Paternoster biblical monographs Paul's understanding of the church's mission: Did the Apostle Paul expect the early Christian communities to evangelize?
Robert Lewis Plummer
- Great Britian Paternoster 2006
- 190tr. Paperback 23cm
In this book, Robert L. Plummer engages in a careful study of Paul's letters to determine if the apostle expected the communities to which he wrote to engage in outward-directed missionary activity. Plummer summarizes the discussion to date on this debated issue, handles contested texts, and provides a way forward in addressing this critical question. While admitting that Paul rarely explicitly commands the communities he founded to evangelize, Plummer amasses significant incidental data to provide a convincing case that Paul did indeed expect his churches to engage in outward-directed missionary activity. Throughout the study, Plummer progressively builds a theological basis for the church's mission that is both compelling and distinctively Pauline.