David Whitten Smith

Starts with something about end of Christendom and quoting Newbigin saying the biggest challenge for us is not just Islam but also the idea that the unfettered free market and all its ideology is what will rule the world. Newbigin thought that Islam was admirable in not accepting that economics was free of morality and the interest of God.
Smith reckons that we have to connect with those at the bottom to hear a different voice as we offer them the gospel.
The second half of the book gets into Romans and offers some reinterpretation inspired by commentaries by Jewett. These suggest that all Paul's listeners were of the poor underclass and his message offered them freedom from the shame and repression of their position, not individual salvation. Who knows? I remember there were tent makers among Paul's converts, certainly not part of the underclass, along with traders in Purple and synagogue rulers.… (més)