"As the discipline of missional hermeneutics begins to explode, it is exciting to see this careful, perceptive study of the Thessalonian correspondence that is sensitive to the letters' original purposes and sharply focused on mission. Roji T. George's groundbreaking work speaks both from and to the Indian context. But it also addresses the global church, highlighting the missional implications--especially among the marginalized and in the context of oppressive political power--of the church's public, cruciform, risk-taking identity that participates in the mission of the Triune God. I highly recommend this important book to scholars and practitioners alike."
Called into the Mission of God: A Missional Reading of Paul's Thessalonian Correspondence
In Called into the Mission of God, Roji George argues that Paul's primary interest was neither doctrinal teaching nor the articulation of an anti-imperial discourse. Instead, he contends that amidst the many problems that faced the local Thessalonian community--problems arising out of eschatological fears, ethical difficulties in the community, and persecution from outside groups--Paul brought primarily a missional concern to impart ethical exhortation and eschatological teaching in a political language. The book will be helpful to those theologians, scholars, teachers, and students grappling with the message of Paul in his own time and in ours.
Called into the Mission of God represents an increasing commitment on the part of Fortress Press to support the wide dissemination of the best theological and biblical writing by the best scholars from the Global South.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Paperback
- ISBN 9781506433653
- eBook ISBN 9781506433660
- Dimensions 6 x 9
- Pages 280
- Publication Date November 3, 2020
Endorsements
Michael J. Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, St. Mary's Seminary & University
"Roji T. George's application of a missional hermeneutic to the Thessalonian correspondence is substantially valuable and fruitful, while his exploration of its relevance to the church in India carries salutary lessons for the wider global church. With close attention to the text and its original context, he illuminates the subversively counter-cultural meaning and power of the gospel, the missional nature of the church's existence and the Holy Spirit's presence, and the crucial importance of ethical formation within Christian communities."
Christopher J.H. Wright, Langham Partnership, author of The Mission of God and The Mission of God's People
"Writing from outside the bubble of the global West, Roji T. George successfully employs a recently developed missional hermeneutic to the eschatological confusion addressed by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians. The results prove helpful for both the church and the academy."
James Miller, professor of inductive bible study and New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary