view of the reservations expressed by some theologians about the use of the cross as a paradigm for Christian ethics, an additional word of clarification is necessary in order to avert misunderstanding.15 The image of the cross should not be used by those who hold power in order to ensure the acquiescent suffering of the powerless. Instead, the New Testament insists that the community as a whole is called to follow in the way of Jesus’ suffering. The New Testament writers consistently employ the pattern of the cross precisely to call those who possess power and privilege to surrender it for
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