New Creation: Pauline Social Experiments for an Ethos of Love and Justice

Abstract

This chapter explores how Paul’s hope for the new creation is rooted in the everyday practices of the gathering of Corinth. His call for new creation, then, is not an attempted escape from earthly life, but for the transformation of the ethos of autonomy, prestige, and wealth that has led to the degradation of self, city, and creation. In place of the self-made gentleman and independent sage, Paul extols the vulnerable and related body of Christ animated by love. These exercises for new creation provide a positive account for action beyond the politics of resistance. These social experiments engage in the creative work of building new forms of community and ways of life.