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The Parables of Paul: The Master of the Metaphor by J. Ellsworth Kalas
For over 2,000 years, the church has looked to the apostle Paul and his letters in order to understand and follow the Christian life. Paul had his own compelling way of sharing Jesus’ message with others, through the use of the metaphor—a brief, imaginative word picture that shows the same truth as a longer story.
From casting himself in the role of a slave, to presenting the Christian as a soldier or an actor, or even showing how we are vessels in the King’s house, Paul’s gallery of enriching, life-changing story pictures paints for us an indelible picture of the Christian faith.
From casting himself in the role of a slave, to presenting the Christian as a soldier or an actor, or even showing how we are vessels in the King’s house, Paul’s gallery of enriching, life-changing story pictures paints for us an indelible picture of the Christian faith.
- GenresChristian
Paperback
First published April 15, 2015
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About the author
J. Ellsworth Kalas
83 books6 followersJ. Ellsworth Kalas has been part of the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary since 1993, after thirty-eight years as a United Methodist pastor and five years in evangelism with the World Methodist Council. He has been a presenter on DISCIPLE videos and is the author of more than thirty books, including the popular Back Side series as well as the Christian Believer study.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 11, 2015
Paul taught in many different metaphors. He used sports, the body, the family, marriage; everyday things to teach the followers of Christ the reign of God’s kingdom. In some ways I think Paul is not appreciated as much as he should be among Christians. The Parables of Paul is an appreciation of the teaching of Paul and an extension of the teaching of Christ. His passion is evident in the scriptures however; this book will bring you deeper into those passions.
One of those passions is Paul’s struggle with sin. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I am not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it. (Romans 7:18-20). This struggle with sin was not a woe is me but an understanding of what sin truly is and how it divides us from God and others. His struggle with sin was not so much as to the level of measurable moral failures or abusive habits. His great shame is that he was not living up to his potential. Spiritually speaking, he was capable of breaking the four minute mile. His passion was for the cross. Do we live in a way that discredits the power of the cross? By doing so we are committing a spiritual blasphemy. To honor the cross meant that one lives in a way that is consistent with the quality of grace and power implied in the suffering and death of our Lord. (page 28).
Paul raises the bar of Christian living only because we have been given a great gift in the Son. It is only by the grace of God and his mercy that we are drawn to that new birth.
A Special Thank You to Abingdon Press and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
One of those passions is Paul’s struggle with sin. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I am not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it. (Romans 7:18-20). This struggle with sin was not a woe is me but an understanding of what sin truly is and how it divides us from God and others. His struggle with sin was not so much as to the level of measurable moral failures or abusive habits. His great shame is that he was not living up to his potential. Spiritually speaking, he was capable of breaking the four minute mile. His passion was for the cross. Do we live in a way that discredits the power of the cross? By doing so we are committing a spiritual blasphemy. To honor the cross meant that one lives in a way that is consistent with the quality of grace and power implied in the suffering and death of our Lord. (page 28).
Paul raises the bar of Christian living only because we have been given a great gift in the Son. It is only by the grace of God and his mercy that we are drawn to that new birth.
A Special Thank You to Abingdon Press and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
March 14, 2015
The title set my expectations higher than what this book delivered. I thought there would be new or different ways of looking at Paul's writings, but what I found was mostly a discussion of major metaphors used in epistles attributed to Paul. The discussion was generally about commonly accepted interpretations of the passages under consideration.
J. Ellsworth Kalas takes a traditional approach to Paul. He assumes Pauline authorship of the traditionally attributed epistles, including those that today are generally taken as pseudopigraphical. He takes a traditional stance on the interpretations of sin and law as found in the epistles. He does bring in historical context in explaining the metaphors. He also makes the leap that because Paul used these metaphors, they must remain applicable to modern Christians. He does discuss and give examples of new metaphors that might be more meaningful today, but does not entertain the possibility that the original metaphors might be wrong.
The audience for this book seems to be traditional Christians who have not been exposed to much historical and cultural backgrounds behind Paul's writings. There is little here that a knowledgeable student of the Bible has not already studied and encountered.
(This review is based on ARC supplied by the publisher through NetGalley.)
J. Ellsworth Kalas takes a traditional approach to Paul. He assumes Pauline authorship of the traditionally attributed epistles, including those that today are generally taken as pseudopigraphical. He takes a traditional stance on the interpretations of sin and law as found in the epistles. He does bring in historical context in explaining the metaphors. He also makes the leap that because Paul used these metaphors, they must remain applicable to modern Christians. He does discuss and give examples of new metaphors that might be more meaningful today, but does not entertain the possibility that the original metaphors might be wrong.
The audience for this book seems to be traditional Christians who have not been exposed to much historical and cultural backgrounds behind Paul's writings. There is little here that a knowledgeable student of the Bible has not already studied and encountered.
(This review is based on ARC supplied by the publisher through NetGalley.)
March 14, 2015
When Jesus was on earth, He spoke in parables. So many stories that would have a point. He knew that telling a story that the masses could relate to would be the best way to get his point across.
When we hear Paul speaking, we don't usually think of him using parables, metaphors, and stories. We think of him just saying things how they are and not beating around the bush. What J. Ellsworth Kalas is showing, in this new book, is how he did, indeed, speak in parables, metaphors and stories! He used pop culture references constantly. It just takes some digging into the Bible and the culture to understand what he is saying and the depth of what he means.
I found this to be very interesting. I had never thought of Paul as a parable preacher. This author has done a lot of studying to bring you so many different examples. I definitely recommend you getting a copy!
If you would like to pre-order it, you can click on the pic above. It's due to release on April 21st.
Thank you, netgalley, for this great book! As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!
When we hear Paul speaking, we don't usually think of him using parables, metaphors, and stories. We think of him just saying things how they are and not beating around the bush. What J. Ellsworth Kalas is showing, in this new book, is how he did, indeed, speak in parables, metaphors and stories! He used pop culture references constantly. It just takes some digging into the Bible and the culture to understand what he is saying and the depth of what he means.
I found this to be very interesting. I had never thought of Paul as a parable preacher. This author has done a lot of studying to bring you so many different examples. I definitely recommend you getting a copy!
If you would like to pre-order it, you can click on the pic above. It's due to release on April 21st.
Thank you, netgalley, for this great book! As always, this is my honest opinion. Here's to many more!!
June 23, 2016
While I found this book thought provoking at times I feel the title is misleading and that it never really delivers.
It would have been more valuable if there was a deeper tie to the scriptures he bases his writing on here.
It would have been more valuable if there was a deeper tie to the scriptures he bases his writing on here.
May 10, 2016
So glad that, even though Dr. Kalas has gone on to glory, we still have his words to shape and encourage us. This is one of his finest books, a good, readable primer in Paul's theology and writing.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews