Boundless Love

Boundless Love provides a detailed survey of the scholarship on Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the Prodigal Son—arguably the best loved and most familiar of Jesus' parables. Readers will find key insights regarding the teachings of the parable from leading experts on the Gospels including William Barclay, Kenneth Bailey, Fred Craddock, Luke Timothy Johnson, Henri Nouwen, Pheme Perkins, and N.T. Wright. Part I of this volume offers students of the Bible a firm grasp on the scholarly consensus regarding the parable's historical, literary, and theological contexts, as well as its wide-ranging applicability in today's world. Part II focuses on the exploration of the parable's potential contributions in discussions of reconciliation and draws on the insights of authors such as Annie Dillard, Sam Keen, Desmond Tutu, and Miroslav Volf. Boundless Love is thoroughly accessible and will appeal to both general readers and specialists.

With its focus on forgiveness, reconciliation, and joy, the Parable of the Prodigal Son goes to the very heart of Christianity. In this wise and thoughtful book, Joel Huffstetler manages to capture the essence of the parable and how, if we let it, it can transform us., In this thorough and masterful examination of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Father Huffstetler presents a readable, scholarly, and spiritually uplifting gift to all Christians. His treatment of the two sons, who are so unalike and yet alike, and the all-embracing goodness and forgiveness of the father is not only fair, but immensely inspiring. Anyone who carefully reads this work and takes its message of reconciliation seriously will choose, by the very force of God's grace so vividly portrayed herein, to awaken to our universal need for Christian reconciliation, and perhaps to orient his or her faith toward compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation., This book is an excellent resource for small group discussions or class seminars, useful both to average readers as well as the more scholarly. The bibliography is extensive, supporting further reading and research. Part I examines the Parable of the Prodigal Son itself with chapters devoted to each of the three principal persons—the younger son, the father, and the elder brother. Part II has chapters examining each person again as an aspect of the concept of reconciliation, but it would also be useful to [an] examination of many other concepts such as forgiveness, relationships, or the character of love. The reader will find many thought-provoking insights and suggestions in this work., Joel Huffstetler guides his readers through this most literary of the parables, giving us a concise and useful overview of the scholarship. The book's greatest strength, though, is in the multitude of voices it brings together—theologians, novelists, political leaders, poets, and Huffstetler himself—all of whom remind us once again of the deep meaning we can find in the seemingly simple story of a father and two sons. Huffstetler's focus on reconciliation is timely and speaks to a wide range of challenges facing contemporary Christians., Many churches—perhaps most—have "Biblical study" as a regular feature, but few congregations, unfortunately, will generate a book by their collective labors. A few fortunate parishes will have scholarly pastors who integrate learnings from the people as well as the books and then share those learnings with others in books of their own. Joel Huffstetler is one such pastor. In this book, which began in parish Bible study, he argues that the parable of the prodigal son is especially useful in learning how to accomplish reconciliation. By considering each of the characters in this astonishing story not as unrelated models or choices or destinations but rather as closely related aspects of each one of us, we can learn to deal with each other as God deals with us all: repenting, forgiving, including, reconciling. Because Huffstetler includes many quotations from other writers (with bibliography), his book will be a useful compendium for those engaged in either individual or group study of this parable.

Rev. Dr. Joel W. Huffstetler is Rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. Previously he served as Rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Canton, North Carolina and as Assistant to the Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He holds degrees from Elon College and The School of Theology of The University of the South.