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Becoming the Gospel  Paul Participation and Mission 182x300 - Becoming the Gospel: Book Review

Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission: The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS)

Michael Gorman’s book, Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission, completes the trilogy that follows two of his previous books: Cruciformity and Inhabiting the Cruciform God.[1] The first book focused on a cruciform existence shaped by faith, hope, and love, while the second book contends that Paul’s theology is a theology of theosis. The third installment responds to a critique leveled at Inhabiting the Cruciform God that contends that Gorman separates both being and act and participation and mission. Accordingly, the thesis of Becoming the Gospel is that “theosis – Spirit-enabled transformative participation in the life and character of God revealed in the crucified and resurrected Messiah Jesus – is the starting point of mission and is, in fact, its proper theological framework” (4). Although Gorman’s main thematic initiative is mission, it is a particular type of mission that is informed by a cruciform existence participating in Christ. The book’s theme text is 2 Corinthians 5:21 because of the connection between the Cross, the justice of God, and the missio Dei (8-9). Gorman effectively proves that theosis is the starting point of mission and its theological framework is built upon a cruciform existence participating in Christ. The following analysis first summarizes Gorman’s work and then provides an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.

Summary and Main Themes

In chapter one, Gorman defines several important terms that become integral to the remainder of the book. Missio Dei is the process of bringing salvation to the world through preaching, participation in Christ means a full transformation in beliefs, character, and relationships, while new creation connotes a reaching back from the future’s eschatological fullness (22-25). For Gorman, participation is an umbrella term encompassing all aspects of salvation (25). Gorman argues for the centrality of participation in the New Testament before summarily stating that “to be in Christ is…to be involved in the world” (35). Put another way, participation in Christ means benefiting from the mission of God and also being involved with that mission (36). The Spirit is the empowering force behind believers both becoming and speaking the gospel for, as Gorman explains, “dogs bark by virtue of being dogs” (45).

In chapter two, Gorman engages the topic of missional hermeneutics, which is to interpret the biblical texts from a missional perspective whereby God calls believers to participate in His mission by joining God in His work (52-53). A major claim of Gorman’s book is that believers are to become the gospel by participating in the mission of God through “proclamation, praxis, and persecution” (61). Finally, Gorman utilizes a text-based approach to explore participatory witness in various Pauline communities in the remainder of the book (62).

In chapter three, Gorman investigates his first community, Thessalonica, through the lens of three missional virtues (63-64). Gorman examines faith, hope, and love in the book of 1 Thessalonians as exemplified in God, Jesus, the Spirit, the Apostle Paul, and the Thessalonians (63-105). Further, Gorman emphasizes the subjective genitive view of pistis Christou for it is the faithfulness of the Messiah that generates faith in people; thus, the Thessalonians faith is a derivative faith (81-82, 94). Finally, Gorman suggests that becoming like God is holiness; the Thessalonians are holy as they participate in God’s faithfulness, hope, and love (76, 102).

In chapter four, Gorman investigates the community at Philippi, but specifically engages the master story within Philippians 2:6-11, which, as the Christological centerpiece, he affectionately labels a “surprisingly, and radically missional text” (140). For Gorman, Philippians is an extended commentary on the famous poem that functions to promote the adoption of the master story, which encourages faith, reveals love, and provides hope (121-124). Participating in the master story by experiencing the kenosis or self-emptying of Christ allows Christ’s story to become the story of the believer in God’s missional adventure (132, 140).

In chapter five, Gorman addresses the underserved topic of peace. Gorman defines peace or shalom as healing and wholeness and the absence of chaos (142-146). Further, shalom is a divine gift that is both relational and covenantal (146). The divine gift is an eschatological reality breaking into the world through the incarnate Christ that manifests in ecclesial practice (148-159). To participate in God’s peace is to imitate God’s reconciliation of the world (165-166). As God reconciles believers to Himself, believers extend God’s reconciliation to others (167-169). In sum, believers become “agents of reconciliation;” they become “the gospel of peace” (179).

In chapter six, Gorman reflects upon the concept of peace within the Ephesian community by addressing two interpretive issues: the inclusion of Gentiles and the potential promotion of a patriarchal structure (181-185). Regarding the former, Christ’s death reconciles all people to God and to one another (189-193). Regarding the latter, mutual submission is explicit in Ephesians 5 (183-186). Thus, both issues result in a peace that is inaugurated, but not fully realized, via the reality of a new creation that brings shalom to all (188-189). In sum, because of the new creation reality, “peacemakers have the DNA of God,” and, as they offer forgiveness and reconciliation to others, they become the gospel (199, 207).

In chapter seven, similar to peace, which is a divine trait and an ecclesial practice, for Gorman, so is justice (257). Gorman utilizes 1 and 2 Corinthians to engage the relationship between justification and justice and their application to mission (212-221). Gorman suggests that viewing justification as either forensic or ethical is a false dichotomy (223). Justification has a more robust definition and includes “reconciliation, covenant participation and faithfulness, community, resurrection, and life” (228). Accordingly, Gorman contends that “justice is inherent in justification” (228). Gorman then supports the assertion through numerous examples within the Corinthian community (234-253). However, ultimately, becoming the righteousness of God means extending justice to others, which is the definition of missional theosis (246-253).

In chapter eight, Gorman argues that theosis is the theme of the book of Romans, which is inherently missional (261). First, Gorman explains that theosis means taking on certain divine attributes, which include the attributes of righteousness and glory, with the latter encompassing two types: a relational status and an ontological state of being (270-273). Thus, conformity to Christ is both a present and future reality; it is both ontological and ethical (280-282). Ultimately, transformation is a key aspect of theosis, which is deployed into everyday life through the renewing of the mind (288-290). The result of the transformation is mission, which is the “church’s most powerful evangelistic ‘tool’ – a community that has become and is always becoming the gospel” (293). Finally, in chapter nine, the author provides a brief summary of the gospel and missio Dei and also places his book within the context of his trilogy (297-305). Without question, Gorman makes a compelling case that theosis is the starting point of mission and its theological framework is built upon a cruciform existence participating in Christ.

Critical Evaluation

The following evaluation of Gorman’s book first identifies several strengths followed by a brief discussion regarding a couple of weaknesses. Regarding strengths, first and foremost Gorman ought to be commended for locating the Pauline letters within a missional hermeneutic that highlights the relationship between participation and mission. In a scholarly environment often rife with efforts to delineate terms and bifurcate concepts, Gorman focuses on synthesis. For example, Gorman synthesizes participation as follows: “To participate in Christ is both to benefit from God’s mission of liberation and reconciliation and to bear witness to this divine mission – thus furthering it – by becoming a faithful embodiment of it” (36). Gorman then explores and expands God’s participation-empowered mission in sound exegesis of several of Paul’s letters. Certainly, synthesis is one of the book’s greatest strengths.

Second, in an age where scholarship, at times, ignores application, Gorman delivers a message that is practical for individual believers and the church as a whole. One example occurs within the exegesis of 1 Thessalonians where Gorman applies the missional virtues of faith, hope, and love to God, the Apostle Paul, the Thessalonians, and ultimately to the church today. Another example of application relates to Gorman’s analysis of peace, which is not only given as a gift from God to believers through reconciliation, but also given as a gift to be extended to others in the form of forgiveness and reconciliation. Finally, at the end of several chapters, Gorman provides concrete examples of individuals and organizations becoming the gospel in everyday life. Without question, Gorman’s work is practical.

Third, Gorman’s work is theologically groundbreaking. One example is the inseparability  of justification and justice as teased out in his discussion of 1 and 2 Corinthians. Gorman moves the definition of justification beyond a vertical forensic understanding and into horizontal relational living by stating, “If justification is supposed to repair the human condition, then justification must address injustice, including violence” (225). Gorman’s robust perspective of justification moves the theological construct seamlessly into God’s missional activity. Similarly, Gorman highlights the inseparability of justification and glorification in his chapter addressing Romans. Admittedly, glorification is not fully realized, but the present, missional glory appropriated by participating in Christ reveals itself in missional love. Undoubtedly, Gorman’s book is theologically groundbreaking.

A couple of weaknesses also exist. The first weakness is a lack of clarity around certain terms. For example, theosis is defined as the “Spirit-enabled transformative participation in the life and character of God” (4). Theosis also means “taking on certain divine attributes” such as justice and glory (268, 288). Theosis is also ontological and ethical (282). Granted, these concepts can all work together, but, at times, further clarification would assist because when a concept becomes everything, it often becomes nothing. Additionally, Gorman ought to be commended for his robust definition of justification as encompassing transformation, participation, and mission, but one wonders exactly how these relationships coexist (9). Similarly, Matthew Bates points out a certain “looseness” regarding the definition of the gospel.[2]

Another weakness is that Gorman, at times, runs the risk of overstating his case. For example, for Gorman, the center of Pauline theology is participation (26). However, considering the breadth of Paul’s letters, a certain risk of reductionism exists anytime a scholar makes such a claim. Similarly, Brian Bunnell recognizes the potential overstatement of asserting that Phil 2:6-11 encompasses the entire master story of Paul’s thought.[3]

Regardless of the weaknesses, Gorman has provided a robust theology of mission placed upon a strong theological foundation of participation. The author’s vigorous exegesis and practical application for contemporary believers and churches is commendable. Finally, Gorman’s book is accessible to laymen and scholars alike and highly recommended for anyone interested in missional hermeneutics.

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[1] Michael J. Gorman, Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), 2-3. Note that parenthetical numerals will be used to reference the book under investigation for the remainder of the critique.

[2] Matthew W Bates, “Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 78, no. 4 (2016): 778.

[3] Brian Bunnell, “Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59, no. 4 (2016): 868.

Bibliography

  • Bates, Matthew W. “Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 78, no. 4 (2016): 777–79.
  • Bunnell, Brian. “Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59, no. 4 (2016): 866–69.
  • Gorman, Michael J. Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015.
Wilder - Becoming the Gospel: Book Review
Derek Wilder Executive Director
DEREK WILDER, PhD, is the Executive Director of Lives Transforming Group, Inc., a Christian counseling ministry focused on personal transformation, and the author of FREEDOM and Minds on Fire. Wilder has a Master of Theological Studies, an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling, and a PhD in Biblical Exposition. Wilder's scholarly focus lies in Pauline studies, with his doctoral dissertation specifically examining the ontological implications present in the eighth chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Wilder, an adjunct professor, founded Convergence Therapy, integrating cognitive therapy and grace-based theology into the accredited college course: “Thought Life & Spirit Growth.”