Paul refers to his original gospel preaching to the Galatians with quite striking language.  In fact, he doesn’t refer to his preaching or teaching.  Here’s what he says: You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publically portrayed being crucified? It’s not that they’ve clearly heard the gospel, or were […]

It appears that in Galatians 2 Paul has some strikingly sarcastic things to say about the apostolic leaders in Jerusalem.  He refers to them four times with variations of the expression “those who seem to be something” in vv. 2-9.  Is Paul picking a fight with Peter, James, and John, pillars of the early church? […]

Paul’s gospel, then, is thoroughly political, but not “political” according to the corrupted status quo of what we call politics in our 21st century American culture.  Paul doesn’t call for the church to try to agitate for power and influence, and certainly wouldn’t tolerate rhetorically denouncing other people or fellow Christians in the name of […]

I’ve claimed thus far that Paul’s gospel is political, and I’ve already given some hints about the basic shape of his outlook.  But what are the more specific political contours of his thought?  Just how does this work out when we turn to the sorts of things he actually wrote to churches? First, as I’ve […]

It would be an outrageous understatement to say that when he saw the exalted Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul’s perspective changed.  Of course, it did.  But we must take some time to unpack just how it changed and what aspects of it were transformed.  First, when Saul saw the resurrected and ascended […]

Saul the Pharisee would have shared the vision of salvation elaborated in the previous post.  The Pharisaic hope was in the God of Israel fulfilling his promises to set Israel free from oppression and to restore the nation to its rightful place as God’s chief agent of salvation and rule over creation.  The God of […]

Paul’s thought is most fundamentally shaped by the Scriptural narrative of the Creator God and his call of Israel as his special possession.  The God of Israel created the world and everything in it.  He spoke a creative word, ordering the world and placing humanity within the garden of Eden.  God charged Adam and Eve […]

Over the last half-century or so, evangelical Christians have envisioned the relationship between politics and Christian faith as a complicated and thorny problem.  For some, politics and Christian faith are best kept completely separate.  Faith isn’t political and the church ought to stay out of politics.  Nothing but trouble awaits us when we—as Christian people—try […]

I’ve finished my presentation for tomorrow’s day conference at GRTS.  I’m looking forward to a great day of lively discussion.  I’ll tidy up my paper afterwards and post it here, but here’s just a teaser from a section on the conversion of Paul’s political vision: Saul realized that God had begun his resurrection agenda with […]

If you’re in West Michigan on Monday, plan to come to Grand Rapids Theological Seminary for our annual Talking Points conference.  This year’s theme is Christian Civic Engagement: Right, Responsibility, Opportunity. Dr. Amy Black of Wheaton College and Dr. George Marsden of Notre Dame are speaking, and I’m giving a presentation on Paul’s political vision. […]