Description
"Christians may not have shared the details of the particular situation of the Roman followers of Jesus, but they have shared for centuries the concern about what faith means for life, and they have turned to Paul to understand what it means to be faithful to our faithful God."
—from the introduction
For centuries, the apostle Paul's reflections in the book of Romans have shaped Christian thinking about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can be faithful to the gospel. Key theologians including Augustine, Luther, Wesley, and Barth have wrestled with Romans and listened to it, understanding it in relation to questions of their own times. In her theological commentary, Sarah Heaner Lancaster helps us hear Romans anew for today. She considers major elements such as the old and new perspectives on Paul, justification, the relation of Jews and Christians, Empire, and disagreements in the church. Lancaster helps us recognize the importance of the letter during the time it was written, as well as its ongoing meanings now. Paul's insights go beyond the pragmatic to the theological, which gives Romans its enduring significance and ongoing value. Lancaster's excellent commentary helps us for preaching, teaching, and worship to hear Paul's message afresh and to be strengthened and challenged in our Christian faith.
Reviews
"As one who preaches regularly and teaches both clergy and laity, I find the Belief series to be just the kind of resource I depend upon for my own preparation and to recommend to adults who wish to move carefully through a book of the Bible. The approach is scholarly rich, theologically nuanced, and accessible to the thoughtful reader."
—Patricia J. Lull, Bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
"For the preacher who seeks to do justice not only to biblical texts in all their complexity, but also to the richness of historical and contemporary theology, the Belief series offers a vital new tool."
—Maxwell Grant, Senior Minister, Second Congregational Church of Greenwich, United Church of Christ
"Again and again, the careful scholarship and liveliness of the witness of each author have not only brought theological insight, but also new frameworks for preaching and looking at my own life of faith. This is an excellent series, the best one I have found for parish ministry."
—Kelly Nelson, Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Crawfordsville, Indiana
"I highly recommend the Belief series! The authors are widely respected theologians who aid pastors and teaching by bringing the biblical text into creative theological conversation with contemporary concerns."
—Roy Howard, Pastor, St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, North Bethesda, Maryland
"As a retired Campus Pastor, I have read only Mark, by the late, much lamented William C. Placher of Wabash College, but if others in the series are even nearly as good, buy them!"
—Steve Shoemaker, Ph.D., Religion, Duke (Theology & Literature) Presbyterian Campus Minister, NCSU, 1973-81, Univ. of Illinois, 1981-2008