Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission - The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS)

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Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references.; The first detailed exegetical treatment of Paul's letters from the emerging discipline of missional hermeneutics, Michael Gorman's 'Becoming the Gospel' argues that Paul's letters invite Christian communities both then and now to not merely believe the gospel but to become the gospel and, in doing so, to participate in the life and mission of God. Showing that Pauline churches were active public participants in and witnesses to the gospel, Gorman reveals the missional significance of various themes in Paul's letters. He also identifies select contemporary examples of mission in the spirit of Paul, inviting all Christians to practice Paul-inspired imagination in their own contexts. Review Quotes: Michael Barram-- author of "Mission and Moral Reflection in Paul" Michael Gorman has written another superb and groundbreaking exegetical study. He understands mission in Paul's letters not merely in an evangelistic sense but comprehensively -- as something rooted in divine purposiveness, in the divine mission. By asking fresh, critical, missional questions, Gorman illustrates the significance of mission as an interpretive rubric -- for Paul, for his communities, and for his contemporary interpreters. This important book merits -- and will richly reward -- a wide readership among Pauline scholars, missiologists, and ministry practitioners alike. Dean Flemming-- author of "Recovering the Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspective on Being, Doing, and Telling" This book is a tour de force in missional hermeneutics. With clear exegesis and fresh theological insights, Gorman uncovers Paul's rich and comprehensive understanding of the mission of God. The book's central thesis, that Paul expected "all" Christians not only to "believe" the gospel, but to "become" the gospel, and thus to "further" the gospel, is completely convincing. Yet this study also packs a powerful contemporary message, challenging Christian communities to hear Paul's invitation to "become" the gospel, in word and deed, where they live. Chris Tilling-- author of "Paul's Divine Christology" Gorman's reading of Paul resonates with the real concerns and questions of ecclesial communities as much as it challenges the paradigms of professional New Testament scholars. . . . Combining exegesis of Paul's letters with hermeneutics and missiology, Gorman throws new light on old debates such as those involving the language of God's righteousness and various participatory themes. One of the leading Pauline scholars of our age, Gorman writes in ways that resonate with the missional concerns of the gospel itself. "

Contributor Bio:  Gorman, Michael J Michael J. Gorman (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore. He formerly served as dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's.