The Justification Of The Gentiles

Utilizing the tools of a text-linguistic, semiotic method, Professor Hendrikus Boers allows the reader to construct a framework for understanding Paul in Galatians and Romans and to find a new center for reading these works. The deep significance of the Christ event, that secures the promise and blessing of Abraham for Jew and Gentile alike, rather than justification by faith, is shown to deserve place of pride in Pauline theology.

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 coherent.

How are justifications for religious violence developed and do they differ from secular justifications for violence? Can liberal societies tolerate potentially violent religious groups? Can those who accept religious justifications for violence be dissuaded from acting violently? Including six in-depth contemporary case studies, The Justification of Religious Violence is the first book to examine the logical structure of justifications of religious violence. The first book specifically devoted to examining the logical structure of justifications of religious violence Seeks to understand how justifications for religious violence are developed and how or if they differ from ordinary secular justifications of violence Examines 3 widely employed premises used in religious justifications of violence – ‘cosmic war’, the importance of the afterlife, and ‘sacred values’ Considers to what extent liberal democratic societies should tolerate who hold that their religion justifies violent acts Reflects on the possibility of effective policy measures to persuade those who believe that violent action is justified by religion, to refrain from acting violently Informed by recent work in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience and evolutionary biology Part of the Blackwell Public Philosophy Series

Oden uses a broad brush to paint his narrowly focused subject---salvation by grace through faith. Athanasius, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Basil, Jerome, and Augustine are just some of the figures Oden cites---church fathers whose teachings were restated nearly verbatim by 16th-century Reformers. An accessible and detailed search for the core of this theological linchpin.

In recent years, the traditional reformed view of imputed righteousness has come under heavy scrutiny and disagreement, resulting in an injection of theological fervor centering on the writings of the Apostle Paul. The primary source of much of the disagreement comes from a theological movement called the New Perspective on Paul (NPP). The NPP movement has come to the forefront of New Testament theological scholarship, resulting in a continuing debate on the Pauline writings. The debate centers on the exegetical interpretation of these writings. To state this more clearly, the debate involves the reinterpretation of Paul's corpus of work found in Holy Scripture based on a new or different perspective. The NPP encompasses a multifaceted theological rubric, which questions the traditional interpretation of the Pauline writings, including the doctrine of imputed righteousness. Currently, one of the foremost advocates for the NPP is N. T. Wright. Wright, an evangelical New Testament scholar, strongly criticizes the traditional interpretation of the doctrine of imputed righteousness. This book takes a critical look at Wright's view of the doctrine of imputed righteousness and identifies some deficiencies from a traditional reformed perspective.