Continuing to enjoy a vacation in the Berkshires!

Here is a post that caught my attention earlier this week: a review of a new book on “empire criticism” in the New Testament by Peter Enns.  Enns, and according to him the book, make an interesting and important distinction between two ways of understanding such criticism and its relationship to the New Testament: empire criticism as the essence of the New Testament message versus empire criticism as a necessary component of the New Testament message.  Enns summarizes it with this question:

Is the purpose of the gospel to oppose Rome–or–does the proclamation of the gospel as an alternate ‘empire’ necessarily include the dethroning of Rome and its exaggerated claims as the supreme power in the cosmos?

The review is worth a read because it provides a good introduction to the topic and its importance.  Enjoy!