Customer Reviews

Jesus and Community

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This is not a new book. Written in 1982, with the English translation published in 1984, this 24-year old book speaks powerfully to the role of the people of God throughout history. Lohfink, former professor of New Testament at Tubingen University, makes a compelling case for "the people of God" as those communities called by God to live out the reign of God here and now.

Lohfink argues that "the people of God" -- whether in the Hebrew scripture or New Testament or today -- have always been a "contrast-society" distinguished by, not just their belief, but by their practices. This book takes scripture seriously, and brings new life to our understanding of the role of the church. Lohfink argues, "When the church is criticized among the nations because of its bad example, the holy name of God itself is dishonored. This presupposes that the church is the sign, the presence, the honor of God in the world. When the church obscures this sign, it impedes the work of salvation and disfigures the true nature of God."

Powerful stuff and needed today.

In his centering on Jesus and Israel in the manner in which the work takes, were it not for the writer's Roman Catholic context and reflective biblical theology it could read as a polemic against the influences in dispensationalism or a call for the reformers to have gone further than "institutional focused Reformation." While I can hear that response to the argument, my "ecclesial worldview does not evoke it. The reading/interpretation of the manner in which textual material is applied to Israel as the context of Jesus, especially in the way He introduced/demonstrated the goodnews to them as "first audience and community" - the Kingdom speaks to them before it speaks through them. Another impact is the thesis' support of present expressions of charismatic relating to the Spirit's eschatological activity to call attention to the nature of Jesus' healing ministry is part of the call of the goodnews to the community cf meeting the need of an individual. I find few contrast questions, more praxis questions, Ie. "How do you/I/we relate the central argument to enabling the emergence of mission community amongst individuated younger 21st century adults, in a manner that is not yet another deconstruction?" The work should be a must read for all serious "lovers of Christ's Body"