S.J., S.S.D., Professor Emeritus, Pontifical Biblical InstituteJohn Paul Heil is Professor of New Testament at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is the author of The Letter of James: Worship To Live By (2012).

This revised edition of The Family Metaphor in Jesus'' Teaching examines the family metaphors for God (Father) and for believers (""children,"" ""brothers"") that Jesus chose to use. Jesus not only held up a child as an example of receptivity, but he defended actual children, warning against despising ""one of these little ones."" Using current discussions of the ""equal-regard family"" and of the importance of ""human fathering,"" Stephen Finlan explores how the gospel entails a changed model of parenting and of marriage and a new approach to spiritual growth.""In this careful and beautifully written book, Stephen Finlan demonstrates not only the importance of the family metaphor or the message of Jesus, but also that the equal-regard family is not just a construction of abstract theology, but rather has a true basis in the Christian Scriptures.""--Don Browning, author of Equality and the FamilyStephan Finlan is pastor of Mathewson Street United Methodist Church, Providence, Rhode Island. He has taught theology at Fordham, Drew, Seton Hall, and Durham Universities. He is coeditor of Theosis: Deification in Christian Theology (Pickwick, 2006), The Apostle Paul and the Pauline Tradition (2008), Options on Atonement (2007), and Problems with Atonement (2005).

What is the purpose of animals? Didn''t God give humans dominion over other creatures? Didn''t Jesus eat lamb? These are the kinds of questions that Christians who advocate compassion toward other animals regularly face. Yet Christians who have a faith-based commitment to care for other animals through what they eat, what they wear, and how they live with other creatures are often unsure how to address these biblically and theologically based challenges. In A Faith Embracing All Creatures, authors from various denominational, national, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds wrestle with the text, theology, and tradition to explain the roots of their desire to live peaceably with their nonhuman kin. Together, they show that there are no easy answers on ""what the Bible says about animals."" Instead, there are nuances and complexities, which even those asking these questions may be unaware of. Editors Andy Alexis-Baker and Tripp York have gathered a collection of essays that wrestle with these nuances and tensions in Scripture around nonhuman animals. In so doing, they expand the discussion of nonviolence, peacemaking, and reconciliation to include the oft-forgotten other members of God''s good creation.""Far too often, serious concern for nonhuman animals is dismissed by well-meaning Christians--who otherwise might share such concerns--because of some remarkably consistent (and understandable) hesitations. For some decades now we have needed a resource that brought together experts to respectfully answer these concerns, and with this book we finally have this invaluable resource.""--Charles C. Camosy Assistant Professor of Christian EthicsFordham University, Duane Library ""Many good books deserve an enthusiastic recommendation. But only a few merit the stockpiling of a stash of copies to give to anyone and everyone who crosses one''s path. A Faith Embracing All Creatures will be greeted as this latter sort of book by anyone with a heart for creation care. . . . Christians of all varieties will find accessible, creative, and challenging perspectives on a crucial but oft-neglected aspect of their daily discipleship. Animal advocates, Christian or otherwise, will find an indispensable resource for engaging religious audiences. And everyone will find a prophetic call to compassion and justice for all of God''s creatures issued from some of the most influential voices in animal ethics and theology as well as from some of the field''s most provocative newcomers.""--Matthew C. HaltemanAssociate Professor of Philosophy, Calvin College""Other recent books have made the case that our contemporary treatment of animals is both inhumane and unchristian; A Faith Embracing All Creatures does so in a refreshingly light-handed way. Its arguments are both morally serious and deeply theological, particularly because its authors pore carefully over important sections of biblical text. But the book is also extremely inviting as it opens to questions people are genuinely asking about how a commitment to moral vegetarianism (or related commitments) can make theological sense. . . . Furthermore, the concerns about the welfare of animals that the authors highlight in their theologizing turn out to be immensely fruitful. As they free us from customary presumptions, they teach us how to read and appreciate the biblical material in new ways.""--Dr. Charles R. PinchesProfessor and Chair, Department of Theology/Religious Studies, University of Scranton""This collection of essays serves as an excellent introduction to issues concerning Christian attitudes toward, and treatment of, nonhuman animals. The essays draw on a wide range of sources in the tradition, so readers can easily find further avenues to explore. . . . A Faith Embracing All Creatures is an excellent resource for laypeople, church study groups, and even seminarians or college students who want an introduction to the variety of questions and responses Christians can pose about nonhuman ani

Liberating Biblical Study is a unique collaboration of pioneering biblical scholars, social-change activists, and movement-based artists. Well known and unknown, veterans and newcomers, these diverse practitioners of justice engage in a lively and critical conversation at the intersection of seminary, sanctuary, and street. The book is divided into eight sections; in each, a scholar, activist, and artist explore the justice issues related to a biblical text or idea, such as exodus, creation, jubilee, and sanctuary. Beyond the emerging themes (e.g., empire, resistance movements, identity, race, gender, and economics), the book raises essential questions at another level: What is the role of art in social-change movements? How can scholars be accountable beyond the academy, and activists encouraged to study? How are resistance movements nurtured and sustained? This volume is an accessible invitation to action that will appeal to all who love and strive for justice--whatever their discipline, and whatever their familiarity with the Bible, scholarship, art, and activist communities.""Here is another remarkable idea of Norman Gottwald coming to fruition in a combination of biblical vision, creative imagination, and public action. Every section of the book is a provocative juxtaposition of critical analysis by engaged biblical scholars, incisive insights of social activists, and compelling expressions of poets and artists . . . A highly stimulating start, send-off, and celebration for the Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice.""-Richard Horsleyauthor of Jesus and Empire: the Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder""This book teaches you how to use the Bible as a critical tool for social justice on the street and in the academy. I am deeply moved and inspired by the testimonies and bold visions of the scholars, activists, and artists who contributed to this volume. Buy the book, teach it, and begin organizing!""-Kwok Pui-lanauthor of Discovering the Bible in the Non-Biblical WorldLaurel Dykstra is a community-based Bible and justice educator and activist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her publications include Set Them Free: The Other Side of Exodus (2002).Ched Myers is a social-justice educator and activist and biblical animator based in southern California. His publications include Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark''s Story of Jesus (20th anniversary edition, 2008) and, with Elaine Enns, Ambassadors of Reconciliation (2009).

Jesus taught that love for others is the path to God, that you can''t love God if you don''t love your neighbor. In An Evangelical Social Gospel?, Tim Suttle shows how the exaggerated individualism of American culture distorts the gospel and weakens the church. He reaches back a full century to the writings of the great Baptist pastor Walter Rauschenbusch and offers an imaginative vision for how evangelicals can once again impact the world. Bypassing the culture wars and liberal/conservative squabbling, Suttle offers a way in which the corporate nature of Christianity can be held alongside the evangelical belief in personal salvation. In so doing, Suttle provides valuable theological rationale for the moves many are making toward social justice and helps us rediscover why the nexus of personal and corporate faith is where we find the power to transform lives and cultures alike. His approach to corporate sin and salvation, the kingdom of God, and missional theology are deeply rooted in the life of a pastor, yet informed by a rich theological mind.""There is a dreadful pattern evident in church history where we continually overcompensate where our Christianity has become imbalanced. We exaggerate the truth that has been neglected, and we keep ending up with a lopsided faith . . . then we wind up with Jesus-lovers that forget justice and justice-lovers that forget Jesus. It is my hope that this book helps cure our bifurcated ''either/or'' mentality that keeps separating things that must be held together-loving God and loving people, the great commandment and the great commission, a God that is personal and a God that is social . . . may the pages of this book remind us that Jesus and Justice must kiss, and that loving God and loving people are like the blades of scissors-they''ve got to stick together.""-Shane Claiborneauthor of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical""An Evangelical Social Gospel? is a joy to read because Suttle is so deadly serious about matters that matter. The book is filled with delightful surprises, not the least being the recovery of Walter Rauschenbusch to challenge the individualism of evangelical Christianity. But this book is more than critique, it is a wonderful imaginative attempt to develop a folk theology that is faithful to the gospel."" -Stanley Hauerwasauthor of Working with Words: On Learning to Speak Christian (Cascade Books) ""This is a down-to-earth account of how the thinking of a young Evangelical changed his understanding of the Gospel from a message that addressed individualistic sin management to a holistic Gospel that includes a strong emphasis on justice. He makes the teachings of Walter Rauschenbusch accessible to all readers, but undoubtedly this book will have a special appeal to youth who are going through the same growth process that marked the author''s life.""-Tony Campoloauthor of Red Letter Christians: A Citizen''s Guide to Faith and Politics""Tim Suttle''s first book, An Evangelical Social Gospel?, brings a message of balance and challenge needed by us all. This gifted new writer helps us rediscover one of our most-misunderstood old writers from a century ago. Highly recommended."" -Brian McLarenauthor of A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith ""Combining elements of history, theology, and autobiography, Tim Suttle has written a thought-provoking book that serves as a fresh assessment of Walter Rauschenbusch for the twenty-first-century church. In an age when many Christians use labels such as ''evangelical'' and ''liberal'' in an uncritical fashion, Suttle calls upon his audience to reflect on how a recovery of the past can lead to a fresh understanding of Christianity today. While written primarily with an evangelical audience in mind, Suttle''s study provides a welcome perspective not only on Walter Rauschenbusch and the social gospel, but on how Christianity in America might unfold over the course of the next sev

Like the book of Romans in the New Testament, the book of Deuteronomy provides the most systematic and sustained presentation of theology in the Old Testament. And like the Gospel of John, it represents mature theological reflection on God''s great acts of salvation, in this case associated with the exodus of Israel from Egypt. Unfortunately, for many Christians, Deuteronomy is a dead book, either because its contents are unknown or because its message is misunderstood. The essays in this collection arise from a larger project driven by a passion to recover for Christians the life-giving message of the Old Testament in general and the gospel according to Moses in particular. The ""meditations"" cover a wide range of topics, from explorations into the meaning of specific texts to considerations of the ethical and homiletical relevance of the book for Christians today.""Dan Block is a world-class scholar and dynamic Bible teacher who has a passion for helping the church understand the Old Testament. In this volume, which is the fruit of decades of careful study in the book of Deuteronomy, Dr. Block brings clarity to crucial issues in biblical interpretation and reveals the grace of God in the law of Moses."" --Philip G. RykenPresident, Wheaton College""Daniel Block makes a persuasive case for the critical importance of the book of Deuteronomy. It culminates the Pentateuch and throws a long shadow of influence on the rest of the Old Testament. One must understand Deuteronomy to understand the Old Testament. Through his erudition and his love for the word of God, Block powerfully unpacks this crucial book. His passion is contagious and his insight will transform how you read Deuteronomy.""--Tremper Longman IIIRobert H. Gundry Professor of Old TestamentWestmont College""Block writes with energy, passion, and clarity. He is at home both in teasing out linguistic details and in delineating large theological landscapes. Known as a first-rate teacher, Block''s research is thorough, his arguments compelling (e.g., the Shema'' text), and his graphs and tables helpful. This good menu of articles on worship, leadership, mission, the Decalogue, etc., is flavored with spicy ANE input, with challenging applications, and above all with scholarly acumen and spiritual fervor.""--Elmer A. MartensPresident Emeritus and Professor of Old Testament EmeritusFresno Pacific Biblical SeminaryDaniel I. Block is the Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24 (1997), The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25-48 (1998), Judges and Ruth (1999), and Deuteronomy (NIVAC, forthcoming).

In an era of seemingly endless war, and similarly endless debates about the nature of marriage, Through with Kings and Armies offers a fresh look at what both war and marriage might mean for Christians. This is a love story: the tale of a sixty-three-year marriage grounded in the love of Jesus Christ and shaped by the conviction that his disciples must witness publicly to their faith in him. As a Presbyterian ministerial student in 1941, George Edwards renounced a draft deferment to register as a conscientious objector, serving at home and abroad for five years. Jean, his childhood friend, turned against war when the Battle of the Bulge left her a widow at twenty-three. After George and Jean fell in love overnight at the end of the war, their pacifist beliefs became the foundation for their life together. A pastor and biblical scholar yoked to a Christian educator, their gifts complemented each other as they organized communities of witnesses against war and racial violence, while raising three children and remaining active in the church that rarely supported their witness.""A masterful study of the personal lives and peace activities of an extraordinary couple. Everyone concerned about peace should read this book. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, it opens wide windows on the complexities of living faithfully today.""--E. Glenn Hinson, Senior Professor of Church History, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky""This gracefully written book recounts the inspiring lives of George and Jean Edwards, itself a most worthy achievement. Yet Through with Kings and Armies does much more. It illuminates the true meaning of discipleship and shows that the Christian tradition of nonviolence remains alive and vibrant.""--Andrew J. Bacevich, Professor of International Relations and History, Boston University""Rhonda Lee''s narrative of the life and contagious witness of George and Jean Edwards is wonderful, and it will call you, as it does me, to more consistent and impactful witness. Rhonda Lee tells the story with great human interest, and she gets it right.""--Glen Stassen, Professor of Christian Ethics, Fuller Theological SeminaryRhonda Mawhood Lee is a priest, independent scholar, and spiritual director. She currently serves as associate rector of St. Philip''s Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina.

Kierkegaard was a prophet who critiqued ""Christendom,"" the perversion of authentic, New Testament Christianity into the institutionalized, materialistic, triumphalist, and flabby religion of modernism. Emergent Christianity is attempting to carve out a more authentic way of being Christian and doing church within--and beyond--the ineffectual, institutionalized church of modernity. In many ways, Kierkegaard''s critiques, concerns, and goals overlap with emergent Christianity and the emerging church. For the first time, this book brings Kierkegaard into a dialogue with various postmodern forms of Christianity, on topics like revelation and the Bible, the atonement and moralism, and the church as an ""apologetic of witness."" In conversation with postmodern philosophers, contemporary theologians, and emergent leaders, Kierkegaard is offered as a prophetic voice for those who are carving out an alternative expression of the New Testament today and attempting to follow Christ through works of love.""Following Kierkegaard, Roberts encourages and displays a healthy rhythm of critical distance and active engagement--funding both the critique of the idols of modernism, moralism, and Christendom, and the creative retrieval of a proper understanding of the revelation of God in Scripture and our imaginative, hermeneutical engagement with it.""--Christopher Ben Simpson, author of The Truth is the Way: Kierkegaard''s Theologia Viatorum""To ''emergent'' Christians experimenting with faith apart from the benefits of established Christianity, Roberts introduces Kierkegaard as an invaluable resource. To those of us who have wrestled with Kierkegaard, Roberts introduces a growing group of creative, faithful Christians who wrestle with radical discipleship. Whether they are scholars, students, or seekers, this book is for all who wonder and worry about the shape of Christian faith and church today.""--Jason A. Mahn, author of Fortunate Fallibility: Kierkegaard and the Power of Sin""As emergent Christianity has gained more traction in the church, serious scholars have been paying attention and adding to the conversation. Rarely has a book been published in this vein about which I am as excited as I am about Emerging Prophet. To put the emerging church movement into conversation with Kierkegaard is, I think, a stroke of genius--it''s a match made in heaven.""--Tony Jones, author of The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement""In this compelling and well-written volume, Roberts brings the postmodern commitments of the emerging church into fruitful conversation with Kierkegaard. In so doing he makes a powerful case that emergence Christianity is generally consistent with Kierkegaard''s vision of a Christian alternative to Christendom. This is one of the best books yet on the potential significance of the emerging church movement for the future of Christianity in the West.""--John R. Franke, author of Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth""At a time when the church is in the midst of transition, Roberts calls out the passionate, ironic, scathing, beautiful voice of Kierkegaard to help us imagine faithful ecclesiological alternatives. It''s a brilliant move--hopeful, generative, insightful, and instructive.""--Debbie Blue, author of From Stone to Living Word: Letting the Bible Live AgainKyle A. Roberts (PhD) is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Lead Faculty for Christian Thought at Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Was Jonathan Edwards always--or ever--the stalwart and unquestioning Reformed theologian that he is often portrayed as being? In what ways did his own conversion fail to meet the standards of his Puritan ancestors? And how did this affect his understanding of the divine being and of the nature of justification? Becoming Divine investigates the early theological career of Edwards, finding him deep in a crisis of faith that drove him into an obsessive lifelong search for answers. Instead of a fear of God-which he had been taught to understand as proof of his conversion-he experienced a ""surprising, amazing joy."" Suddenly he saw the divine being in everything and felt himself transported into a heavenly world, becoming one with the divine family. What he developed, as he sought to make sense of this unexpected joy, is a theology that is both ancient and early modern-a theology of divine participation rooted in the incarnation of Christ.""Withrow''s fascinating look at Edwards'' incarnationalism is must reading for Edwards scholars. By tying Edwards'' Spirit-Christology to his doctrine of the Spirit''s role in binding believers to Christ, helping them understand the Scriptures, and thereby helping them participate in the very life of God, he has developed a reading of Edwards that will generate fresh thinking about this quasi-mystical sage and his variations on such crucial theological themes for years to come.""-Douglas A. SweeneyTrinity Evangelical Divinity School""In Becoming Divine, Brandon Withrow has provided a masterful explication of Edwards''s understanding of the intricate relationship between what the Bible is and what conversion does, between ''Biblicism'' and ''union with Christ.'' Withrow places Edwards''s work carefully and accurately within the broader historical/theological tradition of hermeneutics and spirituality and shows how Edwards''s theology is ''a Protestant candidate for continuing interests in ecumenical dialogue between Western and Eastern Christians.'' For all of these reasons, I enthusiastically recommend this book.""-Samuel T. Logan, Jr.The World Reformed Fellowship""Beneath these pages is a truckload of careful spadework which informs Withrow''s thoughtful analysis of many of the literary influences on Jonathan Edwards'' ''spiritual reading'' of Scripture. One result is a better understanding of Edwards'' view of the sublime doctrine historically termed ''deification'' . . . Readers will find much in Withrow''s knowledge of the life, times, and thought of Edwards to enlarge their own understanding of the same.""-Don WhitneyThe Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryBrandon G. Withrow is Assistant Professor of History of Christianity and Religious Studies and Director of the Master of Arts (Theological Studies) program at Winebrenner Theological Seminary. He is the author of Katherine Parr: A Guided Tour of the Life and Thought of a Reformation Queen (2009).

Approaching us in sovereign freedom, God comes alive to us, we come alive to God, and all creation comes alive as a sign pointing to God. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, God gives and discloses himself in this immediate way as our ultimate context and host, within the provisional medium of creation. This life-giving gospel is met by blindness, however, among those who live today in a collapsing Western culture. This is because their imaginative world is shaped by habitual assumptions and practices that lie--largely unacknowledged--deep within that culture, and that preclude openness to the gospel. Moreover, Western Christians themselves widely share these assumptions, betraying the gospel into cultural captivity.God calls for the conversion of Western culture to the living gospel. Crucially this must include, as Lesslie Newbigin recognized, a repentance from modern Western assumptions about knowledge.Part One explores seeking, knowing, and serving God, as providing a true paradigm for understanding all human enquiry, knowledge, and action. Part Two examines ten resulting ""hot spots"" where conversion from prevailing cultural assumptions is vital for authentic mission to Western culture.""David Kettle has given us an extraordinarily penetrating book. The fruit of some three decades of intense reading and thinking, his agenda is nothing less than how the Church can be part of the conversion of Western culture today. Most pointedly, he shows that the Gospel radically changes not only how we might actively engage culture but our understanding of what that culture is in the first place. The style is lucid and accessible, but Kettle is never afraid to press the tough questions and cut deep into some of our most cherished assumptions. I can''t imagine anyone not being made to think at the profoundest levels by this study. I commend it most warmly.""--Jeremy BegbieThomas A. Langford Research Professor in TheologyDuke Divinity School ""What a gift David Kettle has given us in this masterful account of Western culture in light of the Gospel! His probing analysis reveals how often our economic, political, and personal ideologies have deformed the Christian faith in ways that even believers may not have realized. The good news here is that Kettle moves beyond diagnosis to action, showing how the church might yet serve the culture as ''public host'' thereby practicing God''s own liberating hospitality of truth and grace.""--Elizabeth NewmanProfessor of Theology and EthicsBaptist Theological Seminary at Richmond ""This is a pioneering piece of work in missiologucal reflection, unique of its kind. Kettle aims not so much at bringing the Gospel to Western culture as bringing Western culture back to the Gospel. Mustering massive learning with penetrating insights, he takes us to different realms of Western cultural life to show how the West has deviated from the Gospel. The critique strikes home as the church is domesticated by idols and ideologies of the age. In the missiological quest for the redemption of culture, Kettle has set a great exmple.""--Carver T. YuPresidentChina Graduate School of TheologyDavid Kettle (1948-2011) was Co-ordinator of The Gospel and Our Culture Network in Great Britain. He is the author of Beyond Tragic Spirituality: Victimhood and Christian Hope (2005).

The crucial challenge for theology is that when it is read the reader thinks, ""This is true."" Recognizing claims that are ""true"" enables readers to identify an honest expression of life''s complexities. The trick is to show that theological claims--the words that must be used to speak of God--are necessary if the theologian is to speak honestly of the complexities of life. The worst betrayal of the task of theology comes when the theologian fears that the words he or she must use are not necessary.This new collection of essays, lectures, and sermons by Stanley Hauerwas is focused on the central challenge, risk, and difficulty of this necessity--working with words about God. The task of theology is to help us do things with words. ""God"" is not a word peculiar to theology, but if ""God"" is a word to be properly used by Christians, the word must be disciplined by Christian practice. It should, therefore, not be surprising that, like any word, we must learn how to say ""God.""""The essays and sermons in Working with Words reveal that the vibrancy of Stanley Hauerwas arises from his single-minded, manic determination to learn from Jesus and the Scriptures to see and speak as a Christian, and to teach other Christians to do the same.""--Peter J. LeithartNew St. Andrews Collegeauthor of Defending Constantine""Working with Words displays more clearly than ever before the basso ostinato that is Wittgenstein''s imprint on the Hauerwasian dialect . . . This is vintage Hauerwas.""--Jennifer A. HerdtProfessor of Christian Ethics, Yale University ""Whether preaching or teaching, writing or conversing, Stanley Hauerwas serves the Word with words--careful words, bold words, nuanced words, provocative words. . . . Reading Working with Words is its own reward, as are the insights one receives upon its completion.""--Michael L. Buddeauthor of The Borders of Baptism: Identities, Allegiances, and the Church (forthcoming in the Theopolitical Visions series of Cascade Books). ""Thanks be to God that we are blessed with a God who loves us enough to say something substantial to us. And thanks for Stanley Hauerwas who is able to say so well what God says.""--William H. WillimonBishop, The United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Alabama Area""Stanley Hauerwas is a word provocateur-but always in service to the Word that is our life and our hope.""--Debra Dean Murphyauthor of Teaching That Transforms: Worship as the Heart of Christian Education""They range wide and deep, offering both priestly affirmation and prophetic critique. Writing as always in his distinctively Christian voice, Hauerwas helps his audience to cease mumbling and fumbling about the Gospel and the Church. Indeed, he leaves us without excuse for speaking anything other than Christian.""--Ralph C. WoodUniversity Professor of Theology and LiteratureBaylor UniversityStanley Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School. Publisher''s Weekly named his memoir, Hannah''s Child: A Theologian''s Memoir, one of the Best Religion Titles of 2010.

John Howard Yoder is most famous for arguing in The Politics of Jesus that a sound reading of the New Testament demonstrates the abiding relevance of Jesus to social ethics. However, it is seldom acknowledged that Yoder makes essentially the same argument with regard to the Old Testament. Throughout his extensive writings, Yoder offers a provocative interpretation of the Old Testament that culminates in the way of Jesus and establishes the ethical, ecclesiological, and historiographical continuity of the entire biblical canon. In The Politics of Yahweh, presented as a prequel to The Politics of Jesus, John C. Nugent makes Yoder''s complete Old Testament interpretation accessible in one place for the first time.Nugent does not view Yoder''s interpretation as flawless. Rather, Nugent moves beyond summary to offer honest critique and substantial revision. His constructive proposal, which stands in fundamental continuity with the work of Yoder, is likely to provoke thought from theologians, biblical scholars, and ethicists. Even at points where readers disagree with some of his and Yoder''s interpretations, they will be challenged to explore new perspectives and rethink common assumptions concerning the diverse and often confusing issues that arise from sustained reflection on the Old Testament.""Making up for the paucity of attention to the Old Testament in ecclesiology, Nugent shows that Yoder''s unique ''Israel-like view of the Church'' substantially draws on the Old Testament as an essential part of the narrative arc in understanding God''s work in forming a ''royal priesthood''--a mission that culminates in Christ and his body, the ecclesia. This is an important corrective to some recent rereadings of Yoder, which have no room to account for history--and particularly the history of Israel--in Yoder''s missional ecclesiology. This is an important contribution to current debates.""-James K.A. SmithCalvin College ""It is beyond doubt that John Howard Yoder is a pivotal, defining force in contemporary theology, particularly as pertains to faith in the public domain. But Yoder is often thinly understood from his best-known work. This welcome volume pays close and fresh attention to the depth and rich scope of Yoder''s interpretation, especially with reference to his careful reading of the Old Testament. The outcome is an awareness of Yoder''s imaginative competence as a biblical theologian facing the demanding work of a Christian reading of the Old Testament. A plus of the volume is an extensive Yoder bibliography.""-Walter BrueggemannColumbia Theological Seminary""In his many books and articles, and in a vast number of unpublished essays and lectures, John Howard Yoder encompassed virtually the entire theological curriculum. John Nugent, whose breadth is similarly impressive, has here provided a comprehensive summary and critical evaluation of Yoder''s interpretation of the Old Testament, especially as it bears on the issue of ''pacifism,'' or to be more precise, as Yoder and Nugent would have it, trust in God.""-Ben C. OllenburgerAssociated Mennonite Biblical Seminary""This wonderful book is all I hoped for--and more. Nugent clearly knows Yoder''s thought extremely well. With considerable intelligence and discernment, he has shown the vital importance of the Old Testament roots of The Politics of Jesus. But more than that, he has written a book that has great relevance for all Christians interested in the relationship between the Testaments, especially as related to the subject of peace.""-Mark Thiessen NationEastern Mennonite SeminaryJohn C. Nugent is Professor of Old Testament at Great Lakes Christian College. He is the editor of Radical Ecumenicity: Pursuing Unity and Continuity after John Howard Yoder (2010) and The End of Sacrifice: The Capital Punishment Writings of John Howard Yoder (2011).

This book arose from the author''s sense of urgency. The Protestant church that we know and love has grown silent about the judgment of God. It seems that our church is bent upon living up to H. Richard Niebuhr''s caricature of liberal Protestantism: ""A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."" The book is meant to remedy this silence regarding God''s judgment. It demonstrates the pervasiveness of the judgment of God in both Old and New Testaments. Not only do we find the act of judgment in every era, but judgment is a necessary stage in God''s saving work. Moreover, the illuminating power of the concept is confirmed by common human experience.""The heft of this formidable book is to be measured, not by its impressive length, but by its substance. Patrick is a seasoned veteran of text work, a senior member of the discipline. Here he exhibits the maturity of his scholarship with his sensibility to the text in producing an important and exquisite study. His book is a significant contribution to the tasks of biblical theology. Beyond exegesis he displays his uncommon capacity as a theologian. This book addresses a remarkable lacuna in our recent thinking, a redress that is welcome and exceedingly well done.""--Walter Brueggemann, author of A Pathway of Interpretation""Patrick makes a significant contribution towards understanding a theme important in both the Old and New Testaments. Comprehensive and thorough, Redeeming Judgment is the product of expert scholarship. It will be a valuable resource for studying and reflecting on biblical theologies about divine judgment.""--William S. Morrow, author of Protest against God""Patrick''s large volume furnishes a lot of biblical data (especially of the Hebrew Bible) . . . together with a number of very helpful twentieth-century interpretations in regard to the role of ''judgment.'' He leaves the final decision about this topic to the reader. This is very useful for anyone who wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the Bible.""--Martin Buss, author of The Changing Shape of Form Criticism: A Relational Approach.Dale Patrick taught at the Missouri School of Religion and Drake University, from which he retired in 2009. In retirement he and his wife taught at United Theological College as a volunteer Visiting Scholar for two years. He has the following books to his credit: Arguing with God: The Angry Prayers of Job (1977); The Rendering of God in the Old Testament (1981); Old Testament Law: An Introduction (1984); Rhetoric and Biblical Interpretation (1990), with Allen Scult; and The Rhetoric of Revelation in the Hebrew Bible (1999).

Is it possible to make a case that the Gospel of Mark was not composed by a single man from scattered accounts but in a process of people''s telling Jesus'' story over several decades? And what can we say about the tellers who were shaping this story for changing audiences?After an introduction showing the groundwork already laid in oral tradition research, the case begins by tracing the Mark we know back to several quite different early manuscripts which continue the flexibility of their oral ancestors. The focus then turns to three aspects of Mark, its language, which is characterized as speech with special phrases and rhythms, its episodes characterized by traditional forms, and its overall story pattern that is common in oral reports of the time. Finally several soundings are taken in Mark to test the thesis of performance composition, two scenarios are projected of possible early tellers of this tradition, and a conclusion summarizes major findings in the case. Mark''s writer turns out to be the one who transcribes the tradition, probably adhering closely to it in order to legitimate the new medium of writing.""This is a remarkable book. Just what we have been waiting for to help us understand Mark not only as an exciting story but also as an enlivening performance of the good news. Wire pulls together the challenging breakthroughs of recent research on various fronts that are forcing us to rethink some of the most basic assumptions of the modern study of Scripture. She ingeniously organizes her discussion around the objections often raised by those embedded in ''print-culture'' who can''t imagine that the Gospel of Mark could have been composed in oral performance. She patiently and clearly leads skeptical modern students and scholars step by step into the ancient world of oral communications where stories developed in the telling and retelling.""--Richard HorsleyProfessor of New TestamentUniversity of Massachusetts in Boston""In this exquisitely argued book, Anne Wire pulls together recent research on the oral and aural dimensions of written texts to present a compelling case for the composition of the Gospel of Mark in performance. Rarely does one have the pleasure of reading a book that presents its argument with such precision, clarity, and elegance. The paradigm shift that many have been calling for is here beautifully launched and can no longer be ignored.""--Holly L. HearonProfessor of New TestamentChristian Theological Seminary""Wire''s book is a must read for all interested in the Gospel of Mark. It convincingly makes the case that Mark is orally composed tradition told by several storytellers over time--not the product of a single author. The book systematically reviews and refutes the various arguments that Mark was a written composition and not oral traditional literature, demonstrating that in fact oral composition over time is a better explanation for the Gospel''s origin. She also shows what a difference this makes for interpreting Mark. This book should have a major impact on Markan studies for students and scholars alike.""--Joanna DeweyHarvey H. Guthrie Jr. Professor Emerita of Biblical StudiesEpiscopal Divinity SchoolAntoinette Clark Wire is Professor of New Testament Emerita at San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Her writings include The Corinthian Women Prophets: A Reconstruction through Paul''s Rhetoric and Holy Lives, Holy Deaths: A Close Hearing of Early Jewish Storytellers.

Why and how should we read Old Testament narrative? This book provides fresh answers to these questions. First, it models possible readers of the Bible--religious and nonreligious, professional and nonprofessional--and the reasons that might attract them to it. Second, with the aid of Mediterranean anthropology, it sets out an approach that helps us to interpret a selection of narratives with a cultural understanding close to that of an ancient Israelite. Powerful stories, such as those of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38, Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2, Saul and David in 1 Samuel, David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 10-12, and Judith, burst into new light when understood in closer relation to their original audience. Interpreted in this way, these narratives allow us to refresh the memory that links us with pivotal stories in Jewish and Christian identities, they disclose more ample possibilities for being human, they foster our capacity for intercultural understanding, and they provide aesthetic pleasure from their embodying plots of great imaginative power.""Esler shows us how to read afresh in the ancient narratives of the Old Testament. He shows us that these several plots of David and his traveling companions are saturated with old social habits and old cultural presuppositions that summon us to alertness and attentiveness. He offers us his deep learning of how stories work, how folk society functions, and how texts reveal and conceal. The outcome is a fresh invitation to textual materials that we thought we had long since mastered an exhausted. This is a welcome exercise in method that keeps its focus on plot and character in all their thickness.""-Walter BrueggemannColumbia Theological Seminaryauthor of A Pathway of Interpretation""Philip Esler has done much to make biblical scholars aware of social-scientific approaches. In this book he brings this perspective to a reading of Old Testament narrative texts, showing just how much social science can illuminate the Bible. The stories of wives, warriors, kings, and madmen are here read against the backdrop of the real society in which they were first told, and so become three-dimensional to the modern reader.""-John BartonOxford Universityauthor of Reading of the Old TestamentProfessor Philip F. Esler, FRSE, DD (Oxon) is Portland Chair in New Testament Studies and Director of the International Centre for Biblical Interpretation at the University of Gloucestershire. He is the author of Conflict and Identity in Romans (2003) and New Testament Theology (2005), and he is the editor of Ancient Israel (2006).

The United States is one of history''s great Christian nations, but our unique history, success, and global impact have seduced us into believing we are something more--God''s New Israel, the new order of the ages, the last best hope of mankind, a redeemer nation. Using the subtle categories that arise from biblical narrative, Between Babel and Beast analyzes how the heresy of Americanism inspired America''s rise to hegemony while blinding American Christians to our failures and abuses of power. The book demonstrates that the church best serves the genuine good of the United States by training witnesses--martyr-citizens of God''s Abrahamic empire.""When I read a critique of the heresy of ''Americanism'' from someone who nonetheless ''loves America,'' I take notice: this is not the usual predictable boilerplate. In this important book, Leithart brings his usual verve, erudition, and nuance to bear on one of the central idolatries of our age."" --James K. A. Smith, Calvin College""Between Babel and Beast offers a bracing critique of American political history and a pastoral call for repentance from imperial ''Americanism.'' But Leithart''s distinctive analysis provides a more complex--and potentially more constructive--biblical perspective on international politics than can be found in the many ecclesial critics of empire. This crisply argued and highly readable companion to Defending Constantine confirms that Leithart is one of the most interesting voices in theology today."" --Eric Gregory, Princeton UniversityPeter J. Leithart is a Senior Fellow of Theology and Literature at New St. Andrews College, Moscow, Idaho, and serves on the pastoral staff of Trinity Reformed Church. He is the author most recently of Athanasius (2011). He and his wife, Noel, have ten children.

If radical postmodernism offers nothing more than arbitrary fictions and modernism is coldly but meaninglessly objective, where is reality? Apologizing for God argues that reality rests in the lives we live in history. In other words, it argues that living as understood on the basis of the incarnational nature of Christianity is an appropriate response to our current cultural situation. Partly philosophical, partly theological, and deeply Christian, Apologizing for God explores the importance of living in the presence of God as revealed in the autobiographies of our lives. Although not autobiographical in the strict sense, this book is an apologetic for the truth of Christianity explained through one Christian philosopher''s understanding of our relationship to history in which God is revealed.""This book is playful, disturbing, passionate, light-hearted, accessible, and profound-all at the same time. McLeod-Harrison engages the depths of our lives and does so with a hard-won grace--a grace that God gives on the other side of our suffering and striving. This book will delight its readers and gently lead them further into life with God.""--Jonathan R. WilsonPioneer McDonald Professor of TheologyCarey Theological College""Apologizing for God is a remarkable achievement on two counts. First, through drawing on the resources of his own academic and personal journey, McLeod-Harrison narrates into existence a hospitable and much needed space between the epistemological extremes of the modernism and postmodernism. Second, through a series of word studies--rich in literary allusion and philosophical exploration--he invites readers to encounter a God who is much more relevant than the valid conclusion of a sound argument. The book may surprise at points. It will not disappoint.""--Shirley A. MullenPresident and Professor of HistoryHoughton CollegeMark S. McLeod-Harrison is Professor of Philosophy at George Fox University. He is the author of Make/Believing the World(s), Repairing Eden, and Rationality and Belief in God. He is an Anglican priest.

Do ""eschatology"" and ""peace"" go together? Is eschatology mostly about retribution and fear--or compassion and hope?Compassionate Eschatology brings together a group of international scholars representing a wide range of Christian traditions to address these questions. Together they make the case that Christianity''s teaching about the ""end times"" should and can center on Jesus''s message of peace and reconciliation. Offering a peace-oriented reading of the Book of Revelation and other biblical materials relevant to Christian eschatology, this book breaks new ground in its consistent message that compassion not retribution stands at the heart of the doctrine of the last things.Besides its creative treatment of biblical materials, Compassionate Eschatology also makes a distinctive contribution in how several essays engage the thought of Rene Girard and his mimetic theory. Girard''s project is shown to reinforce the biblical message of eschatological peace. Compassionate Eschatology is an extraordinary book that reveals the biblical teaching of the non-violent, peace-filled, non-judgmental, and ecological end of the world. Influenced by the thought of Rene Girard, the authors chorus: in the midst of the dragon and beasts, the lamb of God will prevail over their vicious power of exploitation, disruption, vengeance, violence, and destruction with the incesstant love of God. This eschatology does not deny all human efforts in history, but fulfills them with God''s grace and compassion. Reading this book uplifts me to face today''s challenges with tomorrow''s strength. This hope-filled book is a must read for all pastors and lay people.-Andrew Sung ParkProfessor of Theology and EthicsUnited Theological Seminary, Dayton OH""A fascinating, stimulating collection from a diverse group of scholars, filled with exciting insights. Compassionate Eschatology interweaves close readings of the Bible-with Revelation as its central text-theology and current events to shed light on the ''times of the end.'' The authors reveal, each from their own angle of vision, how God''s ultimate purpose is not destructive vengeance, but the healing into harmony of all creation."" -Wes Howard-Brookauthor of ""Come Out, My People!"": God''s Call Out of Empire in the Bible and BeyondTed Grimsrud is Professor of Theology and Peace Studies at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. His most recent books include A Pacifist Way of Knowing (co-editor, 2010), Theology as If Jesus Matters (2009), and Embodying the Way of Jesus (2007).Michael Hardin is Executive Director of Preaching Peace, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is author of The Jesus Driven Life (2010), and co-editor of Peace Be With You (2010) and Stricken by God? (2007).

This is the first volume of Ferguson''s collected essays, and includes some of his most memorable work, especially on ""laying on of hands.""""These essays, spanning four decades of Ferguson''s scholarship, sum up major discussions of ministry and canon in early Christianity. Especially useful for exploring the terminology surrounding ordination, these essays are vintage Ferguson.""--Elizabeth A. Clark, Professor of Religion, Duke UniversityEverett Ferguson is Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Abilene Christian University. He was editor of The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (2nd edition 1997) and is author of many works including Early Christians Speak (2 volumes 1999, 2002); Backgrounds of Early Christianity (3rd ed., 2003); Inheriting Wisdom: Readings for Today from Ancient Christian Writers (2004); Church History, vol. 1: From Christ to Pre-Reformation (2005); and Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries (2009). Ferguson received the ""Distinguished Service Award"" from the North American Patristics Society (2008) and the ""Vestigia Award for Excellence in Early Christian Studies and Service to the Church"" from the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies (2020).

How do some communities around the world that suffer outrageous violence and trauma manage, with few outside resources, not only to survive, but to thrive? September 11, the devastation of hurricane Katrina, school shootings, and other events of community violence and trauma have taught us, as a nation and a church, about the fundamental importance of building a caring community that fosters resilience and hope. Building the Resilient Community takes a refreshing turn of perspective by giving priority not only to the formally educated voices of the West but to those among the most marginalized and invisible in the world: refugees. Based on ethnographic research in Kakuma Refugee Camp and remote villages of southern Sudan, Holton presents a communal case study of a group of devoutly Christian refugees known as the Lost Boys of Sudan and asks the question, Might they have something to teach us about being a resilient community? As Holton investigates their deeply embedded cultural and religious beliefs that nurture a profound sense of responsibility toward others, we find a communal relationship that reflects a unique sense of care and obligation. This deep frame for communal care breaks through as the root of a remarkable faith narrative that serves to help mitigate symptoms of trauma and to undergird resilience, and may do the same for us.""Jan Holton''s stunning pastoral theological study of resilience among the Lost Boys of Sudan shows what the church and the world can learn from indigenous models of care such as those enacted by the Lost Boys . . . Clearly written, thoroughly researched, and forcefully argued, Holton''s work will directly benefit those working in refugee and internally displaced populations, in their countries of origin and in their places of sanctuary, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, non-governmental organizations, and faith communities. Beyond those audiences, it reminds all caring communities to tune themselves to unexpected ways of healing within their midst.""--Pamela D. CoutureJane and Geoffrey Martin Chair in Church and CommunityEmmanuel College of Victoria University University of Toronto""Building the Resilient Community is a brilliant portrayal of how the Lost Boys of the Sudan were able to survive unspeakable destruction through the power of communal obligations of care and the faith narratives of the Dinka people in Sudan . . . Jan Holton''s book inspires hope for human endurance and flourishing, and connects resources for engaging trauma across cultures without co-opting or negating different ways of facing the evils of war, terrorism, and community catastrophe.""--Larry Kent GrahamIliff School of TheologyM. Jan Holton is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Yale University Divinity School.

Is faith a necessary virtue in the contemporary world? May it be, or must it be, detached from religious commitment? What do genealogies of the secular tell us about faith? Does religion need secular faith?Secular Faith brings together leading and emerging scholars to reflect on the apparent paradox of ""secular faith."" Ranging over anthropology, religious studies, political science, history, and literature, from Muslims in China to Pentecostals in South Africa to a prison chapel in Texas, this collection of essays is as engaging and accessible as it is penetrating and rigorous.Communism was once labeled ""the god that failed."" Like Christianity, Communism involves faith in a superhuman endeavor, conversion, myth, discipline, and salvation--and, from the perspective of secular liberalism, both are unjustified and false. In recent years, scholars have begun to investigate whether secularism is itself based on faith in a god that failed, or is failing. Nevertheless, many still embrace such a faith, finding in the spirit of democracy an ethos of eternal renewal. Secular Faith enters and broadens this conversation, interrogating secular faith in a global context, tapping new theoretical resources, and grappling provocatively with the tragedies and opportunities of today''s profane pantheon of beliefs.""Secular Faith is a quietly provocative work of intellectual intervention, calling upon scholars of religion, anthropology, literature, and history to engage with the secular not as a diagnosis, but as a set of critical engagements. The editors have assembled a cohort of essays guided by serious theoretical questions and written with disarming poignancy.""--Kathryn Lofton, Yale University""Secular Faith is an important book. The essays demonstrate, quite clearly, the complexities and nuances of faith talk--secular or otherwise. Lloyd and Ratzman should be commended. They have not only deepened our current conversation about secularism and faith; they have pushed us into new territory. A rare accomplishment indeed.""--Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Princeton University""Brimming with historical insight and learned provocation, these original essays represent what criticism might look like after questioning the assumptions of the secularization thesis and its anxious critics. Secular Faith is a wide-ranging and engaging collection that disrupts familiar distinctions and guild divisions without succumbing to abstraction or triumphalism. Scholars of literature, anthropology, political theory, history, theology, and religious studies should take notice.""--Eric Gregory, Princeton UniversityVincent Lloyd is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia State University. He is the author if Law and Transcendence (2009).Elliot A. Ratzman is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion at Temple University.

This volume invites readers to walk in Israelite sandals, that is, to take a journey of the imagination, and to immerse themselves in the identity, values, and institutions of first-century CE Israelites with the help of contemporary social-scientific studies and theories. What emerges is that the Israelites did not practice a religion. Rather, they were an ethnos, or as this book describes it, an ethnic identity, who lived out a particular way of life and culture the customs of the fathers. It is to belong to a people who obtained their collective identity, honor, and sense of worth from their socialization and membership in Israel and from the social convention of loyalty to their rich cultural tradition. It was to belong to a ""world,"" or having a perspective on the world with its own quality of ""knowledge,"" which, among other things, preferred collectivism over individualism, and orthopraxy over orthodoxy.""Cromhaut tidily synthesizes Social Identity Theory, Social Construction of Reality theory, Primordial and Constructionist theories of ethnicity, the importance of group practices for ethnic boundary marking, and ethnicity models. He details ancient Israel as a boundary-marking ethnic group and Paul''s offering an alternative ethnos--new core values and a new, inclusive way of life. This informed, informative, readable study will engage and reward both introductory students and advanced scholars.""--Dennis C. DulingEmeritus ProfessorCanisius College, Buffalo, New York""Utilizing ethnicity theory and other social sciences with sophistication and insight, Markus Cromhout challenges many assumptions of what it meant to be a first-century Judean. In the process he also questions traditional understandings of the apostle Paul''s entire enterprise, as well as significant aspects of the New Perspective on Paul. He provides, in addition, an intriguing answer as to why most Israelites rejected Paul''s message. His excellent summaries are themselves worth the price of the book.""--Walter F. Taylor Jr.Ernest W. and Edith S. Ogram Professor of New Testament StudiesTrinity Lutheran Seminary""Cromhout has written an absolutely essential book in which he connects central topics of the New Perspective on Paul with insights about their social and cultural background within the ancient Mediterranean world. Based on a complex and well argued socio-cultural model of Israelite ethnic identity, the book deepens our understanding of Pauline concepts like ''works of the law,'' ''faith/belief,'' ''righteousness,'' etc., and traces them back to their contemporary discourses.""--Wolfgang StegemannAugustana-Hochschule, GermanyMarkus Cromhout is a Research Associate in the Department of New Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria. He is the author of Jesus and Identity: Reconstructing Judean Ethnicity in Q (Cascade Books, 2007).