Jesus the Word according to John the sectarian : a paleofundamentalist manifesto for contemporary evangelicalism, especially its elites, in North America / Robert H. Gundry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gundry, Robert H. (Robert Horton), 1932-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. John--Socio-rhetorical criticism.

Bible.

Bible. John.

Logos (Christian theology)--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Logos (Christian theology).

Jesus Christ--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Jesus Christ.

Logos (Christian theology)--History of doctrines.

Socio-rhetorical criticism of sacred works.

Physical Description:

xvii, 137 pages ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Jesus the Word

Place of Publication:

Grand Rapids, Mich. : W.B. Eerdmans Pub., [2002]

Summary:

Few have failed to notice the increasing accommodation of American evangelicalism to worldly culture. Unless this trend is corrected, evangelicalism will soon lose the distinctives that have catapulted it to unparalleled success in the religious marketplace. This bold work by Robert Gundry finds in John's Gospel a powerful and much-needed antidote to worldliness.

Built on a unique combination of biblical exegesis, sociological analysis, and contemporary application, the book traces the influence of Word-Christology throughout the Gospel of John. Gundry first demonstrates that the portrayal of Jesus as Word in the prologue of John in fact pervades the whole Gospel, and he ties the totalizing character of this narrative to John's own sectarian characteristics. Gundry then unpacks the implications of this reading of John for contemporary evangelicalism, suggesting that it is precisely John's sectarianism that is presently needed to correct what sociologists of religion see as an accommodation of American evangelicalism, especially its elites, to secular culture.

Sure to generate discussion -- even controversy -- are Gundry's adoption of a sectarian interpretation of John and his evaluation of contemporary American evangelicalism. Seeing the evangelical tradition as having moved far down the road from sect to mainline church, Gundry argues that it now needs a strong dose of John's logocentric sectarianism to avoid losing the edge that has made it so successful.

Contents:

1. Jesus the Word according to John 1

2. The Sectarian 51

3. A Paleofundamentalist Manifesto for Contemporary Evangelicalism, Especially Its Elites, in North America 71

A Postscript on Some Theological Desiderata 95

Extended Endnotes 97

The Transfiguration of Jesus according to John: Jesus as the Heard Word 97

In Defense of "Exegesis" in John 1:18 98

Angelomorphic Christology in Revelation 10: A Backup for the Same in John 1:51 101

Tension with the World as a Distinguishing Feature of Sectarianism 103

The Restriction of Love to Fellow Believers in First John 105

Questions about the Sociological Causes of John's Alienation from the World and about Anti-Semitism in John 106

Exclusivism, Inclusivism, and Universalism in Relation to John's Gospel 108

The Sectarian Start of Christianity 110.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 115-137).

ISBN:

0802849806

OCLC:

47767071