Paradox People: Learning to Live the Beatitudes

As Christians strategize over cultural engagement, cultural disengagement, and cultural warfare, we can easily miss a core problem: The trouble isn’t that we’re in the world—it’s that we’re too much like the world. The solution? To pursue, by God’s grace, the paradoxical character preached by Jesus in the Beatitudes. As he explores these foundations for kingdom living, Jonathan Landry Cruse shows how the surprising course of spiritual growth leads to rich blessing in Christ.

Contents

Introduction: Kingdom Character

1. I Must Decrease
2. Weeping May Tarry for the Night
3. The Surprising Secret to World Domination
4. Satisfaction Guaranteed
5. Desiring Mercy
6. Devoted to God
7. Heavenly Resemblance
8. Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares

Conclusion: Paradox People
Acknowledgments

Endorsements

“What do [the Beatitudes] mean, and how do they relate to our lives today? Jonathan Landry Cruse has provided a concise and timely exposition.”
—Brandon Crowe, Professor of New Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary

“Jonathan Landry Cruse has given us an accessible, joyful, and delightful tour through a vital, if sometimes neglected, portion of our Lord’s teaching: the Beatitudes. This is an excellent resource for study groups, Christian education programs, and personal study of God’s Word.”
—R. Scott Clark, Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, Westminster Seminary California

“Reading this book will help you keep in step with the Savior as you learn to live on earth as those with one foot in heaven.”
—Ryan M. McGraw, Morton H. Smith Professor of Systematic Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary