Barry Callen is a ""church theologian"" in the finest sense. In this book he once again brings the commitments nurtured by Pietist, Anabaptist, and Wesleyan theological streams into conversation with the issues and debates in contemporary church life and with the most formative voices in contemporary theology. The result is a convincing reminder that Christian teachings about ""ultimate things"" (eschatology) are much more concerned with providing hope and direction for living faithfully in our present settings than they are with providing timetables for the future. His exposition of the role of the church and sacrament in nurturing such hope is particularly helpful.
