"Christian social concern requires not only that we ask what we should "do" in a broken world but also that we ask who we are to "be."" Bruce C. Birch pursues this idea to its roots in the Old Testament, challenging today's Christians to strengthen their faith by a deeper understanding of their biblical inheritance. He looks at the Old Testament, often neglected or misunderstood, as a basis for social witness, essential to both individuals and the community.

Bruce C. Birch is Dean and Woodrow W. and Mildred B. Miller Professor of Biblical Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He is a contributing author to volume II of the New Interpreter's Bible and The Old Testament: A Theological Introduction.