The Goodness of Judgment
The Ministry of Christ’s Cross for a Hurting World
- Theology
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
In this volume McSwain continues to deploy Karl Barth, Julian of Norwich, Athanasius, James Cone, and dozens of others to buttress his claim about human duplicity and the Easter asymmetry which allows us to properly interpret our lives by the gospel. Specifically, the focus is on Christ's cross which provides the radical discontinuity (judgment) needed to preserve the continuity of God's good creation. In resurrection light we see the inner connection of re-creation to creation, an atonement that disentangles good from evil, righteousness from sin, and life from death. Even though the perfect clarity of this liberating separation is reserved for judgment day, this same judgment of grace frees us to live now as "eschatological activists" in the Liberator's way of justice and peace. In view of the cross, the Spirit empowers us to live in the hidden truth of who Christ is and who we have always been in Christ, as God's beloved in the Trinitarian communion. McSwain's cosmic vision pictures all people sharing in Christ's sufferings and also in his glory. Thus, the reconciled human community genuinely participates "as one" in Christ's victory over sin, death, and the devil.
Endorsements (5)
“Jeff McSwain does systematic theology in the cadence of the practice of ministry. Few to no one else can do this like he does. He continually lands doctrine nicely in the reader’s life. McSwain’s rich grasp of Scripture is complemented with stories and analogies unpacking his central idea of a Christological anthropology. Pastors and others seeking a robust theological grounding for gospel embodiment will find this work engaging, challenging, and refreshing.”
“In a society plagued by pervasive and persistent divisions, Jeff McSwain provides a much-needed perspective. His Christ-centered theology explains how holding anthropological opposites together is not only possible but necessary to better understand ourselves, human behavior, and the miracle of Jesus’ redemptive work. I was impressed by the love, vulnerability, and courage that jumps off every page.”
“This project is a brilliant and humble proclamation of God’s goodness that confronts our dichotomies, cheap grace, and false narratives. Jeff McSwain’s placemat paradigm beautifully holds together our dualities and offers us space to sit in the tension so that we might see God, ourselves, and our world rightly.”
“Jeff McSwain offers insight and hope for all who are caught in the inner conflict between good and evil and calls for a paradigm shift in our understanding of judgment and eschatology. His frank observation of the human condition, with all of its twisted perversity, is countered by his exploration of the radiant light of Jesus Christ, who is both creator and restorer.”
“In The Goodness of Judgment, Jeff McSwain continues the important theological work of describing the hope of Jesus for all the world. Where ideas of judgment have often been characterized by terror and separation, McSwain shows us that God is much better than that. In scholarship true to Scripture and mindful of Christian history, McSwain Christianizes thinking about sin, redemption, and life in Christ. The Goodness of Judgment offers a hopeful and necessary theological foundation for the future of the Christian church.”
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