Overview
This brief, accessible book offers a unique approach to the theme of the kingdom of God and to biblical theology. Sigurd Grindheim explains the whole Bible's teaching on the kingdom of God, discussing its implications for the Christian, the church, and politics. Grindheim shows what it means that God rules on earth, how his rule is established through the work of Christ, and how this rule is embodied by the church today, offering a new vision for the church's role in the kingdom: putting God's gifts to work.
Table of Contents
Contents
1. The Dream of Utopia: The Kingly Rule of God in the Old Testament
2. The Surprising Fulfillment: Jesus Establishes the Kingly Rule of God
3. A Different King: Christ's Kingship
4. A Different Border Control: Entrance into the Kingdom
5. A Different Community: The People of the Kingdom
6. A Different Government: The Role of Christ's Disciples in the Kingdom
7. Transforming Society: How God's Reign Affects Politics
8. Paradoxical Victory: The Future of the Kingdom
Indexes
1. The Dream of Utopia: The Kingly Rule of God in the Old Testament
2. The Surprising Fulfillment: Jesus Establishes the Kingly Rule of God
3. A Different King: Christ's Kingship
4. A Different Border Control: Entrance into the Kingdom
5. A Different Community: The People of the Kingdom
6. A Different Government: The Role of Christ's Disciples in the Kingdom
7. Transforming Society: How God's Reign Affects Politics
8. Paradoxical Victory: The Future of the Kingdom
Indexes
Endorsements
"In this remarkably fresh treatment of the kingdom of God, Grindheim steers a wise course through the debates over what the kingdom is, who is in it, when it comes, how it is governed, and much more. No one will agree with every detail of Grindheim's interpretation, but any thoughtful Christian will come away from this book having gained new insight, not to mention attractive and faithful ways of thinking about old texts. Highly recommended."
D. A. Carson, research professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
"Grindheim presents a vision of the kingdom of God that is at once heavenly and richly earthly. His sensitive reading of the Scriptures is joined to stories of human events and experiences--large and small, personal and social--that communicate the hope of the kingdom in practical ways. From his own experience, Grindheim is able to lift our eyes to a horizon broader than our usual Western perspective. In a remarkable way, this work speaks Christian faith and its implications for the world."
Mark A. Seifrid, professor of exegetical theology, Concordia Seminary
"Grindheim's book on the kingdom is biblical theology at its best. It is well-researched, theologically perceptive, and sprinkled with engaging illustrations from the author's own experiences as a missionary in Ethiopia and from Christian life around the world. Anyone wanting to know what the Bible says about the rule of God will benefit from this book, but it will be especially helpful to pastors, teachers, and students as they think through how the church can live as a faithful subject of its King."
Frank Thielman, professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School
"Grindheim introduces readers to God's kingdom as it is presented in the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the rest of the New Testament. He then goes on to spell out the implications of what the Bible teaches about the kingdom for the Christian and the church. Readers will find in this book a challenge to be the people of the kingdom, God's instruments in this world, and a concern to identify the apparent paradoxes of life as people of the kingdom. Pastors and teachers who want to teach about the kingdom of God will find Grindheim's book to be an accessible and timely source of instruction and exhortation."
Paul M. Hoskins, associate professor of New Testament, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Author
Sigurd Grindheim
Sigurd Grindheim (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of New Testament at Fjellhaug International University College in Oslo, Norway. He is also adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and visiting lecturer at Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology. Grindheim is the author of numerous articles and essays as well as a number of books, including Introducing Biblical Theology, Christology in the Synoptic Gospels, and a forthcoming commentary on Hebrews.