Is the Gospel Good News?

Is the Gospel Good News? was the theme of the 2015 H. H. Bingham Colloquium at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, held on June 4-5. The fourteen participants in this colloquium presented their own individual perspectives on the theme from three broad vantage points--Bible, theology, and crucial topics. The good news that Jesus proclaimed concerning the kingdom of God became the gospel proclaimed by his followers throughout church history. This gospel is about the coming of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of God's will for humanity. This volume presents some accounts of how this good news has been understood through the ages and continues to be understood in relation to some of the major topics and issues of our contemporary world. The papers in the Bible section discuss this good news from both Old and New Testament passages and themes. The papers in the Theology section address theological topics in light of the question of what constitutes the good news. Finally, the papers in the Crucial Topics section explore new and different perspectives on ways in which the gospel is good news. This volume highlights diverse perspectives and proposals by scholars from various locations in different stages of their academic careers, resulting in a stimulating discussion of the topic of the gospel as good news.Can any 'good news' offset the fact that we live in such a bad-news world? Decidedly 'yes' answer the scholars and ministry practitioners contributing to this volume. Advanced students, pastors, and scholars alike will glean fresh vantage points and truths from interaction with these wide-ranging but skillfully focused studies, all arguing for the continuing validity and viability of the central Christian message. Think 'the gospel' is a yesteryear slogan? Read this for a valuable refresher course.--Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological SeminaryStanley E. Porter is President, Dean, and Professor of New Testament, McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario. He also holds the Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Worldview. He is the author of nearly thirty volumes, and has edited over eighty others. One of his latest books is When Paul Met Jesus: How an Idea Got Lost in History.Hughson T. Ong is Assistant Academic Dean and Registrar, and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Emmanuel Bible College, Kitchener, Ontario. He is the author of The Multilingual Jesus and the Sociolinguistic World of the New Testament, and of a number of articles and essays on various New Testament topics that use sociolinguistic theories.