Announcing the Reign of God

Probably the best book I've read on the important subject of the kingdom of God. In a few pages, Arias distills hundreds of years of scholarship and church history to help us grasp the extreme relevance of this topic for any missional work today. I read a few pages at a time, then think for a few hours before resuming. I'm almost finished with it, and I will recommend it highly to my pastor.

A timely and incisive work that refocuses the followers of Jesus Christ on the center of the Gospel, the Kingdom of God. Arias passionately and clearly articulates why and how returning to this center will change our thinking about discipleship and church and authenticates his teaching with personal experiences of persecution and suffering. Focusing on social fluff and stage performances neither moves us to the next level of personal discipleship nor moves the local church to higher effectiveness. It is a dead end street. Arias reignited my passion for God, His message, His mission, and His people. His work also renewed my hope for the institutional church of North America.

(Methodist) Bishop Arias gives us what is probably the most important treatment of the subject in the last 50 years! He demonstrates the crucial relevance of Jesus' core teaching for the manner and aim of the church's mission. This is indispensable for those seeking a recovery of the reigh of God as the orienting vision for the Christian life and the church's identity.