Jesus--the End and the Beginning

Telford Work

Description

Telford Work examines some of the most important ways Jesus is "the omega and the alpha"--the end and the beginning. Jesus alone fulfills the divine purpose for all things, brings about the end of the old world's evil and suffering, and begins eternity's new creation. This core conviction is one of the deepest logics that shapes Christian thinking and life. The author offers a unique, big-picture introduction to how Jesus's life and death shape Christian theology and practice and helps readers fully understand Jesus's transformation of all things.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 22 janvier 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493416974
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Cover Page
Endorsements
“Telford Work i nvites us to follow him to oft avoided, if not precarious, vantage points where new vistas of Christ can be pondered. Like studying a photograph’s negative, contemplating Jesus as the omega and alpha draws disciples deeper into the unmeasurable richness of Christ’s beauty, provoking us to grapple with our rehearsed Christologies and compelling us to explore afresh what it means for Jesus to be the center of Christian faith for us today. This book will not just provide you new frames of reference, but most importantly it will prod you to reconsider if Jesus is or can be your omega and alpha.”
— Brian Lugioyo , Azusa Pacific University
“A dynamic and engaging vision that proclaims Jesus Christ as the answer to everything. Simple but not simplistic, Work’s book shows that Jesus can transform every dimension of human life from individual salvation to civic life and international relations. Work’s focus on biblical theology and specifically on Jesus as the Omega and the Alpha makes this an effective book for classroom teaching and discussion.”
— Steven M. Studebaker , McMaster Divinity College
“This is a wonderfully fresh approach to Christology—or, better, to the pivotal place of Jesus in the entire Christian vision. From multiple angles, Work guides readers in apprehending the concrete difference Jesus makes for all creation. Attentive readings of Scripture abound in this book, and they are shaped by deep engagement with the Christian tradition. Work’s prose is a joy to read—it is simultaneously lively and precise, shining new light on familiar themes. Particularly well suited for classroom settings, this volume is a gift to all who seek a coherent and compelling account of the centrality of Jesus.”
— Doug Koskela , Seattle Pacific University
“In his accessible, often witty, yet theologically deep way, Work retells the scriptural story from the perspective of Jesus as the disruptive turning point of history. Examined from this Christ-outward perspective, God, the cosmos, Israel, humanity, the nations, and even our own lives all have fresh light shone on them. Deeply scriptural and orthodox yet culturally current, Jesus—the End and the Beginning is a wonderful way to know more deeply and to be challenged by Jesus, who is at the nexus of all things.”
— David Stubbs , Western Theological Seminary
“As a slogan, ‘Jesus is the answer’ can be found in a wide range of mediums from songs to bumper stickers. As a theological truth, many Christians struggle to appreciate it. Telford Work’s latest book unpacks this truth to reveal Jesus as the key to understanding God, the cosmos, humanity, etc. He is skilled at weaving together Biblical passages and modern examples to explain the centrality of Jesus for everything. Work deftly navigates different and differing theological traditions to paint a coherent picture of Jesus as both the ending of the old and the beginning of the new, the Omega and Alpha. Work’s text is an invitation to Christian discipleship. He warns believers throughout of ways Christ could be displaced as the Omega and Alpha in their own thinking before ending with a call to a richer understanding of a Christ-shaped life. This book is profound and quotable. I took notes of examples and explanations that would help my students to better grasp what I have been teaching for almost twenty years. Jesus—the End and the Beginning will be required reading in my classes.”
— D. Allen Tennison , College of Church Leadership, North Central University
“What if Christ were all in all? What if Jesus truly were our beginning and end? Drawn by these questions, Work presents the reader with a vision of life enfolded by Jesus Christ. A scriptural imagination engages here with matters of faith. This lively book opens up questions of the Christian faith to show their root and resolution in Jesus. All things, Work reminds us, are gathered up in Christ. Here is the engine that propels him through his consideration of numerous issues of faith and contemporary life. Jesus discloses to us our beginning and end, and life is found in the midst.”
— Stephen Wright , Nazarene Theological College
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2019 by Telford Work
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1697-4
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version ® . Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Dedication
To whom else could I dedicate this book than its subject? With fear and trembling, I present it to Jesus of Nazareth—my end and my beginning—as well as to his Father and the Holy Spirit whom he so graciously shared with us.
Contents
Cover i
Endorsements ii
Title Page iv
Copyright Page v
Dedication vi
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xi
1. Introduction 1
2. Jesus—the End and the Beginning of God 19
3. Jesus—the End and the Beginning of the Cosmos 45
4. Jesus—the End and the Beginning of Humanity 69
5. Jesus—the End and the Beginning of Israel 97
6. Jesus—the End and the Beginning of the Nations 133
7. Jesus—the End and the Beginning of a Life 169
Afterword: Jesus—the End and the Beginning of the Book 207
Scripture Index 209
General Index 219
Back Cover 220
Acknowledgments
This book’s core structure is indebted to the many theologians and preachers who have formed me over decades by honoring and teaching the centrality and universal relevance of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. They are too many to name here, but I appreciate each deeply—for inspiring the book, to be sure, but much more so for shaping so many into more faithful disciples.
In 2005, All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, California, invited me to deliver a Lenten series. I was grateful for the opportunity and even more grateful that the resulting presentation, “Omega and Alpha: Jesus, the Center of Christian Faith,” became the embryo from which this book grew. I had the privilege of teaching an expanded version at El Montecito Presbyterian Church, which has graciously hosted me for a number of teaching series over the years.
This book was written while I was on a sabbatical leave courtesy of Westmont’s provost office. My esteemed colleagues in the religious studies department covered for my absence.
I spent that year abroad, writing while volunteer teaching in remarkable institutions of Christian learning: Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; St. Frumentius Theological College in Mekele, Ethiopia; LCC International University in Klaipèda, Lithuania; Ukrainian Catholic University and Lviv Theological Seminary in Lviv, Ukraine; Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines; Trinity Theological College in Singapore; Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul, South Korea; and South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies in Bangalore, India. Each place’s spirit worked its way into these pages somehow or other. That was the year of a lifetime, and I can’t fully express my gratitude for it.
My wife, Kim, and younger children, Junia and Benjamin, accompanied me on most of that adventure and extended grace and support then and back at home while I wrote, thought, edited, and edited some more. My older children, Jeremy and Daniel, and our extended family endured our yearlong absence, and it wasn’t always easy.
Westmont students patiently read my draft, suggested improvements, and offered critical feedback. Theological colleagues at other institutions kindly read sample chapters and offered assessments that helped this project see the light of publication. Editors Bob Hosack, Melisa Blok, and John Simpson patiently and wisely made or suggested further clarifications and improvements. I so appreciate their careful and insightful reading. Any flaws that remain are solely my own.
Thanks to all of you!
Telford Work May 2018
Preface
Am I Writing to You?
Nowadays books are pitched to particular audiences. Am I pitching to you or to someone else?
I’m pitching to you if you have some familiarity with the Bible—not necessarily a lot, but enough to know your way around—and are looking for insight into how the parts relate to the whole. I’m especially pitching to you if you aren’t totally satisfied with the formulas and paradigms you’ve already been taught. Not because they’re necessarily wrong, but perhaps you’ve found them too hard to understand or use or too unwieldy and complicated. Perhaps these paradigms seem like round holes for which too many parts of the Bible are ill-fitting square pegs. Or it may be that those formulas and paradigms are fine but need fresh illumination or exp