Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes
$24.99
Introduction: Coming To Terms With Our Cultural Blinders
Part One: Above The Surface
1. Serving Two Masters: Mores
2. The Bible In Color: Race And Ethnicity
3. Just Words? Language
Part Two: Just Below The Surface
4. Captain Of My Soul: Individualism And Collectivism
5. Have You No Shame? Honor/Shame And Right/Wrong
6. Sand Through The Hourglass: Time
Part Three: Deep Below The Surface
7. First Things First: Rules And Relationships
8. Getting Right Wrong: Virtue And Vice
9. Its All About Me: Finding The Center Of Gods Will
Conclusion: Three Easy Steps For Removing Our Cultural Blinders?
Acknowledgments
Resources For Further Exploration
Notes
Additional Info
What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. For example: When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to “dress modestly,” we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most women in that culture would never wear racy clothing. The context suggests that Paul is likely more concerned about economic modesty–that Christian women not flaunt their wealth through expensive clothes, braided hair and gold jewelry.Some readers might assume that Moses married “below himself” because his wife was a dark-skinned Cushite. Actually, Hebrews were the slave race, not the Cushites, who were highly respected. Aaron and Miriam probably thought Moses was being presumptuous by marrying “above himself.”Western individualism leads us to assume that Mary and Joseph traveled alone to Bethlehem. What went without saying was that they were likely accompanied by a large entourage of extended family. Biblical scholars Brandon O’Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O’Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways. Getting beyond our own cultural assumptions is increasingly important for being Christians in our interconnected and globalized world. Learn to read Scripture as a member of the global body of Christ.
in stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
SKU (ISBN): 9780830837823
ISBN10: 0830837825
E. Randolph Richards | Brandon O’Brien
Binding: Trade Paper
Published: November 2012
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Print On Demand Product
Related products
-
Screwtape Letters
$17.99Wormwood, a demon apprentice, must secure the damnation of a young man who’s just become a Christian. He seeks the advice of an experienced devil, his uncle Screwtape. Their correspondence offers invaluable—and often humorous—insights on temptation, pride, and the ultimate victory of faith over evil forces. Paperback with French flaps and deckled page edges.
Add to cart1 in stock (additional units can be purchased)
-
Unshakable Hope Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)
$12.99The Unshakable Hope group Bible study provides groups of all sizes the opportunity to discuss and apply what they experience during the twelve-week Unshakable Hope church campaign.
In this 12-week study, bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado reveals how the heroes in the Bible came from all walks of life. They were rulers, servants, teachers, doctors. They were male, female, single, married. Yet one common denominator united them: they all put their faith in God’s promises. Because of God’s promises, Noah built an ark on dry land, Abraham went to a distant land, Joshua claimed the Promised Land, David became king, Peter preached the first sermon, and John caught a glimpse of the future.The stories of the men and women in Scripture were different, but the theme was the same: they were people of the Promise. Since the beginning of time, God’s relationship to humankind has been shaped by specific requirements and promises. These covenants were unchangeable decrees that defined the outflow of history. Some of the promises were positive, the assurance of blessings. Some of them were negative, the guarantee of consequence. But all the promises were binding.
This world has a tremble to it. There are things that seem unsteady in this life. But when we belong to God, it allows us to filter our problems through the promises of God. When crises arise, we can simply mutter, “But God said…” When struggles threaten, we can be seen flipping through the Bible, saying, “I know that God said something about this.” When we choose to be people of the promise, we choose to build our lives on promises of God not the circumstances of life.
It is through the great and precious promises that we participate in the divine nature of God. They sit like golden stones in the pathway to God’s world. They are strong boulders that form the bridge over which we walk from our sin to salvation. They aren’t just great, they are “very great”; and they aren’t just valuable, they are “precious.” To bind them around our neck is to adorn ourselves with the finest jewels of the universe. As Dwight Moody put it, “If you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God-you wouldn’t be going about complaining how poor you are. You would lift up your head and proclaim the riches of His Grace, because you couldn’t help doing it.”
Sessions include:
1. You Are Stamped with God’s Image
2. God Will Win the Victory
3. You Are an Heir of God
4. Your Prayers Have Power
5Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
-
Pray First Study Guide Plus Streaming Video (Student/Study Guide)
$21.99Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian faith, but many of us struggle to make it part of our daily lives. We’re intimidated, uncertain, and embarrassed about how to talk to God. Prayer feels quaint and old-fashioned to some of us and sacred and uncomfortable for others. We know it’s important to pray, but we don’t know how to weave it into the daily fabric of how we live.
In Pray First, bestselling author and pastor Chris Hodges addresses these issues by walking participants through the fundamentals of prayer and the benefits that can be obtained by having daily interaction with God. He also explores several models of prayer that can be found in Scripture and discusses the power of prayer and fasting.
Sessions include:
*Practicing Prayer
*Praying Leads to Power
*Communicating with God
*Focusing Our Prayers
*Fasting and Prayer
*Building a Prayer ShieldTimeless and specific, practical and profound, challenging and encouraging, Pray First is the how-to manual on experiencing prayer in ways that are dynamic, intimate, and incredibly personal. Never again will prayer be a last resort once we understand how to Pray First!
Designed for use with Pray First Video Study (sold separately).
Add to cartin stock within 3-5 days of online purchase
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.