Description
Book SynopsisWe cannot keep up with current events, or even have conversations with family and friends these days, without a pertinent topic coming up: What does the Bible teach and what does it not teach? Does the Bible Tell Me So? addresses this question by first examining how the Bible has been misinterpreted in the past regarding slavery and women’s suffrage (topics on which we now agree), and then asks if we are making the same mistakes in interpretation today regarding current issues (see Table of Contents). To correctly interpret an inspired biblical author’s intended teaching, we must consider various contexts: the literary form of the biblical book, the shared presumptions of the author and audience, and the time in the 2,000 year process of revelation that is presented in the Bible when the author’s teaching appeared. When we fail to consider context, we often abuse texts to support what we already think. The result is that we use the Bible as our authority to act prejudicially toward other beloved children of God. In other words, we take God’s name in vain. How do I know this? The Bible tells me so.
Trade ReviewAll Christians know that reading the Bible is important, but not many of us know how to do it. We pick and choose verses, post them on our social media, and use them to reinforce what we already believe. If scripture is to be a prophetic and transforming text for our age, we’ve got to learn to read in context—in the perspective of the literary form, the setting of ancient culture, the situation of the author’s world view, and the framework of God’s whole revelation. Explore the most hotly-contested biblical issues in our day by letting Margaret Nutting Ralph help you determine whether or not the Bible tells you so. -- Stephen J. Binz, founder, Bridge-B.com
The concept and approach of this book are brilliant. In a clear, logical manner, Margaret Nutting Ralph makes a compelling case for reading scripture in context and cautioning the reader from discerning messages in scripture that were never intended. In doing so, she empowers the reader to discern rich meaning from scripture that she or he may have missed otherwise. -- Leif Kehrwald, general editor, The Catholic Faith and Family Bible, Harper Catholic Bibles
Margaret Nutting Ralph is an excellent pedagogue who has the uncanny ability to help believers to appreciate both the importance and the limitations of scripture for Christian living today. -- Charles E. Curran, Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values, Southern Methodist University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1 Considering Context 2 Slavery Is Moral: Does the Bible Tell Me So? No 3 Women Should Not Vote: Their Place Is in the Home: Does the Bible Tell Me So? No 4 Jesus Loves Me: Does the Bible Tell Me So? Yes 5 God Created the World in Six Days: The Theory of Evolution Is Incompatible with Scripture: Does the Bible Tell Me So? No 6 Homosexual People Cannot Marry: Does the Bible Tell Me So? No 7 Divorce and Remarriage Is Always Wrong: There Are No Exceptions: Does the Bible Tell Me So? No 8 Christ Is Present in Eucharist: Does the Bible Tell Me So? Yes 9 Christ Established a Hierarchical Church: Does the Bible Tell Me So? Yes: But This Is a Partial Truth 10 Scripture Shows a Growing Interest in Mary: Does the Bible Tell Me So? Yes 11 Only Christians Can Be Saved: Does the Bible Tell Me So? No 12 The End Is Coming! The End Is Coming!: Does the Bible Tell Me So? Well, It Depends on What You Mean by “The End” Postscript Bibliography Biblical Index About the Author
