For The Nation [Hardcover]

The nature of the kingdom Jesus proclaims in the Gospels has long been a subject of intense theological debate. More recently the lines of this debate have dramatically shifted as several leading historical Jesus scholars and Christian social ethicists have argued that Jesus' kingdom proclamation most likely expresses a first century Jewish hope for Israel's restoration. Yet while several are now sanguine that Jesus' kingdom vision constitutes nothing less than a full-throated restoration of Israel's nationality, they are just as certain it rejects a restoration of Israel's land. As such it has become increasingly fashionable to say that an authentic practice of the kingdom ethic that Jesus enunciates must necessarily be a-territorial. The purpose of this work is to respond to these arguments and show why this can and indeed should not be the case. Through a careful and detailed process of historical investigation, biblical exegesis, theological exploration, and ethical analysis we will come to see that not only is the kingdom that Jesus proclaims inextricably landed, but also why such a kingdom is integral to articulating a Christian ethic of territorial governance. A bravura performance by a promising young scholar, For the Nation challenges my own and other work in Christian ethics for not taking seriously Israel's land when speaking of God's kingdom as proclaimed by Israel's Messiah, Jesus. The work moves on from there to consider the ethical issues raised by territoriality in human existence. Strongly recommended. --David P. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Director, Center for Theology & Public Life, Mercer University; Vice President, American Academy of Religion; Columnist, Religion News Service; President-Elect, Society of Christian Ethics Nicholas Brown here offers a powerful challenge to the reigning scholarly consensus regarding the territorial implications of Jesus' message of the kingdom. Skillfully integrating tlSC