Why the Cross?

by Joel B. Green

Published 18 November 2014
The meaning of Jesus' execution on a Roman cross is one of the most divisive issues in contemporary theological discourse because issues related to the goodness of God and the place of suffering in the Christian life are at stake. Although it is important to locate that discussion in the context of the range of New testament perspectives on the soteriological significance of the cross, it is also important that we recover the meaning of the cross as a metaphor for discipleship. In the end, the event of Jesus' death cannot be understood apart from the character of his life. This book will contribute to New Testament studies but also serve related discussions in theology and Christian formation. (Back cover).

Why Salvation?

by Joel B. Green

Published 18 February 2014
What does it mean to live with others who have alsosigned up ongoing, personal and social transformation? Salvation is the bedrock of our faith and the touchstoneforfaithful living. It is the good news of God drawing near to us as individuals but also as communities of faith. This book helps us understand that when we say "Jesus saves," we stand on scripture that proclaims aGod who, through Jesus, heals, liberates, and recues. As each generation that has gone before, we toomust find ownawareness and then respond and participate in God s workas transformed people, serving together as the Body ofChrist. This book as an invitation to a journey of salvation oriented toward increased understanding but also to transformed commitments, renewed allegiances, and fresh practices. To address the grand narrative of Scripture in a way that takes seriously its essential focus on the journey of salvation is to open ourselves to fresh (and perhaps refreshed) perspectives on the world and, thus, on life in the world. In this book Joel Green show how salvation canillumine new categories for conceiving the world, for making sense of our experiences, and for directing our lives.