Includes index.

Bibliography: p. 577-591.

From ecclesiological fatigue to christian identity -- From God-talk to Christology -- From logic rhetoric -- The rhetoric of Christology -- The human concerns: included and made obedient -- The human concerns: grounds for hope -- The origin of Christology -- Present, future, and past -- The presence of the end -- The way to the Father -- God with us -- The lamb slain from the beginning -- Doing the compassionate Father's will --Two birds to the mustard tree

An important nw approach to Christology. Four convictions have shaped this wide-ranging book. First, the widespread yearning for deep experience of Christian identity must be met. This excludes all shallow adherence to authoritative doctrine or contemporary experience. Second, Christian identity is primarily conveyed in worship and witness. This recognition must lend depth to the interpretation and evaluation of christologies classical and modern. Third, statements must be understood in the light of the intentions, affections, and situations of those making and hearing "rhetoric"–must provide an important key to its interpretation. Fourth, live Christian worship and witness are prompted by the presence of Christ alive in the Spirit. The Resurrection, therefore, is the abiding origin of all christologies as well as the principle of their coherence. The result is a christology profoundly in line with the tradition yet wide open, and most importantly, in close touch with spirituality.