Scandalous Providence

The new edition of Scandalous Providence: The Jesus Story of the Compassion of God constructs a postmodern interpretation of the providence of God through a narrative rendering of providence on the basis of the epochal moments in the story of Jesus, a distinctive modern reconstruction of the theology of providence through a critical, non-reductionist interpretation of the Gospel traditions on the one side, and contemporary narratives of lived experience within the scientific understanding of the world on the other. Significant theological problems have rendered the reformulation of the doctrine of providence elusive and unachievable for more than half a century. Beyond Karl Barths neo-orthodox interpretation of providence within the Reformed tradition in 1947 (Church Dogmatics: The Doctrine of Creation, Volume III, Part 3), A Scandalous Providence is the first holistic reconstruction of the doctrine of providence in modern, now postmodern theology. In this essay the symbol of providence requires the integration of providence, Christology, and eschatology. Central themes include Jesus' distinctive portrait of God, the self-limitation of God in the world, the non-interventionist action of God in history, the continuing threat of Radical Evil, the actualization of Gods creative purpose and love in Jesus' surprising mission, the responsibility for"humanization"in the compassion of Gods arriving kingdom, the participatory suffering of God with all persons throughout history, and the promise of new creation in the resurrection of the crucified Jesus.