Romans Disarmed: Resisting Empire, Demanding Justice

by Sylvia C. Keesmaat, Brian J. Walsh

Globalization. Homelessness. Ecological and economic crisis. Conflicts over sexuality. Violence. These crisis-level issues may seem unique to our times, but Paul's Letter to the Romans has something to say to all of them.

Following their successful Colossians Remixed , Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh unpack the meaning of Romans for its original context and for today. The authors demonstrate how Romans disarms the political, economic, and cultural power of the Roman Empire and how this ancient letter offers hope in today's crisis-laden world.

Romans Disarmed helps readers enter the world of ancient Rome and see how Paul's most radical letter transforms the lives of the marginalized then and now. Intentionally avoiding abstract debates about Paul's theology, Keesmaat and Walsh move back and forth between the present and the past as they explore themes of home, economic justice, creation care, the violence of the state, sexuality, and Indigenous reconciliation. They show how Romans engages with the lived reality of those who suffer from injustice, both in the first century and in the midst of our own imperial realities.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Christian, New Testament, Spirituality

412 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2019

Reviews

[Seán · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Good: Keesmaat and Walsh’s overarching argument about home is, on the whole, interesting and in some places compelling. After reading this book, I’ve found my reading of other New Testament texts enriched by their arguments on this point, and believe it may prove to be fruitful given further discussion, especially in light of the church being described as “the family of God”. As a Canadian, I also appreciated seeing—for the first time—theological reflection in a popular level biblical studies book regarding the residential school system and the attempted (and largely, disturbingly, successful) cultural genocide of First Nations communities across the country. While I found their conclusion(s) of how to approach reconciliation for the most part biblically, historically, and socially incoherent, their effort on this front must be applauded. And I also appreciated the discussion on ecology, and repeated reflections on lament found throughout the book.


The Bad: I found the methodology of the book strange, making reading and evaluating the content of the book a very slow-going process. The book has a number of imaginative readings/exercises and targums that really only work to show the direction of the authors assumptions about the text—and indeed that is the point of targums, in some sense. But I found them to be a distraction, providing little in the way of further evidence for the book's claims. I think other readers will also find the methodology of the book strange enough that this alone will limit the book from entering into wider readership.

The Ugly: Ultimately, though, I found myself transfixed by a question while reading this book which points to some major biblical and theological issues that will limit the books usefulness for the majority of discerning readers. This question was whether Paul’s theology in Romans was derived and driven as a critique of Empire (and economics), or whether it was driven by a fidelity to God’s self-revelation (particularly in the person of Jesus, but also in and through the Old Testament) with the incidental application being confrontation with Empire? It seems to me that the book's view of the relationship between Paul and Empire is such that everything Paul wrote was derived from a critique of Rome, so much that empire critique is behind nearly every word of the letter. In my view, the authors seem to have confused derivation with confrontation, and instead of seeing Paul’s theology as being fundamentally grounded in Judaism they have seemed to find it only tangentially connected to Judaism, and only in so much as his Jewish theology supports the critique of empire that they argue is central to the text. Certainly the Gospel confronts empire, and thus confronts the imperial cult of Roman, but that confrontation is driven by a thoroughly Jewish theological core. Thus, why should one read Romans primarily as a text concerned with empire critique, rather than a pastoral/missional theological discussion of the implications of Jesus’ death and resurrection for God’s people, (which might include empire critique but is not predicated on it)? This is never truly answered or addressed, and because of this much of the book actually does violence to Romans by removing the text from its theological foundations and replacing it with new foundation of nondescript notions that resemble post-christian, postmodern Canadian culture more than anything one finds in Scripture or the Christian tradition.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Laura-Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I SO wanted to like this book. I was on Hold at the library for weeks to get it AND my library app tells me there are several more waiting for it now, so I'll try and keep this brief. (Especially for me)

Romans Disarmed starts by depicting a situation where a group of Christians are meeting and dancing with extreme joy. One person suddenly is overcome with his personal grief and is enveloped by the Community of Believers who wish to "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12) Great. Sounds like a wonderful foundation to reexamine the book of Paul to the Romans.

But then we are confronted with a HUGE political agenda by the writers. They have been swept into the legal fight of Indigenous Native Canadians and how they were relocated to various Catholic-run schools in the mid-twentieth century where a great many were abused. The Canadian Government looked into these issues and has since offered a public apology to those (most who are now dead due to age) and the generations that followed. Not to mention backing it up with TONS of government money as well as free homes, and free education to all natives in Canada. As my Native friend used to say, "Being Native is where it's at, Laura-Lee." Knowing I was of French Canadian descent she would urge me, "If you can prove that you are just one-quarter Native or Metis (a new race formed in Canada from the generations of the French Canadians intermarry the Natives) then you can get your entire education for free!"

Anyway, back to the book review. Somehow the authors got involved with the Canadian Natives plight, swept up in it through the years, and have viewed the book of Romans as a way to fight "colonialism" and stick it to the "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" which actually exists for the sole purpose of "reconciliation." I don't think their comments and assumptions on behalf of Paul are helping in that regard. But everyone has some agenda, so let's move on.

The only problem is that the authors can't. And if that's not enough after they get all warm and "touchy-feely" at the beginning and are encouraging us to use our hearts more while reading Romans to get to the core of Paul's "longings" as he wrote it, they dissolve into a hypothetical question and answer that involves one dry and "brainiac" answer after another to display that their "Phds" are well-earned.
Examples: "The Truth and Reconciliation Commissions call to repudiate the ideology of conquest, assimilation, and genocide amounts to the disarming of the foundations of a colonist society."
"Did this letter legitimate or subvert the foundational myths, symbols, practices, and structures that characterized life at the center of the empire?"
"Paul repeatedly emphasizes an ethos of mutual welcome that abstains from exclusionary judgment".

Get the idea. Page after page of talk like this. I feel very bad for people who picked up this book thinking it would give them a fresh and deeper view of the book of Romans. I feel very bad that it took many years to write this book because the authors were forever rewriting after test readers would ask for clarification (although now I understand why). I feel very bad that I didn't have the heart to see this book to end. I feel very bad that my own mother attended one of these Catholic-run schools but NOT for free and NEVER got any apology or any free education from it.

But on the other hand I realized that, as much of a "brainiac" as he was, the apostle Paul never "subverted" the basic meaning of his letter to the Romans by using all the big words he no doubt knew. He wrote from the heart to people he loved, preached "Christ crucified" and did it so my eleven-year-old self had no problem understanding his "longing".
Skip THIS book, open the Bible, and read Paul's letter to the Romans. And all the others he wrote from the very mouth of God as he sat condemned in prison simply because he loved Jesus.
Nuf said yet?

I hope this helps. Thanks for reading another one of my reviews even though it doesn't put things into "the sociohistorical context of Paul's systematic theology". Yikes!

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But this really digs into Paul’s book as an anti-imperial text and helps put it into the context of the Roman church. It really provoked me several times to think more deeply about the radical changes I should be willing to make in my life to be anti-imperial and follow in the way of Jesus. I was especially touched by the way they connected Romans to environmental justice and work for indigenous people. In North America we are deeply invested in injustice to the First Nations.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if the prophet’s words were possible?

They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4)

What if these prophetic words from the opening chapters of Isaiah were true for individuals, yes; for nations, absolutely; but also for theologians, preachers, and pastors? What if those in positions of authority—those who teach and interpret the biblical witness on others’ behalf, shaping entire worlds of understanding—were to listen for words that brings life and liberation? What if, as an act of resistance, an act of love, an act of fidelity to Jesus’ embodied good news, they refused to wield scripture in ways that perpetuate the teaching (and learning) of war, or violence of any kind.

And what if we (whoever we are, whatever our relationship to the Christian household) took it upon ourselves to resist any so-called gospel committed to maintaining a status quo that continues to wield power in ways that murder people, communities, and entire ecosystems with impunity and complete disregard for life? Could it be that, in the face of climate crisis, colonialism, economic exploitation, homophobia, misogyny (or, to be clear, oppression of any kind), this letter, written by St. Paul to the church in Rome, might reveal a pattern of resistance previously unseen?

That’s exactly what Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh are up to in Romans Disarmed. This is a book grounded in this world, with all of its pain and healing, sorrow and joy, with all of its ambiguities, and looks for what God might be up to. In the face of the powers of death that operate within us, and within the systems that govern our world, this book helps us explore—in light of Paul’s letter to the Romans—Christ-centered, and community-grounded responses to life under occupation.

Where the authors take us—through deep, grounded, and imaginative engagement with scripture—is a place where this letter, can be heard as a message of hope, healing, and renewed life. And all of this in the midst of the reality of our fractured world. Romans Disarmed is worth the read, for the ways in which it challenges dominant assumptions, gets us our hearts beating and our minds racing as it sets imagination on fire.

How might we seek the peace of the city, with liberated imaginations, for the good of all that God created to be good? This book doesn’t have all the answers, but it sure will help us to break free from much that ensnares us. This is one well worth reading.

[Margaret D'Anieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d give this 6 stars if I could - a book that fundamentally opened new readings of Scripture that put Paul alongside the gospels’ preferential option for the poor, and made Romans relevant in ways I never ever imagined.

[Brenten Gilbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

RATING 1.11 STARS

My Bible study group recently began a study in Romans and I saw that I had this book in my eReader thanks to NetGalley. I was initially quite excited to have a fresh perspective to accompany our study, but that enthusiasm quickly left me as I began to dig into this book.

It didn't take long to realize that these authors have reduced Romans to a series of political talking points and, regardless of any tenuous connections, they fell prey to the very statements found at the end of Romans chapter 1, beginning in verse 21:

"For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

This book is a hard pass unless you are looking for an agenda that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Gospel Paul intended to share.

[Ionia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually think this book would be better off with the title: "Readers Disarmed." This is not an easy, fluffy read, which most of the things I read aren't but this book can be jarring because of the writing style and the way the authors chose to approach the conversation going on in the book.

Even if you are familiar with the Book of Romans, this is such a departing from the standard reading that it might take you some time to comprehend what you are reading. This is definitely not a book that I can say would be great for a general audience of just about anyone, but it is a book that has value in it. If you are prepared to work through it and look some things up, open your mind and learn something about history and philosophy, then it will likely benefit you.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Glendon Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gonna have to start busting out the 100-point rating scale that one guy on Letterboxd uses because rating a book out of five stars is an impossible venture.

Romans Disarmed is a hard book to talk about because, on a fundamental level, I agree with everything Keesmaat and Walsh are arguing, but their argumentation itself leaves a lot to be desired and I doubt will convince many who aren't already at least partially on their side. In truth, I'm not sure that's the goal - the reviews here reveal that most of the Christians holding to a reading of individualistic spiritual salvation are too entrenched in their views of "Biblical inerrancy" to even consider the possibility of other readings. Keesmaat and Walsh's interlocutor suggests a reader who has grown up in fundamentalist circles but is striving for a cohesive vision of something more, and in that regard, I think they've chosen a good target audience, but I have to wonder if their structure and style overreach somewhat.

Primarily, Romans Disarmed is in dire need of an editor. Their argument is only as comprehensive as it is repetitive, and I think you could easily cut 100 pages out of this and have it be just as, if not more, persuasive. I admire the commitment to keeping this 10 chapters, but as a result you are left with chapters spanning often over 50 pages. I think this would be passable if the organization felt tight, but it doesn't. Keesmaat and Walsh's chapters are broadly topic-centered, but always root their discussion of a topic in a specific chapter or section from Romans, something they never explain or unpack for you. There are no summaries or introductions at the top of chapters, and the index isn't a lot of help if you're looking for an exploration of a broader passage instead of just a verse of two. It is perhaps appropriately Pauline that to understand any one chapter you kind of have to read the entire book, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating. Again, I think Keesmaat and Walsh's argument itself is good and important, but it makes it hard to recommend this book to the intended audience when the sprawling writing feels like it would go over the head of anyone who wasn't a lay theologian. I suppose the most I would do is suggest someone read the chapter on sexuality in the empire, but even then I think you'd be missing most of the nuance of what Keesmaat and Walsh are doing without all their context.

Perhaps more troubling to me, and clearly to many of the more conservative reviews, is the sometimes-exclusionary tone Keesmaat and Walsh's argument can take. Understanding the Anti-Imperial subtext of Romans is vital context, but on occasion one can be lead to believe that Keesmaat and Walsh think that is the only text. I truly don't believe they mean that, but they so quickly elide past Paul's discussion of loaded terms like "justification" and "righteousness" that it would be easy to forget these discourses make up the majority of Romans. As Romans Disarmed reaches its conclusion, Keesmaat and Walsh remember to root their discussions of Empire in the central movement of the original text, that is, that everyone is equally wrapped up in the destructive forces of Empire but also equally freed to participate in higher, unified community centered in incarnational life. But for the middle stretch of the book, this grounding gets lost in the exploration of the economics of Empire.

Perhaps I'm mostly just scandalized by their frequent calls to action in this section, where the authors suggest various "practical" means to resist the commodification of Empire. It's not hard to see why some readers would be offended here, when Keesmaat and Walsh dedicate a not-insignificant amount of time to comment on grocery practices and the sort of homes their audience lives in. I applaud them for their ecologically-friendly lifestyle, but the fact is many of their suggestions simply aren't feasible for a chunk of their reader base. It's nice that they don't own a laundry machine and thus are more engaged with their community when they do laundry - but are they not also burning a ton of gas and money while they commute their laundry into town? A lot of the hesitancy is more an indictment of myself and my limited ecological imagination than the authors and I recognize that, but it still feels like they overstep somewhat. But maybe that offensive nature is true to the revolutionary tone of the original text. As they turned to talk about the State I was hopeful that they might turn towards an apocalyptic vision and a realization that the systemic forces around us prevent most from truly living into the idealized lifestyle they paint, but there is no such movement. I think that's fine (maybe that would rock the boat more than anything they actually suggest), it just feels like a missing link.

Lest anyone read this review and come to the conclusion that I loathed this book, I generally quite enjoyed it! Truly, I think the lengths to which Keesmaat and Walsh have gone in order to reveal the Imperial context of Romans is vital. I would have liked to see it rooted a little more in the discussion of incarnational life or unpacking some more of the godforsaken dense language Paul uses and the evangelical baggage therein, but I think Romans Disarmed is a great platform from which to do that work yourself. How has Paul's language been dulled by years of Christendom and become beholden to the very Empire he was attempting to critique? And how might we return to his original context and explore the freedom and hope that he promises? These are the key questions that Keesmaat and Walsh want us to walk away with. Unfortunately, quite like this review, Romans Disarmed is a little too dense and unwieldy to recommend as an easy read. I do think people should check it out, but you might want to block some time off and chew over it for a while. Definitely don't do what I did and try to read it in pieces before bed as a neat late-night treat. Generally, I wouldn't recommend most of my reading habits.

[Christian Wermeskerch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the privilege of previewing this from NetGalley, so this is review is all my own. I say that to note how conflicted I am on this book. Melding imaginative targum-esque readings of Romans alongside exegesis of the Greek, Keesmaat blends familiar Greek terms with a new reading of Romans from the margins. This isn't a book to be picked up and read without being willing to work, wrestle, and learn alongside the writer and their imagined conversation partner. Romans is a very familiar text, but the new reading of the letter will probably estrange those who aren't prepared to put some work in to engage the new thesis. I'll have a bigger review on my blog, but I can say that this book probably deserves a more sustained conversation when it launches in book stores.

[Nikayla Reize · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important book! The authors live on a permaculture farm and don't have social media....they're the real deal!

[Paul C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to receive my copy of Romans Disarmed, although I did not recognize the authors, Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh, both Bible professors. The design alone is outstanding. Romans, a very complicated document, has suffered much at the hands of interpreters. Some appeal to it to say that Christians should never protest against injustice rooted in one’s government (this is the position of John MacArthur whose huge following makes him somewhat of a celebrity pastor). Other times scattered verses are used selectively when presenting the gospel to someone, to the neglect of Paul’s remaining letters. Despite how many times Romans is cited by Christians (and it’s cited a lot), this letter remains a point of confusion or misunderstanding for many. I was excited then to see what two seasoned bible professors would have to about Romans and its implications for today. Here are my thoughts.



*Stretched Exegesis*

Rather than beginning with Paul and the context of the New Testament, the authors begin with issues we are currently grappling with societally (homosexuality, world wars, genocide, ecology, and the like). While it is important to bring the text into our everyday world and situation, one must first be rooted in the context of the Bible before the Bible can in turn speak in a real and direct way to our situation.

*Unclear*

While Romans Disarmed attempts to clear up much of Romans, it really ends up muddying the waters. Reducing Paul to being an outspoken left-leaning (and all-inclusive) social reformer, the authors also make him out to be extremely anti-empire, and hyper vocal against Rome. While it is clear that Paul critiques Rome in his letters, he is not consumed with unbridled rage toward Nero and Empire.

Where the book ends up falling short is its overabundance of exegetical gymnastics, most notably when it comes to Paul and the Empire, as well as Paul and sexuality.

Though Paul does not always think kindly of Rome, we must avoid caricaturing Paul as one utterly opposing Rome. It’s far too easy to look under every stone for anti-imperial language in Pauline literature. Paul’s resolve was spreading Christ, even if spreading Christ puts him at odds with Empire.

*Violence to the Text*

My problem stems from the authors reducing Paul to being a sort of social justice activist with strong left leanings. While noting the importance of letting the text speak for itself, the authors proceed to go against their own advice.

As the authors make clear, the misreading of Romans has led to all kinds of wrong in the church and in our world, and yet Romans Disarmed offers no real solution, just another misreading of Romans (although one that is not politically conservative).

Romans Disarmed is yet another reminder: do not read your personal preconceived notions (your deep held convictions) into the text. Forming God into our image is idolatry, the very thing Romans was written against.

When it comes to Paul and politics, respected scholar Michael J. Gorman, in his Reading Paul, does a great job of maintaining balance as the author cautions against turning Paul into either a conservative or liberal (both are quite anachronistic). Gorman writes, “Paul may be both less and more offensive than he is normally thought to be. He may… be far less politically and socially “conservative” than we think. Yet he may also be far less “tolerant” on some issues than we want” (p. 6). We should take great care when trying to apply Paul’s letters to our modern politics and hot-topic politically-charged discussions.



Full of not-so-subtle jabs at President Trump as being a modern-day Caesar, Romans Disarmed is yet another example of Christians reading their politics into the text of Scripture.

Emotive and overflowing with conclusions based on rushed exegesis, Romans Disarmed is a book I cannot endorse.

*I received my copy from Baker Publishing.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don’t have to be in full agreement, or even significant agreement, to find a book, conversation, or experience with another transformative.

And so it was with Romans Disarmed: Resisting Empire / Demanding Justice (galley received as part of early review program) by Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh.

It’s hard to characterize this book because it is trying to be three or four books in one. At one level, it is a commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. At another level, it is a treatise to the powers that be, political and religious, rooted in what seems to be pretty standard fully progressive liberation theology. Within it is a dialogue between the authors and an imagined seeker. And it also features some historical imagination, creating the story of “Nereus,” a Jewish man who has found himself in Rome, working in a craft, having learned of Jesus and part of the church, attempting to remain undefiled by idolatry, and “Iris,” a slave woman from Mauretania who has a child and serves a pagan master but has come to learn of Jesus and meets with the church. And the authors have plenty to say about the people with whom they’ve ministered and served, especially among the First Nations, in Toronto.

To this end the book is very long and could have easily been multiple books; thus my reading of it was on and off for years.

I’m not a fan of the lengths to which they go in their liberation theology. I am willing to grant the overarching purposes of Paul as they understand him in terms of Romans 1:18-31, but their category error in presuming their Victorian framework of sexual identity carves out a justification of same-sex sexual relationships never really grapples with the words Paul actually used and especially how lesbianism, in particular, was of almost no concern to the Romans, but was singled out by Paul. Notable also Paul is understood almost entirely in Greco-Roman, and not Second Temple Jewish, terms in that discussion. There’s definitely an agenda there.

The book will prove disorienting to those familiar with the commentary and exegetical genres, but that disorientation is not all bad. The historical imagination used regarding “Nereus” and “Iris” is exceptionally well done: sure, they’re fictive, but their stories absolutely well reflect the kind of situations which actual people from those kinds of backgrounds in those socio-economic conditions would be facing, of which most middle-class Christians today would not understand and find completely disorienting and impossible. Few things will make you as uncomfortable as having to grapple with what it would mean for a slave woman professing Christ like “Iris” to submit to her pagan master when he has a predilection for enjoying her sexually (cf. Ephesians 6:5). The experience of first century Rome among the poor and the slaves is hard for middle class Americans of the 21st century to understand, and I have not found many resources which better exemplify and illustrate the context in this way.

The commentary is very well informed regarding historical context, and whatever you might end up saying about the portrayal of what Paul has to say, it at least is liberated from the 16th century dogmatic shackles which have been imposed upon his words.

But perhaps the authors would go too far the other way, liberating Paul from one framework only to force him conform to a late 20th/early 21st century progressive liberation framework retrojected into the first century. This is not to deny Paul is speaking a word for those living in the midst of the beast and the oppressive state; it’s not as if the authors come up with all of this whole cloth.

If you’re preaching or teaching in Romans, it’s good to grapple with this work, even in significant disagreement. Your perspective will be broadened a bit, and that’s a good thing.

[Frank Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I was greatly looking forward to this book, it ended up being a disappointment. I agree with the vast majority of the book, but it was the remainder that was disturbing to me. Walsh’s previous book: “Subversive Christianity” is one of my favourites in the way he challenges the way that people should live, while under empire. This focus continued into this book, and I was initially completely on board. What I found disturbing is that the authors seemed to be blind to their own advice and teaching. So, while they ably and correctly criticise the right leaning politics (in the US especially), drawing the obvious parallels with Rome (power, economics, etc.), they imply that the left leaning politics would solve all of these problems. NO! Both flavours are still empire, and both are anti-Jesus. I was particularly disappointed that when they discussed the exploitation of the poor, the sexual exploitation by the powerful and the idolatry that encompasses both they were silent regarding the evil of abortion that does physical violence to both women and children. Surely this is equivalent to the infanticide and child sacrifice of the first century, all based on idolatry. Their interpretation of scripture seemed to be warped, whenever the topic fit with their political persuasion. The way they discuss Paul’s teaching on sexuality was both interesting and a bit frightening. Their economic “solution” was depressing in its naivety, as they advocate a living wage for all (regardless of working), free Medicare, open borders and welcoming of anyone who wants to come. As a European, while I emotionally agree with all of these, I can also say that this cannot work! And what about Paul’s teaching regarding being willing to work? Ultimately, I couldn’t help feeling that the authors have conformed to the current left leaning culture of Canada even as they were advocating a radical departure from the mindset of empire. I worry that their lovely sounding, emotional version of Christianity will end up being equivalent to the social action focussed liberal Christianity of 100 years ago, which died out. This makes me worry about the church in Canada, but thankfully God has promised to build His church! So, I can only recommend the book by someone who will read it critically and with caution.

[Adam Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never have gotten around to reading Keesmaat's and Walsh's previous commentary Colossians Remixed that I heard so much about after its publication, but was glad to finally get to dig into this one on Romans that has been on my shelf for a couple of years. It's really unlike any commentary I've ever read. While rigorously academic and heavily researched, the authors manage to infuse creativity and imagination throughout. From the outset they acknowledge that they are not setting out to redefine the meaning of Romans once and for all, but offer a challenging and discomforting perspective of how we might understand Paul's message of Romans today. Interjecting a fictional narrative throughout helps keep the historical context of the book in front of the reader consistently. The authors delve into nearly every controversial social issue of the day which is sure to challenge every reader - but challenge in a pertinent way.

For me, Keesmaat and Walsh are like Anabaptist prophets pushing me to the edge of my comfort level in interpreting familiar texts in novel and innovative ways. Their conclusions are often unsettling, but logical and alarming. They make the reader question everything about the way they live their lives . . . and isn't that what the Gospel is all about? This commentary is certainly not for everyone, but if you are willing to press forward with an open mind and allow the authors to take you on a well-researched journey into rediscovering Romans, you just may find yourself questioning a good deal of what you thought you had figured out.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me a bit to get into and then I progressed slowly...more due to COVID world and my focus than to the nature of the book. I appreciated the targum update the authors tried to give to make the book applicable to 21st Century North American culture. I also appreciated the effort to include "conversations" with those who might question parts of the book and with those who might have read Paul's letter to the Romans back when he originally sent it; however, these same elements could also become frustrating and tedious at times. As I progressed through the book, I became more accustomed to the dialogue format and this interaction became less irritating.

The book is thoroughly researched and similar in style to their earlier book Colossians Remixed (2004). There is an effort to interpret the book in light of current events in North America and so there are references to how Romans can be interpreted in light of current economic, social, cultural, and environmental issues (creation care, Indigenous land claims, watersheds, economics, sexual orientation and gender identity etc.). The emphasis that there can be hope, but we have to take action and start living in love is an uplifting, yet challenging conclusion.

[Bill Huizer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate how this book gave a new way of reading Romans. It worked hard to imaginatively put me in the context of the book through the various voices of the narrative surrounding the plausible recipients of the letter. It was also hard work to get through this. I was so excited to hear that Keesmaat and Walsh were working on a follow up to Colossians Remixed and it felt like it was never going to be released. The wait doesn't feel worth it. I felt pretty bummed out reading the book. For all that I appreciate about the book, I didn't like much of its style, and the applications that were suggested for the current reader just made me feel kind of hopeless. It's been a few months since I finished the book, so I don't have a full memory of all of its parts, but I do still have the feelings it left me with. I have greatly appreciated the work of both Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh: I have enjoyed and have been challenged by seminars that they have presented and I still remember the great time I had when Walsh hosted an evening with N.T. Wright at a bar in Toronto. Maybe this is why I feel so critical of the book - I came into this with such hope. I'm giving it 3 stars since it did do some good work in me, but it also made me feel like not reading anything for a long time.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reviewing this in another context and won't put my whole review here. For fans of Colossians Remixed, will see the same sort of imaginative investigation of Paul here. Keesmat and Walsh pay attention to both the world behind the text, the Roman Empire, and the context of American (and Canadian) Empire. They extend their critique of Empire to include, exploitation and class, idolatry and creation care, economic justice, the way Paul's vision subverts the political order (so no shallow reading of Romans 13 allowed!), sexuality and salvation. As with Colossians Remixed this is a genre bending approach to biblical studies, including life stories, a fictionalized account of a Slave and Jewish Artisan in 1st Century Rome, an imagined interlocuter who interacts with Keesmaat and Walsh's argument, explicative targum of portions of Romans, and Poetic lament.

[Trevor Atwood]

The only way to engage honestly with people who differ from us theologically or otherwise, is to understand their best arguments, not their worst.

Keesmat and Walsh do a thorough in depth treatment of the book of Romans from an ideological position that differs from mine in many points. I take issue many times with their hermeneutic and application and often argued with them in them margins.

However, my own hermeneutic was equally challenged and my applications broadened. Understanding Romans as a letter written to both slave and free, Jew and Gentile in the Imperialist Roman times indeed does she’d light on much of what Paul says.

Despite my disagreements with the authors (sometimes because of them), I have been challenged, encouraged, and pushed to think more sharply about Scripture and feel more deeply for my fellow man through this book. For that, I am grateful.

[Kristina Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this book. I believe that the epistle to the Romans has been weaponized and misinterpreted in severely problematic ways, and I agree with the authors' framework that Romans is instead intended to be a politically subversive text about homecoming and covenantal love. However, this book was so convoluted and strangely organized that I don't think I would ultimately feel comfortable recommending it to anyone. Even as a more progressive believer, the agenda-heaviness of the book was disappointing because I can't imagine it building any bridges with the more conservative evangelical/reformed brothers and sisters in my life. All in all, I appreciated the research and thought that went into Romans Disarmed, but am walking away wishing an editor flagged this as something that needed a little more work before it hit the press.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots to take away from this book, but it's far longer than necessary and sometimes the argument stretches thin. I wish it were two books – one focused tightly on Romans, and another that explores the themes of homecoming and justice across the whole Bible, where the supporting evidence is stronger and more explicit. I'm more or less behind the targums politically, but (like many other modern "re-writings" of the Bible) found them uninspiring poetically. My favourite parts were the early chapters dealing with the socio-economic context of the letter, and interpreting them through the experience of two imaginary, but historically plausible characters. I recommend the book if you're interested in the subject matter, but take what you want and skim liberally in between.

[Steve Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful imagination of how Romans' good news message of liberation from empire could speak to our imperial, oppressive world today. Not a traditional commentary, but a work of poetry and justice and thematic exploration that builds off excellent scholarship that situates Romans within its mid-first century, multiethnic Roman milieu.

"What happens if we read Paul's letter to the Christian house churches in Rome as something akin to a call to disarm the empire? What happens if we read this letter written to the heart of the empire from the perspective of the margins of that empire?" (7)

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever been disheartened at the way scripture is co-opted by Christians in positions of power to hold down others, this book is essential reading. I love the way it paints a picture of the context of Paul’s letter, who rather than giving a purely abstract theological statement, was actually writing to a fledgling church at the heart of the Empire, to bring them good news that would turn their world upside down.

[Ragan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a number of books on Romans and took a graduate course with one of its leading scholars, and this books is simply one of the best. I will return to it, recommend it to people in my congregation, and likely form a reading group to work through its important material. If you are interested in understanding Paul and the message of the scriptures, then this is a must read.

[Pamela Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a book for you to find out how to be a Christian while resisting the empire of the material world. I really enjoyed the targums of Scripture and the advise about being someone who refuses to fit in with the cultural expectations of the world.

[Corey Herlevsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive and exhaustive examination of Romans as a lament and as a counter imperial manifesto. This is truly a life changing, worldview changing book. I cannot recommend it highly enough but be warned: It names names and is not for the faint of heart.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the most engaging Biblical studies book I've ever read. Blend of targum, fiction and an interlocutor make it a fun book to read. Loved the engagement with the Canadian contemporary context as well. However I'm not sure how convinced I am by their (at times provocative) arguments.

[Daniel Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forthright in their challenging of atypical readings of Romans. Discombobulated in some of their structure, as it became singularly repetitive. A necessary read.

[Jon Anderson]

Read for Sunday School - Fall 2019