To Corinth with Love by Michael Green

Summary

Michael Green's To Corinth with Love is a thematic analysis of the first and second epistles of the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth. The subtitle is: Paul's Message to the Troubled Church at Corinth--And Its Relevance to Christians Today.

The book is divided into three sections: Problems for the Church, Problems for the Members, and Problems of Authority. In the first section, Problems for the Church, it deals with issues such as Baptism, The Lord's Supper, Body Life, Love, and Worship. In the second section, Problems for the Members, it deals with issues such as Freedom, Sex, and Death. In the third section, Problems of Authority, it deals with the three issues of Leaders, Women, and Apostles.

It is not a comprehensive analysis of the two epistles, nor does it claim to be. It is an examination of a series of relevant issues for Churches today.

What I liked

Michael Green's perspective on many of the issues is unique. At least, it's one that I haven't encountered before. For example, he doesn't deal with issues of church culture but deals with what the Bible teaches to and about the Church regardless of its culture. He does not weigh in for or against speaking in tongues, for example, but says something like, 'If your church speaks in tongues, this is what the Bible says about it...' And I liked that. He takes a similar approach to the controversies surrounding Baptism. He doesn't argue for or against certain practices, but simply explains what the Bible teaches about baptism, thematically, explaining what it means, what it's for, etc..

One other thing I liked very much was one very short part that's unrelated to anything else and was probably not intended by the author. In his discussion about spiritual gifts, Green explains that the word 'Charismatic' comes from the Greek word Charismata. One of that word's translations is, 'gift.' But notice the root of the word charismata. It's charis, or love. In English we translate that word as 'charity.' I particularly liked that.

What I didn't like

Almost nothing. For the most part, this book is very well written, however, occasionally the writing gets a little bit sloppy. For example, I noticed several instances where he switched from addressing the third person (he, she, they) to the second person (you) in one sentence. Or where he switched from the third or second person to the first person (I, we) without a proper transition. Elsewhere, he shifted tenses without a proper transition. I can't believe his editors didn't pick up on these things. They should seriously be fired, or at least, have their marking hands cut off.

Conclusion

A good book with some good insight into many controversial issues concerning modern Christianity. 4/5 Christians gone wild.