Philemon's Problem: A Theology of Grace / Edition 1

by James Tunstead Burtchaell

Overview

Philemon was a wealthy Christian whose slave Onesimus went off in search of freedom, met and listened to Paul, and joined the church. But instead of being given a new life of his own, Onesimus was sent back by Paul to an aggrieved master with no protection but his mentor's brief Letter to Philemon. Paul never asked Philemon to free his slave. Instead, he admonished him to take Onesimus back - only now as his brother in Christ. This left both master and bondsman with a problem: how could one man own another and both be brothers in Christ? In this unique work James Tunstead Burtchaell uses the ancient story of Philemon and Onesimus as a compelling entry into modern theological reflection on the unbelievable reach of the grace and forgiveness of the Father whose Son died without disciples, rose to reconcile and transform them, and then scattered them around the world as men and women who were now also able to love those who loved them not - and transform them too. According to Burtchaell, in order for the faith of Philemon and Onesimus to cope with Paul's imperative, they required an inspired imagination to take in the notion that the Father loves sinners (i.e., all of us), and he neither would nor could do otherwise. For Philemon and Onesimus to undertake such a relentless love themselves would require frighteningly new convictions, new commitments, and new celebrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802845498
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	12/02/1998
Edition description:	JUBILEE ED
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

One of the early presidents of the American Academy of Religion and formerly at the University of Notre Dame, he is now a full-time researcher and writer in Phoenix, Arizona.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Jubilee Edition

1. Philemon's Problem

A DISTINCTIVE DOCTRINE

2. The Father of Jesus, and Strange Gods Before Him
3. His Father's Son, Firstborn of Many Children
4. What Need for Jesus, If the Father Already Loves and Saves?

A DISTINCTIVE MORALITY

5. Does Moral Behavior Matter, If It Makes No Difference to the Lord?
6. Old Morality or New? The Moral Force of Action and Forbearance
7. An Ethic Both Personal and Social: Decisions of Choice
8. The Suppleness of Moral Wisdom: A Case Study in Armed Force

A DISTINCTIVE WORSHIP

9. When a Gesture Isn't Only a Gesture: The Good of Ritual
10. The Rituals of Jesus, the Anti-Ritualist: Worship, the Real Make-Believe
11. Close to the Prodigal Father: Case Studies on Penance and Prayer
12. Our Problem

Editorial Reviews

First Things
"The jubilee edition of this remarkable book . . . reminds us again of the scope and sensitivity of James Burtchaell's mind. . . . With this book Burtchaell offers scholars and general readers alike a decidedly robust response to the problems of Christian brotherhood."

The Bible Today
"Burtchaell writes in a provocative style, and readers will find here substantive and challenging reading."

The Covenant Companion
"A rambunctious, provocative, in-your-face kind of book. . . . It would be a wonderful book for a theologically savvy book group. There is enough here to keep you arguing into the next millennium. Philemon's Problem is difficult to summarize and hard to put down. I highly recommend it."

From the Publisher

The jubilee edition of this remarkable book...reminds us again of the scope and sensitivity of James Burtchaell's mind.... With this book Burtchaell offers scholars and general readers alike a decidedly robust response to the problems of Christian brotherhood.

First Things

Burtchaell writes in a provocative style, and readers will find here substantive and challenging reading.

The Bible Today

"A rambunctious, provocative, in-your-face kind of book.... It would be a wonderful book for a theologically savvy book group. There is enough here to keep you arguing into the next millennium. Philemon's Problem is difficult to summarize and hard to put down. I highly recommend it."

Covenant Companion