The Future of the People of God

At a time when the Western church is having to come to terms--painfully and often reluctantly--with its diminished social and intellectual status in the world following the collapse of Christendom, we find ourselves, as interpreters of Paul, increasingly impressed by the need to relocate his writings in their historical context. That is not a coincidence. The Future of the People of God is an attempt to make sense of Paul's letter to the Romans at the intersection of these two developments. It puts forward the argument that we must first have the courage of our historical convictions and read the text before Christendom, from the limited, shortsighted perspective of an emerging community that dared to defy the gods of the ancient world. This act of imaginative, critical engagement with the text will challenge many of our assumptions about Paul's gospel of God, but it will also put us in a position to reconstruct an identity and purpose for the people of God after Christendom that is both biblically and historically coherentThe Future of the People of God: Reading Romans Before and After Western Christendom is clearly written and compellingly argued. Andrew Perriman probes the meaning of Romans, Paul's most important letter, shedding light on the respective places of Jews and Gentiles in the redemptive plan of God. Perriman has captured the apostle's thought and with impressive skill shows how it unfolds step by step. More impressive still is how the letter to the Romans is read in the light of the political realities of the Roman Empire in the middle of the first century and the dominical prophecy of Jerusalem's impending doom. This is a great book. Highly recommended.--Craig A. EvansPayzant Distinguished Professor of New TestamentAcadia Divinity College, Nova ScotiaAndrew Perriman here gives a fresh, highly stimulating reading of Romans rooted in its first century setting. His approach focuses on a soon-to-come historical crisis for Judaism and for the pagan world of Paul's day, and provides new angles on passage after passage in Romans. This highly original book cannot fail to provoke thought, debate, argument, reflection and re-reading of Romans, both in its first century setting and for today.-Steve WaltonSenior Lecturer in Greek and New Testament Studies, and Director of ResearchLondon School of Theology, United KingdomAndrew Perriman is a traveler, blogger (www.postost.net), ad hoc teacher and pastor, and independent theologian. He is the author of Speaking of Women: Interpreting Paul (1998), Faith, Health and Prosperity (2003), The Coming of the Son of Man: New Testament Eschatology for an Emerging Church (2005), and Re:Mission: Biblical Mission for a Post-Biblical Church (2007).