How do you deal with disappointment? For instance, how do you feel when you offer something you cherish and you want others to cherish, and they reject your offer? How do you cope with someone rejecting your view? How do you cope with dissent?
People's responses vary. They may range from ""I hate you! Why don't you love me?!"" to disparagement and denigration. At worst, you may embrace the hatred that generates violence and war. At best, you may engage with the other to understand and accept difference and embrace diversity with respect.
New Testament authors reflect various ways of dealing with the disappointment which arose when the early members of the Jesus movement proclaimed good news only to be met with rejection. This book explores these reactions and also how they came to terms with the experience of rejection at the heart of their faith, Jesus' crucifixion. It then turns to the theme's upside and reflects on how acceptance and love, too, can be hard to take, and how from the beginning people found ways of keeping it at bay.
Industry Reviews
“This excellent and highly accessible book deals with its uncomfortable subject—rejection—with sensitivity and nuance. No matter where we stand on the Christological issues addressed in the New Testament, we will all recognize the range of responses discussed in this book, including hurt, anger, and disappointment, and we may all learn that rejection can also be a catalyst for positive change and growth.”
—Adele Reinhartz, professor of classics and religious studies, University of Ottawa
“As a preacher and pastor, I so appreciate the clarity, accessibility and wisdom in Bill Loader’s skillful analysis of early Christian communities’ responses to rejection — their own and the rejection Jesus experienced in his ministry and execution. Loader explicates the differences between responses to rejection that risk hate, violence and exclusion, in contrast to responses that sustain divine love, forgiveness and belonging, as seen in Jesus’ life and death, as central to covenant faith, and from the heart of Divine being. In a time when many voices cry vengeance and hatred, this book digs down into the soil of scripture, to open up space for cultivating anew Christian compassion and justice.”
—Nancy Victorin-Vangerud, adjunct professor, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
“William Loader is a master of scientific New Testament exegesis. At the same time, he can write not only for specialists, but also for interested lay people. His book is a very readable introduction to questions of NT interpretation (esp. the Gospels, Paul, and Hebrews) and the context in which these questions were and are relevant. Loader’s book is also an introduction to the way the parables and sayings of Jesus developed, and were interpreted, before they became part of New Testament writings. In our times, where religious thought is under pressure, it is very welcome to reassure believers in their belief, and to make non-believers curious to get more knowledge about biblical issues.”
—Wolfgang Kraus, professor emeritus, Saarland University
“This book takes a fresh look at scripture through the practical lens of ordinary people coping with grief borne out of rejection. It is creative in how it discerns resources in the biblical text to tease out our myriad responses to this universal and perpetual human emotion. It challenges us to think of our own responses to both rejection and acceptance, and it encourages us to position ourselves with the healthiest of gospel responses — while also enhancing awareness of unhealthy responses. But this book’s real gold is that it gives us the opportunity to once again refine our Christian faith into a transformative faith of love, life and abundant generosity.”
—Rosalie Clarke Maclarty, chaplain, Knox Grammar School, New South Wales
“The theme of rejection is one that has received relatively little attention in contemporary Christian writing. With the deftness born of a lifetime of study and teaching, Bill Loader brings this theme into the foreground to take the reader on a journey of rediscovering what we thought we knew. In three movements, Loader first sets out how early followers of Jesus came to terms with people rejecting their belief and message. He then places Jesus in the context of Jewish and Roman hopes and gives a fresh and nuanced account of the significance that early writers gave to the
death of Jesus. In the final movement, Loader gives a coherent and compelling account of the inner logic of the Good News, calling out superficial answers and showing love to be at the heart of it all. This book holds up a mirror to us as readers to notice how we make sense of the Christian story; it offers a challenging journey with an expert guide!”
— Vicky Balabanski,
