Promise, along with gift, is among the predominant metaphors in the Western Christian tradition for describing God's gracious actions. Being Promised argues that promise is itself a kind of double gift -- one when the promise is given, one when it is fulfilled -- and analyzes the power, time, and place of God's promise.

Gregory Walter offers a theologically rich analysis of promise, anthropological and phenomenological reflection on gift exchange, and a critical appreciation of other theological appropriations of gift to support his argument. Walter clarifies the phenomenon of promise as gift and shows its theological, hermeneutical, and ethical significance. No other book theologically examines promise and gift exchange like this one does.