Grown Up Religion: Polemic and Pastoral Practice in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.

Paul’s argument against his opponents in Galatians has frequently been used to support division amongst Christians, sometimes with catastrophic results. Can this angry polemical letter be of any use for pastoral practice today? Building on a critique of J. L. Martyn’s interpretation of Galatians and drawing on ideas from the psychology of religion, this article suggests that if Paul is seen as tackling a case of “immature religion”, we can be guided by his argument, without emulating his divisive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Expository Times is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)