WHEN BELIEVERS stress that the kingdom of God, through the Person of Christ, has already arrived, the result is often a spirit of triumphalism; but those who insist instead that the coming of the Kingdom awaits Christ's return may yield to escapism and complacent other-worldliness.

In fact, argues the author of this biblically sound exploration, Christians live between the times - between the "presence" of the Kingdom signalled by Christ's first coming, and the "promise" of its fulfillment in his return. During the era be- tween Pentecost and the Parousia, Rottenberg contends, the Kingdom finds expression in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Developing his view of the Spirit working in history, Rotten- berg summons Christians to active participation in the here- and-now of the Kingdom by living lives that proclaim, serve, suffer for, and pray for its completion.