Reading the Bible Badly: How American Christians Misunderstand and Misuse Their Scriptures - Paperback
by Karl Allen Kuhn (Author)
Reading the Bible Badly exposes how American Christians misunderstand and misuse the Bible, reading Scripture through "lenses" that distort its true character. As Americans, we often read the Bible's stories and instruction unmindful of their historical and cultural settings, disregarding the testimony of our spiritual ancestors, and finding mostly a mirror image of our own values and selves in Scripture. Some of us insist that the Bible must be the "inerrant word of God," historically factual in every way and doctrinally infallible, and overlook so much of what makes Scripture beautiful and relevant. Others follow a lectionary that dices and splices Scripture into bite-size morsels for Sunday worship, divorces passages from their biblical settings, strikes verses deemed offensive, and undermines the literary artistry that is the lifeblood of Scripture's profound revelation. Many of us read the Bible in fear, warping our witness to Jesus and tragically neglecting Scripture's ever-persistent call to compassion, hospitality, and love. We come to the Bible looking for simple rules that affirm our sense of right and wrong, while missing the point of what Jesus taught about wisdom and true righteousness. Reading the Bible Badly challenges Christians to set aside their misaligned lenses, that they may encounter the Bible more fully and faithfully.
Karl Allen Kuhn is Professor of Religion and Grace Chair of Religious Studies at Lakeland University in Plymouth, Wisconsin. He has authored several books, including Having Words with God (2007), The Heart of Biblical Narrative (2009), The Kingdom According to Luke and Acts (2015), and Insights from Cultural Anthropology (2018). Karl earned an MDiv from Eden Theological Seminary and a PhD in biblical studies from Marquette University.
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