Becoming Children of God offers a fresh and original commentary on the Gospel of John as a narrative inviting readers, both ancient and modern, to a radical com-mitment to follow Jesus from within a spirit-filled community. The reading is grounded in a "poetics of biblical narrative" that balances attention to historical, ideological, and aesthetic aspects of John's Gospel while highlighting its rele-vance for today.

Howard-Brook shows how John's Gospel "sums up" in narrative form the situation of the Johannine community in a context of persecution and alienation. By com-mitting himself to a close analysis of the text as a "symbolic action," he makes it clear that the Gospel of John fairly bristles with references to practical, social con-ditions that require a direct response. Throughout, Howard-Brook's close attention to literary structure as well as social background yields new insights into the often-obscure message of the Fourth Gospel. The central theme emerges as the call to witness to the world no matter what the cost.

"Wes Howard-Brook unites patient scholarship and a way of faithful resistance to the state. His brilliant journey through John will inspire activists and academics alike to a deeper understanding of becoming God's children."

-James W. Douglass

Author, The Nonviolent Coming of God