Rate this book

Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders To Better Understand The Bible (2012)

by E. Randolph Richards(Favorite Author)

4.3 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0830837825 (ISBN13: 9780830837823)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

IVP Books

review 1: This very readable book has broadened my understanding of how to read the Bible. Richards and O'Brien discuss the cultural blinders that keep western readers from understanding the original intent of the biblical authors. They discuss a series of nine aspects of culture that lead to wrong interpretation of scripture, ranging from mores, race, and language to collectivism vs. individualism, virtue and vice, and believing that God's will is centered on me as an individual. I found their discussion of the individual versus the collective to be particularly interesting. Individualism is such an ingrained American value that it is very difficult to read the scriptures from a collectivist point of view (e.g., where the "you" of scripture is plural rather than singular). This a... morelone leads to a paradigm shift in understanding the Biblical authors. Moreover, recognizing that God's promises and warnings are collective can help alleviate personal guilt and spur each of us to provide greater care for others. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in better understanding the Bible.
review 2: Let me get this out of the way first - the writing is not great. That said the concepts are well presented and should be helpful to those seeking a deeper understanding of scripture. I thought the chapters on Honor/Shame vs. Right/Wrong, Virtue & Vice and finding the center of God's will to be the most helpful. The broader and more interesting thing to me is that many "emergent" churches are already pushing Christian's to think in a more "eastern" way. While the authors don't go out of their way to decry the theology of the emergent movement they certainly distance themselves from it while at the same time endorsing much of the same thought. All that to say anything that encourages 21st century believers to get out of their boxes and take a more nuanced view of faith is in my opinion a very good thing. less

Download links for: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible

Advertising