issue to test his thesis of the durability of true faith. As we saw in the introduction and greeting, James’s dispersed readers were experiencing hardship as they tried to come to terms with their new identities as Jewish Christians in a culture that despised both Jews and Christians. In a social context like that, it’s understandable that these trials would push many toward a more comfortable alternative—either go back to Judaism or stop living out their faith in Christ. But this situation—or something