In the World but Not of the World
The Liminal Life of Pre-Constantine Christian Communities
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2019
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Publisher's Description
There has been much discussion of two dimensions of the kingdom of God in scholarship: the temporal (already/not yet) and the embodied (spirit/flesh). Russell proposes that there is a third parallel dimension, a social dimension. Using Victor Turner's concepts of structure, antistructure, and liminality, Russell explores how these concepts are consistently expressed in Jesus' teaching, in Paul's writing, and through the writers of the second and third centuries. She demonstrates how, from the very beginning of the Jesus movement, Christ followers were unique, not because their members were to live liminal lives apart from structure, but because they lived out new antistructural relationships within existing structures and thus transformed them. They lived liminally within their structure.
Endorsements (1)
“This captivating study uncovers the way those who follow Christ are to embody their new identity within existing societal frameworks, while simultaneously transforming them. This is no call to political positioning; it is a clarion call to transformational relationships—a much needed message today. Russell’s liminality-informed reading offers a methodologically rich guide for understanding the identity of the early Christian Communities. Her deep socio-exegetical insights offer a fresh path for following Jesus’ teachings today—read this book.”
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