In Paul’s epistles the crucifixion story reveals a God who is free and in no way bound by human categories or expectations. Yet God in Christ chooses to be engaged in the very depths of the human predicament. The message of the crucifixion is that God’s power is manifested in weakness, not in strength. The author believes that this “weakness as strength” should be the focal point of the church’s identity. However, a celebration of weakness is in complete opposition to traditional American beliefs in personal strength and a powerful church.
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“Paul constantly reminds his readers that the risen Christ is none other than the crucified one, whose wounds cannot be removed by exegetical surgery. The crucifixion of Jesus is not only a past, datable, verifiable fact in the church’s memory, but also an ever-present reality to guide and determine the church’s life. It is precisely this dimension in Paul’s letters that makes them hard to read and accept.” (Page 4)
“The word of the cross reveals God as a free, sovereign God, not bound by human categories and expectations” (Page 35)
“First, the ‘theology of the cross’ is from beginning to end a polemical theology.” (Page 11)
“Throughout the section it has become clear that God stands as the hidden figure behind the vivid drama of the cross. As horrifying a means of death as it was, the crucifixion is not blamed on a human source. Instead, the preaching of it is the occasion of God’s self-revelation. Here God’s intentions and purposes are made known.” (Page 35)
“Paul’s ministry is an example of what living under the shadow of the cross entails. He mentions afflictions, perplexities, persecutions, and the like not as a special badge he wears as an apostle, but as evidence of what the church continually discovers when taking seriously the crucified Jesus.” (Page 11)
Charles Cousar’s A Theology of the Cross moves gracefully between critical exegesis and theological reflection. Deftly expositing Paul’s interpretation of the cross and resurrection, Cousar corrects the polemical imbalance of Kasemann’s treatment while updating its insights about the urgency of the word of the cross for the church today. Cousar’s discerning work is a splendid achievement: at once deeply conversant with cutting-edge technical scholarship and written with great lucidity for the nonspecialist, it illumines Paul’s message in a way that will prove especially valuable for pastors and students. I know of no other work that so helpfully synthesizes important recent developments in the study of Pauline theology.
—Richard B. Hays, George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament, Suke Divinity School