Daily meditations taken from the works of an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and preacher who has articulated what he sees with a freshness and clarity and energy that hails our stultified imaginations.

New Testament Theology is a guide through the second half of the Bible with a specific eye on the culture from which the authors emerged to write their books. It is an attempt to grasp the authors' true meaning in a way other than the traditionally academic fashion.

This book argues that an account of the life and character of Jesus formed an integral part of the early church's preaching. Against many modern scholars, Dr Stanton seeks to show that interest in the life of Jesus was not a late development within primitive Christianity. A study of Luke's Gospel indicates that in his own day reference to the life and character of Jesus was an important part of missionary preaching. In this respect at least, Luke was no innovator. The references in the speeches in Acts to the life of Jesus can be traced to Luke's use of earlier traditions. Dr Stanton then takes up the much-debated question of Paul's interest in Jesus of Nazareth. The author challenges several widely-accepted views from critical conclusions about the nature and purpose of the traditions on which the evangelists drew.

In the last hundred and fifty years the kingdom of God has emerged as one of the most important topics in theology, New Testament studies, and the life of the church. But what exactly is the kingdom of God? What does it mean for the people of God and what does it mean for how they live in the world? In The Kingdom of God, part of the Biblical Theology for Life series, Nicholas Perrin explores this dominant biblical metaphor, one that is paradoxically the meta-center and the mystery in Jesus' proclamation. After survey interpretations by figures from Ritschl to N. T. Wright, Perrin examines the "what, who, and how" questions of the kingdom. In his sweepingly comprehensive study, Perrin contends that the kingdom is inaugurated in Jesus' earthly ministry, but its final development awaits later events in history. In between the times, however, the people of God are called to participate in the reign of God by living out the distinctly kingdom-ethic through hope, forgiveness, love, and prayer. X

The Third Edition of this respected text represents a major rewrite. The authors have given thorough attention to the details of inclusive language, while covering social-historical and literary-historical factors. Coverage includes the synoptic gospels and Acts, and the historical Jesus as the presupposition of the New Testament.