'On of my constant preoccupations is how to read the Scriptures for the life of the Church in a manner that is at once loving and critical, challenging yet charitable.'In this new book, Luke Timothy Johnson examines dimensions of the New Testament as they apply directly to Christian life today. The gospel is the good news announced and embodied by Jesus. Johnson's passionate concern in the pages if this book is how this good news can be preached and lived out today.