An ample list of additional resources supplements the study. Unfortunately, the theological content of the study is steeped in a liberal bias that challenges the authority of Scripture. Conflicts that arose in the Corinthian church regarding social relationships are used to argue for a vast diversity of belief within the earliest Christian communities. Paul s theology of the cross is ruled inappropriate and damaging to women and other oppressed people, who do not share Paul s privileged social status. Similarly the perspective of the Corinthian women prophets, who oppose Paul s directives, is granted equal authority and status as the biblical writer.
Personal experience is upheld as the ultimate test of truth.
By measuring biblical teachings against the standard of their own experience readers are taught that their own authority surpasses that of the Bible. Despite this focus on the shalom that characterizes the kingdom of God, the materials give little mention of Jesus, the initiator and King of that kingdom. Their rejection of Paul s authority as an apostle, called by God, echoes the Corinthian dispute. Finally, the desire for the realities of the kingdom of God without submission to the King envisions readers as the saviors of their world when Jesus is the only Savior necessary. Karelynne Gerber is currently pursuing her Th.D. in New Testament and Evangelism at Boston University.