Beatitudes, Not Platitudes: Jesus’ Invitation to the Good Life

by Paul Louis Metzger

Beatitudes, Not Platitudes shows that the Beatitudes are not overused, well-worn answers to the question, "What would Jesus do?" Rather, they are undervalued and hardly touched claims that transform our destinies. More than spiritual nuggets for personal devotion, practical advice, or propositions to be believed, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 envision and entail a reorientation of the good life in view of Jesus' kingdom. Jesus' teachings reveal to us that living our best purpose-driven life now involves dying to self and the world system, and dying for our enemies. Ideal for group study, this series of meditations on each of the Beatitudes, followed by cultural reflections and study questions, helps to bridge the gaps between personal devotion and societal revolution, the academic and the practical, the ancient and the contemporary. All of us want to be happy, to be well and blessed, and esteemed with honor. However, we look for happiness, wellness, blessing, and honor in different places and with mixed results. This book helps us reimagine the good life by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes as citizens of Jesus' ever-new kingdom order.

120 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2018

About the author

Integrating theology and spirituality with cultural sensitivity is at the center of Dr. Metzger's vision and vocation. Dr. Metzger is Professor of Christian Theology and Theology of Culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary of Multnomah University where he also directs The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins. He has been active in intercultural work in the States, Japan, and England.

Dr. Metzger is the author of Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths (Thomas Nelson, 2012); New Wine Tastings: Theological Essays of Cultural Engagement (Cascade, 2011); The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town (InterVarsity Press, 2010); Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction (co-authored with Brad Harper; Brazos, 2009); Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church (Eerdmans, 2007); and The Word of Christ and the World of Culture: Sacred and Secular through the Theology of Karl Barth (Eerdmans, 2003). He is co-editor of A World for All?: Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology (co-edited with William F. Storrar and Peter J. Casarella; Eerdmans, 2011); editor of Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology (T&T Clark International, 2005), and editor of Cultural Encounters: a Journal for the Theology of Culture. Dr. Metzger is a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey, and has developed a strategic ministry partnership with Dr. John M. Perkins titled, "Drum Majors for Love, Truth and Justice.". He is married with two children. Dr. Metzger has a keen interest in the art of Katsushika Hokusai and Georges Rouault and in the writings of John Steinbeck.

Reviews

[Craig Prather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. Dr. Metzger does a great job of contrasting complacency and engagement within a modern-day context when approaching the Beatitudes of Matthew chapter five. Furthermore, this text was both relevant, and inspirational for a 21st century audience. Metzger infers that we should be careful to represent God’s righteousness, as opposed to our own self-righteousness.