12 - Doing Pauline Theology

Summary

This chapter illustrates the theological potency of the freshly explored Pauline gospel narrative. The chapter focuses on three contemporary theological conversations: on justification and theological anthropology, on race and social imagination, and on mission and neighborhoods. Engaging a representative voice from within each of these conversations (Eberhard Jüngel, Willie Jennings, and Scott Hagley respectively), the chapter explores how the work of the exegetes discussed in this book could come alongside and enrich these theological debates. The focus is particularly on how the proposed Pauline narrative substructure identified in the previous chapter might deepen and enhance the theological proposals that are being made. The conclusion is that in each instance the proposed narrative has the potential to enhance our theological imagination and offer new avenues for exploration.