John A. Mackay
From a prison cell in the Rome of the Caesars came a letter that is as supremely relevant to the twentieth century as it was to the first. St. Paul’s Ephesian Letter is today recognized as containing the very essence of the Christian religion, boundless in its range of vision, and unequalled in its treatment of basic human problems.As a Scottish lad of fourteen, John A. Mackay first glimpsed the wonders of a new world, a new order, as he read the incandescent words of St. Paul. To the Ephesian Letter, the distinguished theologian states, he owes his life. All the years which have passed since that first “quickening” experience have only strengthened his conviction that in this great Apostolic Letter can be found the whole meaning of man’s relationship to God. It was Paul who understood Jesus best, who served Him most, and whose life and spirit more closely approximated the mind of Jesus than that of any man who ever lived.Every minister and student of the Bible will welcome this astute contribution to New Testament criticism. In it Dr. Mackay traces the Order of God as the unifying theme to the Ephesian Letter, showing what it is and its implication for human thought and life. He proves that the growth of this spiritual order holds the promise for the future, and the loyalty to its claims are of primary importance for Christianity and civilization in our time.Here is no specialized treatise for theologians and scholars alone, but a guide to social action for every reader seeking to make sense of the world about him. Nine cogent chapters show that this divine order exists, however imperfectly, in the Christian church today and provides the only tool powerful enough to make headway in this present confused, and impassioned age.Throughout Dr. Mackay’s very lucid exposition of what has been called “the crown and climax of Pauline theology,” there is a warmth and vibrancy of feeling that is instantly communicated to the reader. Rarely has any writer so perfectly interpreted the pure melody of Paul’s ecstatic spirit. Here is inspiration joined to a wholly mature, holly informed approach to Christian thought and action.
