The New Testament is immersed in the often hostile world of the Roman Empire, but its relationship to that world is complex.What is meant by Jesus' call to "render unto Caesar" his due, when Luke subversively heralds the arrival of a Savior and Lord who is not Caesar, but Christ? Is there tension between Peter's command to "honor the emperor" and John's apocalyptic denouncement of Rome as "Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots"?Under the direction of editors Scot McKnight and Joseph B. Modica, respected biblical scholars have come together to investigate an increasingly popular approach in New Testament scholarship of interpreting the text through the lens of empire. The contributors praise recent insights into the New Testament's exposé of Roman statecraft, ideology and emperor worship. But they conclude that rhetoric of anti-imperialism is often given too much sway. More than simply hearing the biblical authors in their context, it tends to govern what they must be saying about their context. The result of this collaboration, Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not, is a groundbreaking yet accessible critical evaluation of empire criticism.Contributors include:- David Nystrom on Roman ideology- Judith A. Diehl on the state of empire scholarship- Joel Willits on Matthew- Dean Pinter on Luke- Christopher W. Skinner on John's Gospel and Letters- Drew Strait on Acts- Michael F. Bird on Romans- Lynn Cohick on Philippians- Allan R. Bevere on Colossians and Philemon- Dwight Sheets on Revelation

Scot McKnight (Ph.D., University of Nottingham) is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. He is the author of The Jesus Creed, The King Jesus Gospel, A Community Called Atonement, Embracing Grace, The Real Mary and commentaries on James, Galatians and 1 Peter, and coeditor of the award-winning Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. He is also a widely recognized blogger at the Jesus Creed blog. His other interests include golfing, gardening and traveling.Andy Crouch (MDiv, Boston University School of Theology) is executive editor of Christianity Today and the author of books such as Culture Making and Playing God. Andy serves on the governing boards of Fuller Theological Seminary and Equitas Group, a philanthropic organization focused on ending child exploitation in Haiti and Southeast Asia. He is also a senior fellow of International Justice Mission?s Institute for Biblical Justice. His writing has appeared in Time, the Wall Street Journal and several editions of Best Christian Writing and Best Spiritual Writing. Crouch served as executive producer for the documentary films Where Faith and Culture Meet and Round Trip, as well as the multi-year project This Is Our City, which featured documentary video, reporting and essays about Christians seeking the flourishing of their cities. He also sits on the editorial board for Books Culture and was editor-in-chief of re:generation quarterly. He also spent ten years as a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Harvard University. A classically trained musician who draws on pop, folk, rock, jazz and gospel, Crouch has led musical worship for congregations of five to twenty thousand. He lives with his family in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.Joseph B. Modica is university chaplain and associate professor of biblical studies at Eastern University (Pennsylvania). He completed his Ph.D. in New Testament and early Christianity at Drew University (New Jersey). His current research interests include spiritual formation, faith development and historical Jesus studies.

Foreword by Andy Crouch
Introduction
Scot McKnight and Joseph Modica
1. We Have No King But Caesar: Roman Imperial Ideology and the Imperial Cult
David Nystrom
2. Anti-Imperial Rhetoric in the New Testament
Judith A. Diehl
3. Matthew
Joel Willitts
4. The Gospel of Luke and the Roman Empire
Dean Pinter
5. John's Gospel and the Roman Imperial Context: An Evaluation of Recent Proposals
Christopher W. Skinner
6. Proclaiming Another King Named Jesus? The Acts of the Apostles and the Roman Imperial Cult(s)
Drew J. Strait
7."One Who Will Arise to Rule Over the Nations": Paul's Letter to the Romans and the Roman Empire
Michael F. Bird
8. Philippians and Empire: Paul?s Engagement with Imperialism and the Imperial Cult
Lynn H. Cohick
9. Colossians and the Rhetoric of Empire: A New Battle Zone
Allan R. Bevere
10. Something Old, Something New: Revelation and Empire
Dwight Sheets
Conclusion
Scot McKnight and Joseph Modica
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index