Reading 1 Corinthians

by J. Brian Tucker

First Corinthians offers readers a window into the social life and setting of an early Christ-movement congregation. The Apostle Paul's practical guidance to the Corinthians living in a Roman colony overlaps with many contemporary identity, leadership, sexuality, gender, diversity, worship, theology, and economics. All too often, however, the letter is read in an individualistic and supersessionistic way. Furthermore, parts of the letter are lifted out of their original context and applied in ways foreign to that setting. This book reads the letter through the lens of social identity theory, a leading social scientific method for understanding the New Testament. This reading strategy is supported by a post-supersessionist perspective in which the church is not thought to replace Israel as God's people. The aim of this book is to introduce non-specialists to this fascinating letter in a way that highlights the current research into the social context of Corinth. It offers relevant discussion questions and an identity-critical reading of 1 Corinthians that shows Paul's interest in three key identity, ethics, and ethos.

164 pages, Paperback

Published August 23, 2017

Reviews

[Brad Linden]

An interesting commentary type book, applying the lens of "Social Identity Theory" to 1 Corinthians. It took some time (through a few classes and books) to get a solid grasp on the concept of Social Identity Theory and how it can apply to the New Testament, but I've come to really appreciate the ideas Tucker presents, and it definitely colors the way I now read scripture and think about the church.

If you were curious about SIT and the Bible, I would first recommend Tucker's "All Together Different" as a great overview. "You Belong To Christ" is a deep, deep analysis of these ideas, but be prepared for very "academic" writing. Or, best of all, take a class with Dr. Tucker; he's a fantastic instructor.