Paul's Necessary Sin

'Timothy Ashworth offers an original and thoroughly developed interpretation of Paul's central message. This is a refreshing contribution to Pauline scholarship but written with a clear contemporary concern that can draw the non-academic reader through its detailed argument. Ashworth offers new and illuminating interpretations of key words in Paul's letters. He shows how Paul used language not simply to communicate ideas but to describe human experience as it was laid bare in the early Christian communities, revealing clearly how they were founded upon real personal transformation.' Dr Douglas Gwyn, Pastoral Minister, First Friends Meeting, Richmond, Indiana, USA 'Timothy Ashworth's intriguing work on Paul and the nature of religious experience in early Christianity, which has engaged and inspired members of the Quaker community over many years, is presented here to a wider readership for the first time. Ashworth's comprehensive re-reading of Paul's theology invites his readers to take a fresh look at the texts, and poses a challenge to many established interpretations.' Rachel Muers, University of Exeter, UK '...a meticulous study, on which [Timothy Ashworth] has been engaged for twenty-five years, of the writings of Paul...the rewards are spectacular. New insights abound, not just into individual readings, but into whole chunks of one's spiritual life...This is powerful stuff. It helps one to see why reading Romans led Martin Luther to provoke the Reformation. Could it be that rereading Paul under Tim's tutelage will help Friends play their part in the new Reformation which humanity so sorely requires?' The Friend '... I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Paul...' Friends Journal