Download or read book The Violence of Scripture written by Eric A. Seibert and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No one can read far in the Old Testament without encountering numerous acts of violence that are sanctioned in the text and attributed to both God and humans. Over the years, these texts have been used to justify all sorts of violence: from colonizing people and justifying warfare, to sanctioning violence against women and children. Eric Seibert confrons the problem of "virtuous" violence and urges people to engage in an ethically responsible reading of these troublesome texts. He offers a variety of reading strategies designed to critique textually sanctioned violence, while still finding ways to use even the most difficult texts constructively, thus providing a desperately needed approach to the violence of Scripture that can help us live more peaceably in a world plagued by religious violence. --from publisher description

Download or read book Encountering Violent Texts in Scripture written by Matthew Lloyd Kelley and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: This project explores how pastors trained in biblical scholarship can expose lay persons to scholarly exegesis in a way that is both precise and accessible, so that lay persons are empowered to do the work of hermeneutical meaning-making in community. The case study involves four violent episodes from Exodus 11 through 17, with exegetical presentations focused on putting the text in context and highlighting relevant features of the text when leading a group of lay persons in considering how these stories influence the way they deal with issues of violence in the modern world. In reflecting on practice, special attention is paid to the necessity of balancing personal and public implications found in the text when facilitating small group discussion, as well as how unpredictable factors like current events can change the course of even the most carefully planned studies.

Download or read book Violence in the Hebrew Bible written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-07-27 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Violence in the Hebrew Bible scholars reflect on texts of violence in the Hebrew Bible, as well as their often problematic reception history. Authoritative texts and traditions can be rewritten and adapted to new circumstances and insights. Texts are subject to a process of change. The study of the ways in which these (authoritative) biblical texts are produced and/or received in various socio-historical circumstances discloses a range of theological and ideological perspectives. In reflecting on these issues, the central question is how to allow for a given text’s plurality of possible and realised meanings while also retaining the ability to form critical judgments regarding biblical exegesis. This volume highlight that violence in particular is a fruitful area to explore this tension.

Download or read book Encountering Violence in the Bible written by Markus Zehnder and published by Sheffield Phoenix Press Limited. This book was released on 2013 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our world is full of violence, with repeated acts of terrorism and generally rising rates of violent criminal acts as the most obvious forms of the phenomenon in the Western world. It even reached the peaceful shores of Norway in the summer of 2011. This was one of the reasons why the first international meeting of the Norwegian Summer Academy for Biblical Studies was devoted to the topic 'Violence as an Ethical Challenge in the Bible'. Eighteen biblical scholars from nine different countries (Joshua Berman, Lennart Bostrom, Friedmann Eissler, Torleif Elgvin, LarsOlov Eriksson, Karin Finsterbusch, Georg Fischer, Terence E. Fretheim, Hallvard Hagelia, Dana M. Harris, Robert L. Hubbard, Jr, Arstein Justnes, Gordon McConville, Kirsten Nielsen, Tommy Wasserman, Karl William Weyde, Peter Wick and Markus Zehnder) met on the beautiful premises of Ansgar Theological Seminary to discuss some of the most fundamental aspects of the topic. The papers presented at the conference are collected in the present volume, dealing mostly with the Hebrew Bible, but covering also the New Testament, Jewish literature from the Second Temple period and the Qur'an. The contributions reflect a refreshing variety of scholarly and theological approaches. One of the fundamental questions addressed in several studies is how biblical texts justifying violence can be properly understood and used today. Other questions raised are how violent some of the often-criticized biblical passages really are and how violence can be overcome.

Download or read book People of the Book written by Craig Considine and published by Hurst Publishers. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Christians that lived around the Arabian Peninsula during Muhammad’s lifetime are shrouded in mystery. Some of the stories of the Prophet’s interactions with them are based on legends and myths, while others are more authentic and plausible. But who exactly were these Christians? Why did Muhammad interact with them as he reportedly did? And what lessons can today’s Christians and Muslims learn from these encounters? Scholar Craig Considine, one of the most powerful global voices speaking in admiration of the prophet of Islam, provides answers to these questions. Through a careful study of works by historians and theologians, he highlights an idea central to Muhammad’s vision: an inclusive Ummah, or Muslim nation, rooted in citizenship rights, interfaith dialogue, and freedom of conscience, religion and speech. In this unprecedented sociological analysis of one of history’s most influential human beings, Considine offers groundbreaking insight that could redefine Christian and Muslim relations.

Download or read book Scripture and Violence written by Julia Snyder and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the public sphere, it is often assumed that acts of violence carried out by Muslims are inspired by their religious commitment and encouraged by the Qur’an. Some people express similar concerns about the scriptures and actions of Christians and Jews. Might they be right? What role do scriptural texts play in motivating and justifying violence in these three traditions? Scripture and Violence explores the complex relationship between scriptural texts and real-world acts of violence. A variety of issues are addressed, including the prevalent modern tendency to express more concern about other people’s texts and violence than one’s own, to treat interpretation and application of scriptural passages as self-evident, and to assume that the actions of religious people are directly motivated by what they read in scriptures. Contributions come from a diverse group of scholars of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity with varying perspectives on the issues. Highlighting the complex relationship between texts and human actions, this is an essential read for students and academics studying religion and violence, Abrahamic religions, or scriptural interpretation. Scripture and Violence will also be of interest to researchers working on religion and politics, sociology and anthropology of religion, socio-political approaches to scriptural texts, and issues surrounding religion, secularity, and the public sphere. This volume could also form a basis for discussions in churches, synagogues, mosques, interfaith settings, and government agencies. The editors of Scripture and Violence have also set up a website including lesson plans/discussion guides for the different chapters in the book, available here: https://www.scriptureandviolence.org/scripture-and-violence-book-and-chapter-discussion-guides

Download or read book Violence in Scripture written by Jerome F.D. Creach and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible frequently depicts God as angry and violent, and sometimes depicts human violence as positive or even as commanded by God. This forms one of the most vexing problems in approaching Scripture and interpreting the Bible for preaching and teaching today. In this volume, Creach first examines the theological problems of violence and categorizes the types of violence that appear in scripture. He then wrestles with the most important biblical texts on violence to work through specific interpretational issues. This new volume in the Interpretation: Resources for Use of Scripture in the Church series will help preachers and pastors interpret those difficult texts, encouraging them to face violence in the Bible with honesty.

Download or read book Does the Bible Justify Violence written by John Joseph Collins and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this clarifying essay, renowned biblical scholar John Collins delves into the lethal side of the biblical text, asking whether the Bible endorses or even foments violence and how its many violent texts may best be understood in today's volatile religious and political context. This work is based on his Presidential Address to the Society of Biblical Literature.

Download or read book Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts written by Frances Taylor Gench and published by Presbyterian Publishing Corp. This book was released on 2015-05-18 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible includes any number of "tyrannical texts" that have proved to be profoundly oppressive in the lives of many people. Among them are Pauline texts that have circumscribed the lives and ministries of women throughout Christian history. What are people who honor Scripture to do with such texts, and what does it mean to speak of biblical authority in their presence? In Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts, Frances Taylor Gench provides strategies for engaging such texts with integrity- that is, without dismissing them, whitewashing them, or acquiescing to them-and as potential sources of edification for the church. Gench also facilitates reflection on the nature and authority of Scripture. Encountering God in Tyrannical Texts provides access to feminist scholarship that can inform preaching and teaching of problematic Pauline texts and encourages public engagement with them.

Download or read book The Bible Violence and the Sacred written by James G. Williams and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2007-10-01 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book represents the first comprehensive application to the whole Bible of RenŽ Girard's theories on violence, civilization, and religion.

Download or read book Violence Scripture and Textual Practices in Early Judaism and Christianity written by Raanan Shaul Boustan and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2010 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume analyzes the emergence of Jewish and Christian discourses of religious violence within their Roman imperial context with an emphasis on the shared textual practices through which authoritative scriptural traditions were redeployed to represent, legitimate, and indeed sacralize violence.

Download or read book Fighting Words written by John Renard and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2012-12-31 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the critical issues in interreligious relations today is the connection, both actual and perceived, between sacred sources and the justification of violent acts as divinely mandated. Fighting Words makes solid text-based scholarship accessible to the general public, beginning with the premise that a balanced approach to religious pluralism in our world must build on a measured, well-informed response to the increasingly publicized and sensationalized association of terrorism and large-scale violence with religion. In his introduction, Renard provides background on the major scriptures of seven religious traditions—Jewish, Christian (including both the Old and New Testaments), Islamic, Baha’i, Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Sikh. Eight chapters then explore the interpretation of select facets of these scriptures, focusing on those texts so often claimed, both historically and more recently, as inspiration and justification for every kind of violence, from individual assassination to mass murder. With its nuanced consideration of a complex topic, this book is not merely about the religious sanctioning of violence but also about diverse ways of reading sacred textual sources.

Download or read book God and Violence written by Patricia M. McDonald and published by Herald Press (VA). This book was released on 2004 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the medieval crusades to the latest violence in the Middle East, warriors have long claimed the Bible's support for their battles. Patricia M. McDonald argues that many biblical stories, read as part of a canon from Genesis to Revelation, contain resources for turning violence to service of God and humanity. As varied and complex as life itself, these narratives can provide us with imaginative possibilities and steady motivation to move beyond the narrow defensiveness and self-interest that are becoming ever more problematic in an increasingly interconnected world.

Download or read book Killing Enmity written by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is the New Testament inherently violent? In this book a well-regarded New Testament scholar offers a balanced critical assessment of charges and claims that the Christian scriptures encode, instigate, or justify violence. Thomas Yoder Neufeld provides a useful introduction to the language of violence in current theological discourse and surveys a wide range of key ethical New Testament texts through the lens of violence/nonviolence. He makes the case that, contrary to much scholarly opinion, the New Testament is not in itself inherently violent or supportive of violence; instead, it rejects and overcomes violence. [Published in the UK by SPCK as Jesus and the Subversion of Violence: Wrestling with the New Testament Evidence.]

Download or read book Nonviolence written by Preston M. Sprinkle and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2021-04-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a unique narrative approach, Sprinkle begins by looking at how the story of God as a whole portrays violence and war, drawing conclusions that guide the reader through the rest of the book. With urgency and precision, he navigates hard questions and examines key approaches to violence, driving every answer back to Scripture. Ultimately, Sprinkle challenges the church to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling" and shape our lives on the example of Christ. Nonviolence: The Revolutionary Way of Jesus is biblically rooted, theologically coherent, and prophetically challenging. It is a defining work that will stir discussions for years to come.

Download or read book A Cry Instead of Justice written by Dereck Daschke and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-07-01 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within a book widely touted as the path to peace, violence has incongruously been central to the Bible and how it is used. This collection book examines the manifestations of violence in Scripture, and the ways that Scripture itself - whether violent in content or not - can be used to justify violence and aggression in specific social circumstances today. The book is divided into two parts. The first half explores some incidents of Biblical violence that, rather than appearing at the forefront of the narrative, reflect that ancient Jewish culture (including the early Christian movement recorded in the New Testament) treats violence as an undeniable fact of the social world in which biblical figures live. In these essays, psychological theory and interpretation focus on the effect of this culture of violence in the behavior, expectations, and failures of Biblical figures, in order to re-evaluate the messages of these texts in light of their accepted, but largely unacknowledged,aggression. The second half uses psychological models to understand how Biblical doctrine and ideals shape the world in which we live, and introduce patterns of aggression and acceptance of violence into family, cultural, and political situations. Altogether, this collection of essays seeks to shed light on how the Bible relates to violence - and how many people relate to violence, consciously or not, through the stories and dynamics.

Download or read book One Coin Found written by Emmy Kegler and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The stories of Scripture are for everyone. No exceptions. Emmy Kegler has a complicated relationship with the Bible. As a queer woman who grew up in both conservative Evangelical and progressive Protestant churches, she knows too well how Scripture can be used to wound and exclude. And yet, the stories of Scripture continue to captivate and inspire her--both as a person of faith and as a pastor to a congregation. So she set out to fall in love with the Bible, wrestling with the stories inside, where she met a God who continues to seek us out--appearing again and again as a voice, a presence, and a promise. Whenever we are pushed to the edges, our voices silenced, or our stories dismissed, God goes out after us--seeking us until we are found again. And God is seeking out those whose voices we too quickly silence and dismiss, too. Because God's story is a story of welcome and acceptance for everyone--no exceptions. Kegler shows us that even when we feel like lost and dusty coins--rusted from others' indifference, misspent and misused--God picks up a broom and sweeps every corner of creation to find us.