The Persistence of God's Endangered Promises: The Bible's Unified Story

Description

Using a thorough, integrated biblical theology to make sense of the 'master story' of Scripture, Allan J. McNicol explores the nature and importance of the Bible's abiding narrative of the persistence of God's promises to his people, and their hope of final triumph. Special attention is given to the often contentious claim that these early followers of Jesus presumed that they stood in full continuity with Israel, the historic people of God, and were claiming that many of God's promises were coming to fulfilment among them. McNicol presents a closer analysis of the texts as he shows how the theme of the people of God fits into the wider literary productions of these major New Testament writers.

Allan J. McNicol is A.B. Cox Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Austin Graduate School of Theology, USA.

Allan McNicol dares the unthinkable. In the maelstrom of postmodern ambivalence about truth and its attendant multicultural naivete, McNicol asserts that The Book, the Jewish and Christian Bible, unfolds a unified "realistic" narrative of the one God's calling, sustaining, and consummating a special "people of God" through God's irrevocable "promises". McNicol constructs his meta-narrative through the dynamic of the unimpeachable "character" of God, that has too often not been assigned its decisive role as the central plot motivator that coalesces, coordinates, and finally crafts the unity of the Bible precisely through its great diversity of traditions and cultural influences. A must read for any who desire to make the Judaeo-Christian claims of the Bible a vital contender for a hearing amidst the cacophony of "truth-claims" in today's "public square". * DAVID P. MOESSNER, TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, USA * Allan McNicol's provocative monograph endeavours to identify and locate a cohesiveness in both Old and New Testaments. This readable book concerns the history of divine faithfulness shown to a marginalized people, and it strives to convince Christians that the whole Bible is unified and consistent in this overall theological teaching. Readers interested in themes such as sin, repentance or judgement will find much in this evangelical study to get their teeth into, and to debate. * J.K. ELLIOTT, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, UK * This exercise in biblical theology treats the Bible as a realistic narrative, with the two testaments composing a unified story of an enduring relationship between God and God's people. Central to McNicol's overarching argument is the constancy of God's promises to the people of Israel, despite the biblical narrative climaxing in the missions of Jesus the Nazorean and his witnesses. His case for the Bible as a unified story merits careful consideration. * DAVID NEVILLE, CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA *