This book increases awareness about Paul’s community formation preaching which has been widely ignored in the contemporary homiletical field where the New Homiletic has exerted a strong influence. By drawing on the sociological concept of symbolic boundaries, the author demonstrates that Paul in his preaching of 1 Thessalonians used three symbolic resources in order to create boundaries for the formation of the Thessalonian community: the kerygmatic narrative, local narratives, and ethical norms. This interdisciplinary study suggests that contemporary preachers, who face the task of forming Christian communities in a post-Christian society, should preach shared narratives and communal norms for the creation of boundaries as Paul did.

This book increases awareness about Paul’s community formation preaching which has been widely ignored in the contemporary homiletical field where the New Homiletic has exerted a strong influence. By drawing on the sociological concept of symbolic boundaries, the author demonstrates that Paul in his preaching of 1 Thessalonians used three symbolic resources in order to create boundaries for the formation of the Thessalonian community: the kerygmatic narrative, local narratives, and ethical norms. This interdisciplinary study suggests that contemporary preachers, who face the task of forming Christian communities in a post-Christian society, should preach shared narratives and communal norms for the creation of boundaries as Paul did.