Becoming Children of God: John's Radical Gospel and Radical Discipleship (Bible & Liberation)

Becoming Children of God offers a fresh and original commentary on the Gospel of John as a narrative inviting readers -- both in the evangelists time and our own -- to a radical commitment to follow Jesus from within a spirit-filled community. This reading is grounded in a poetics of biblical narrative that balances attention to historical ideological and aesthetic aspects of Johns Gospel while highlighting its relevance for today. By committing himself to a close analysis of the text as symbolic action Howard-Brook makes it clear how Johns Gospel fairly bristles with references to societal conditions that demand a direct response. Throughout the commentary his close attention to literary structure as well as social background yields new insights into the often-obscure message of the Fourth Gospel.