Reject Abusive Father Theology: Romans 8 is Freedom Not Slavery

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For many Romans 8 is the essential chapter for understanding God’s purpose in the Gospel message. While I don’t think that was necessarily Paul’s purpose to be all-encompassing, it can be a great guide for us. N.T. Wright has said, that if he had only one chapter of the New Testament to take with him, it would be Romans 8. Unfortunately, it is also used for great harm. One commenter said that she rejects the “suffering kink” that many evangelicals lay on scripture. It’s part of a pattern in translations like the ESV and NIV that reveal the projection of dominance and trauma on our images of God. Dr. Beverly Gaventa says that the slave responds with fear while the heir responds with mutuality. I think this is the direction we need to move in Christianity. 

Beverly Roberts Gaventa “Romans: A Commentary” 2024.

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