Believers in an increasingly secular world face the challenge of responding to the cultural changes that have taken place in the past generation, as Christians become a "cognitive minority," especially in the West. Some attempt to restore the Christian culture of the past with political activism, and others accommodate to the cultural changes. Christians in a post-Christian world can learn much from believers who lived in the pre-Christian period. The New Testament demonstrates that, in a pluralistic and syncretistic world of religions, Christian identity exists neither through absorption into the culture nor through total withdrawal but through dialogue and critique.
James W. Thompson is scholar in residence in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University. He is the author of numerous books, including Pastoral Ministry according to Paul, Moral Formation according to Paul, The Church according to Paul, and Apostle of Persuasion.
“The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that, though they be in the world, they must not be caught up in worldliness. But what should the proper relationship be between church and world? James Thompson brings together insight from biblical studies, history, theology, and sociology to offer more than superficial answers. The New Testament bears witness to the church as an alternative community. Personal and communal identities matter, and Thompson offers rich food for thought for the Christian imagination.”
—Nijay K. Gupta, Northern Seminary
“James Thompson offers us a well-researched and stimulating survey of Christ and culture in the New Testament. The chapters on John and the disputed Pauline letters rightly challenge standard views, and the brief concluding chapter is a tour de force. This volume will aid Christians today in wrestling with what it means to be a distinctive minority culture that offers ultimate allegiance only to Christ and engages ‘the world’ in light of the gospel.”
—Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary’s Seminary & University