Paul Louis Metzger is associate professor of Christian Theology and Theology of Culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary.
William Storrar
-- director of Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton
"Paul Metzger is a prophetic voice in the American evangelical
community. His theological vision of a church consumed by Christ
and not by consumerism could not be more timely or helpful. Writing
with scholarly depth and human empathy, he exposes the consumerist
roots of racial and economic divisions in the body of Christ and
shows how faithfulness to the gospel leads to a reconciled
evangelical community and witness." J. Kameron Carter
-- Duke Divinity School
"In the wake of the transformations that took place in the last
half of the last century, it was impossible for an earlier
generation of evangelical intellectuals to ignore the modern
world's, indeed America's, race problem. But rarely was the lip
service paid to the problem translated into careful reflection on
theology's own culpability in forging the racial world in which we
live and move and have our being, to say nothing of reimagining
theology itself and church life beyond the racial world that
Christianity and its theologians had such a significant hand in
making. Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a
Consumer Church is the breakout book of a new generation of young
evangelical intellectuals who are striving not to make the mistake
of their theological-evangelical fathers. It should be read." Rick
McKinley
-- pastor of Imago Dei Community, Portland, Oregon
"Paul Metzger has become a catalytic voice in the city of Portland.
His passion for the gospel engaging the culture is at the core of
his life. Because of that, Paul continues to tackle gospel-centric
issues that the church for too long has ignored, been ignorant of,
or simply dismissed. This book is one of those great tackles that
makes the highlight reel on SportsCenter. With theological depth,
cultural understanding, and a prophetic edge, Paul calls us to face
one of the key issues threatening the church in the West and
educates us on how that may look. This is an important book." Mark
DeYmaz
-- pastor of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas
"Consuming Jesus sounds the death knell for a paradigm of church
growth driven by the homogeneous unit principle and measured in
success by numbers, dollars, and buildings. Metzger writes with
personal passion and professional expertise, providing a wealth of
insight for practitioners addressing the question If the kingdom of
heaven is not segregated, why on earth is the church? His work
should be read by everyone desiring to restore the local church to
a place of compassionate influence within the community." Richard
Twiss
-- President of Wiconi International
"While articulating a profound critique of major flaws in the
American evangelical church, along with affirming his love for the
evangelical community, Paul Louis Metzger offers a theological
model for overcoming barriers of race and class within the church.
As a Native American, I see today the negative effects of the
uniquely Americanized 'consumerist' version of Christianity that
Metzger is unmasking for our reflective examination. . . Metzger
asserts that Christians are called to care for the weak,
impoverished, marginalized, and oppressed; yet he also argues that
we must fundamentally reorient the ways we address people's plight,
dying to a kind of self-serving impetus. He offers another path to
address their situation, claiming that Christian faith offers
energizing hope . . . The invitation of Consuming Jesus to a life
of radical reconciliation inspired and driven by the love of Jesus
that overcomes the evil one and restores life-giving power to the
whole church resonates with my spirit." YouthWorker Journal
"A compelling, practical, challenging, beautiful model for the
church today."
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