It should take little convincing to acknowledge the emerging importance of the Kingdom of God in theology, New Testament studies, and the life of the church today. Perhaps central to the New Testament itself, this theme is re-aligning much of the church to her true identity and mission in the world. But what exactly is the Kingdom of God? In this book, Nicholas Perrin explores this dominant metaphor, a metaphor that is paradoxically the meta-center and the mystery in Jesus' proclamation. After canvassing interpretations by figures from Ritschl to N. T. Wright, Perrin examines the "what, who, and how" questions of the Kingdom. In his sweepingly comprehensive study, Perrin argues that the Kingdom is inaugurated in Jesus' earthly ministry, but its final development awaits later events in history. In between the times, however, the people of God are called to participate in the reign of God by living out the distinctly Kingdom-ethic through hope, forgiveness, love, and prayer.