Being Promised: Theology, Gift, and Practice (Sacra Doctrina: Christian Theology for a Postmodern Age)
Robert W. Jenson-- Institute for Theological Inquiry"The titleBeing Promisedworks both ways: How does promising work? And what sort of being does promise open? Gregory Walter takes us through the intertwining postmodern problems of promise and gift with a penetrating eye and with patient teasing and tweaking. An amazing achievement."Lois Malcolm-- Luther Seminary"Gregory Walter'sBeing Promisedis brilliant. Drawing on analyses of gift exchange from cultural anthropology and phenomenology, it provides a theological account of promise as gift that moves beyond speech-act theory. Centered on God's promise in the crucified Jesus, it not only uncovers the phenomenon of promise as gift, but also considers its power, being, and time, how it interacts with the plurality of life's circumstances, and the place of this promise in the body of Christ and in the neighbor. After reading this book, you will never again speak glibly about hospitality or forgiveness."Risto Saarinen-- University of Helsinki"The dimension of promise has not been adequately mapped in contemporary theological discussions on gift. Gregory Walter accomplishes a detailed topology of this phenomenon, relating biblical promises to the overarching issues of hospitality and recognition.Being Promiseddemonstrates vividly the relevance of doctrinal theology for current anthropological debates."