We just launched a new, updated edition of Introduction to Luke with John Lewis For Individuals and For Groups.

Luke is often read as the social justice gospel — the one that champions the poor, women, and others without power. Luke’s Christ has a universal message of compassion enacted in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Who was the author? Was he the beloved physician and companion of Paul? A new convert? A gentile? Was he educated or uneducated? Did he actually know anyone named Theophilus?

Whoever the author was, and whatever his status in life, Luke’s Gospel takes us on a journey of head and heart; of divine inspiration and meticulous detail; of joy in the risen Christ and the need for discipline and action in our discipleship. We see through Luke a “new world order” – the inclusivity of God’s grace and the universal love that Christ has for all people. Luke tells us about the Holy Spirit that empowers us to do God’s will. The gospel gives special place to women and is often called the Gospel of Praise, having provided the world with The Magnificat, The Benedictus, and the Nunc Dimittis.

In this course, scholar and teacher John Lewis takes us through the Gospel of Luke. He talks about the most important themes and ideas in Luke as well as about who the gospel’s author may have been. John shows us Luke’s portrayal of Jesus as the friend of sinners and outcasts. He discusses Luke’s use of parables to show Jesus’ compassion for the lost and the poor and for those who suffer.

This course is ideal for anyone interested in learning more about Luke’s Gospel. For a preview, please click below.