Greed and the Dark Powers in Luke-Acts
The Cosmic Battle from Jerusalem to Rome
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
Greed and the Dark Powers in Luke-Acts invites readers into a fascinating exploration of how greed functions as a spiritual weapon wielded by oppressive powers. Blythe reveals how greed is not merely a personal sin but a force of systemic exploitation and spiritual corruption. Through vivid episodes, the book uncovers a cosmic struggle between the forces of good and evil, generosity and greed, liberation and oppression. Blythe's compelling analysis calls contemporary readers and communities of faith to resist greed's seductive powers by embodying economic justice and generosity while confronting oppressive systems. Insightful, timely, and provocative, this study equips readers to recognize and resist the spiritual dynamics of greed, empowering the church to confront darkness and embody Christ's victory to the ends of the earth.
Endorsements (5)
“Michael Blythe adeptly demonstrates how Luke portrays the early church as a political and economic assault upon the Greco-Roman world. His book provides a deep, revealing scriptural read that prods us preachers to confront the powers and principalities underlying what many Americans regard as normal economic functioning.”
“Blythe insightfully recognizes a significant yet largely unnoticed Lukan perspective that threatens the status quo, thereby placing the Christian message in opposition to Rome. This discovery is an especially important contribution to Lukan scholarship and particularly appropriate in any era marked by greed and empire. This work is to be taken seriously! I enthusiastically recommend it!”
“Readers will appreciate Blythe’s careful attention to pertinent historical-cultural contexts in his exposition of Luke-Acts, integrating two unique strands of Lukan scholarship in a theological vision of the pneumatic dismantling of oppressive structures.”
“Blythe offers a timely analysis of how Luke links economics and dark spiritual forces. His careful textual analysis is a welcome contribution to Lukan studies that delightfully connects to contemporary problems.”
“With astute clarity, Blythe outlines the motives and methods of the evil forces of the cosmos in Luke-Acts. Often turning to greed as an entry point to deceive and mislead, these dark powers are overthrown through the generosity and selflessness of Jesus and his followers. Every Christian—especially those in consumeristic societies—needs to read and take heed of the message of this book—that greed is an immensely dangerous practice.”
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