Jesus came proclaiming the advent of the "kingdom of God." New Testament scholars, however, are by no means agreed about Jesus' meaning or intention, or about whether we have any way of
Jesus came proclaiming the advent of the "kingdom of God." New Testament scholars, however, are by no means agreed about Jesus' meaning or intention, or about whether we have any way of penetrating through the testimony of the early Christians to what Jesus actually said or meant. This study by Paul Rowntree Clifford presses to a scholarly conclusion two key questions: What did Jesus mean by his proclamation of the kingdom? And in what sense has his promise been fulfilled?
Following an insightful evaluation of the Gospel evidence, Clifford concludes that the kingdom of God as proclaimed by Jesus is a reality in the light of which we have come to terms with the modern world — a world where natural catastrophes and humanly created disasters are common occurrences. By focusing on matters of fact, Clifford shows that we end up with a startlingly challenging proclamation of the kingdom of God that is profoundly relevant to the difficult world in which we live.
Bruce Chilton
— Bard College
"Christian theology proceeds from the central conviction that the kingdom of God is known in and through Jesus. In this accessible, clear consideration, Paul Rowntree Clifford suggests how that conviction may be sustained both in reading the Gospels and in engaging the world around us. He shows out of a wealth of experience that the inherent paradox of the kingdom, once understood, becomes a resource of paradox of the kingdom, once understood, becomes a resource of strength in our human relationships and of hope in our approach to God."
Gerald H. Anderson
— Overseas Ministries Study Center
"This may prove to be the most important and interesting book of the decade on helping us to understand how the kingdom of God relates to our secular world."
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