What kinds of experiences do we have with the poor and the oppressed around the world? What do we really know about the ins and outs of the lives of those who exist in a world of extreme poverty or oppression? Global Scenes of Biblical Injustice simplifies and synthesizes the bewildering array of research and technical data which exists regarding these issues. Through the use of colorful, informative, and thoughtful vignettes, this book paints an easily understandable picture of the true nature of what may be called biblical injustice. This thought-provoking book incorporates challenges for a Christian response regarding those whose daily plights fly in the face of what Scripture teaches about justice.

We live in an age in which economic, ecological, and political crises are not the exception, but the rule. The Cold War polarities that shaped an earlier “political exegesis” have been replaced; increasingly, crisis is the engine of a global “turbo-capitalism.” Here, biblical scholars and activists describe and exemplify the shape of a biblical interpretation that takes contemporary crisis seriously. Succinct opening essays summarize the salient aspects of our critical situation; in later parts, contributions address themes of economic, political, and environmental crisis in dialogue with biblical texts.

In the words of Saint Augustine, the Bible is long, complicated, and difficult to read. Orange Proverbs & Purple Parables is a book about reading the Bible. How does one become a more spiritually discerning and critically appreciative reader of the Holy Scriptures? What does it take to become a better interpreter of biblical texts? This book explores wide-ranging approaches and considerations germane to the enterprise of reading. The catch phrase used throughout the book is that of reading the Holy Scriptures as scripture. What goes into reading the Bible as scripture? What are some of the major elements inherent in this endeavor that should be of concern to the one who aspires to become a deep, thoughtful reader and an effective interpreter? This book weaves through a labyrinth of characters and disciplines as it explores this enterprise of reading the Holy Scriptures. The likes of Chomsky, Augustine, neuroscience, Barth, linguistics, theological interpretation, Origen, metaphor theory, devotional reading, and Jerome, along with many more people and fields of inquiry, are all garnered to encourage the reader in an exploration of the enterprise of reading the Holy Scriptures.

Learn to Do Right. Seek Justice. Defend the Oppressed. God's justice, his "setting things right," is a foundational principle of the Bible. This NIV Bible traces His plan for justice to triumph from Genesis to Revelation, and explores this theme that forms the backbone of Scripture. God's plan is to restore the flourishing of creation and to see the end of evil, and every book of the Bible is infused with hints of this powerful and redemptive process. Designed to inform and inspire, NIV God's Justice: The Holy Bible carefully addresses the timeless and universal issues around injustice. Written by a team of international writers who bring a global perspective to these issues, NIV God's Justice: The Holy Bible is designed to fire readers’ passion for social justice and take positive steps to bring justice issues to light in their own circle of influence. The writers come from every continent, representing organizations such as the International Justice Mission, Compassion and World Vision. Well-Known UK and US contributors include Kirsh Kandiah, Tim Stafford, Andy Crouch, Ron Sider, and Joel Edwards. However you understand justice currently, you will be encouraged to learn that there is even more to God's perspective on justice than you thought. Features: Complete text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) Book introductions for every book in the Bible highlight how the theme of God’s justice is addressed throughout the entire Bible Study notes on passages that speak to the problems of injustice in the world (governmental oppression, human trafficking, slavery, financial inequality, and more) and how God’s overall plan is to restore his creation Prayers and questions for reflection at the end of each book of the Bible World Christian perspective on God’s justice presented by 56 international scholars and writers Full-color interior design with wood-carving images of trees from around the world

The Bible is not a system of theological propositions but a series of witnesses to God's redemptive acts in response to need. Recurring motifs, such as the exodus, covenant or messianic king have emerged in response to need and been adapted in different situations of need. This process culminates in the Christ-event.

The Global Bible Commentary invites its users to expand their horizon by reading the Bible with scholars from all over the world and from different religious persuasions. These scholars have approaches and concerns that often are poles apart. Yet they share two basic convictions: biblical interpretation always matters; and reading the Bible “with others” is highly rewarding. Each of the short commentaries of the Global Bible Commentary is a readily accessible guide for reading a biblical book. Written for undergraduate and seminary students and their teachers, as well as for pastors, priests, and Adult Sunday School classes, it introduces the users to the main features of the biblical book and its content. Yet each short commentary does more. It also brings us a precious gift, namely the opportunity of reading this biblical book as if for the first time. By making explicit the specific context and the concerns from which she/he reads the Bible, the scholar points out to us the significance of aspects of the biblical text that we simply took for granted or overlooked. Need more info? Download Global Bible Commentary Marketing Brochure PDF Free Adobe Acrobat Reader! If any book demonstrates the value of cultural criticism and the importance of particularity in interpretation, this is it! Scholars from diverse social locations in every continent bring their distinctive context to bear on the act of interpreting. In so doing, they shed eye-opening light on the biblical texts. The resulting critical dialogue with the Bible exposes the oppressive as well as the liberating dynamics of the texts while at the same time showing how the Bible might address the social, political, cultural, and economic dynamics of our world today. This collection can change the way you read the Bible—scholars and students, clergy and laity alike. -David Rhoads, Professor of New Testament, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, IL Contributors: Daniel Patte, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. A French Huguenot (Église Réformée de France), he taught two years in Congo-Brazzaville, and “read the Bible with” people in France, Switzerland, South Africa, Botswana, the Philippines, as well as in the USA. His publications include books on hermeneutics and semiotics (such as Early Jewish Hermeneutics, 1975; The Religious Dimensions of Biblical Texts, 1990); on Paul and Matthew (such as Paul's Faith and the Power of the Gospel, 1983; The Gospel according to Matthew: A Structural Commentary on Matthew's Faith, 1987), as well as, most directly related to the GBC, Ethics of Biblical Interpretation (1995), The Challenge of Discipleship (1999), Reading Israel in Romans: Legitimacy and Plausibility of Divergent Interpretations (ed. with Cristina Grenholm, 2000), The Gospel of Matthew: A Contextual Introduction (with Monya Stubbs, Justin Ukpong, and Revelation Velunta, 2003). José Severino Croatto,. Professor of Exegesis, Hebrew, and Religious Studies, at Instituto Superior Evangélico de Estudios Teológicos (ISEDET). A contributor to Revista de Interpretación Bíblica Latinoamericana (= RIBLA) and the Movement of Popular Reading of the Bible, he published 22 books, including three volumes on hermeneutics, Exodus, A Hermeneutics of Freedom (1981); Biblical Hermeneutics. Toward a Theory of Reading as the Production of Meaning (1987); Hermenéutica Práctica. Los principios de la hermenéutica bíblica en ejemplos (2002); three volumes on Génesis 1-11 (1974; 1986; 1997), the last one, Exilio y sobrevivencia. Tradiciones contraculturales en el Pentateuco; three volumes on the book of Isaiah (1988; 1994; 2001), the last one, Imaginar el futuro. Estructura retórica y querigma del Tercer Isaías (Isaías 56-66); two volumes on Religious Studies (1994; 2002), the last one, Experiencia de lo sagrado y tradiciones religiosas. Estudio de fenomenología de la religión (2002). Rev. Dr. Nicole Wilkinson Duran, after teaching New Testament in the USA, South Africa (Zululand), in Turkey, is currently teaching part-time at Rosemont College and Villanova University, and with her husband raising twin sons in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. She has published articles on topics ranging from gender and race in Esther, to the unread Bible in Toni Morrison’s novels, to body symbolism in the story of John the Baptist’s execution, and edited (with G. Phillips) Reading Communities Reading Scripture (2002). She is an ordained Presbyterian minister and does occasional preaching and adult Christian education. Teresa Okure, SHCJ, a graduate from the University of Ibadan, La Sorbonne, École Biblique of Jerusalem, and Fordham University (Ph.D.), is Professor of New Testament and Gender Hermeneutics at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is or has been a member of the executive committees of several associations, including EATWOT (Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, as Executive Secretary), the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS), and the Society for New Testament Studies (SNTS). She published more than 100 articles and six books including The Johannine Approach to Mission: a Contextual Study of John 4:1-42 (1988), ed. Evaluating the Inculturation of Christianity in Africa (1990) and ed. To Cast Fire upon the Earth: Bible and Mission. Collaborating in Today’s Multicultural Global Context (2000). Archie Chi_Chung Lee, Professor of Hebrew Bible, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. A specialist of cross-textual hermeneutics, especially Chinese text and the post-exilic biblical tradition. He is the author of several books including A Commentary on the Book of Koheleth, (in Chinese 1990), Doing Theology with Asian Resources: Ten Years in the Formation of Living Theology in Asia (1993, ed.) and Interpretation of the Megilloth (in Chinese 2003) and numerous articles including "Genesis One and the Plagues Tradition in Ps. 105," Vetus Testamentum, 40, (1990): 257-263, "Biblical Interpretation in Asian Perspective," Asia Journal of Theology, 7, (1993): 35-39, "The Chinese Creation Myth of Nu Kua and the Biblical Narrative in Genesis 1-11," Biblical Interpretation 2 (1994): 312-324, "Cross-Textual Hermeneutics on Gospel and Culture". Asia Journal of Theology 10 (1996): 38-48 and "Biblical Interpretation of the Return in the Postcolonial Hong Kong," Biblical Interpretation, 9 (1999): 164-173.

Readers of this volume—200 Devotionals from the Hebrew Bible—will find nuggets of wisdom in short devotionals written by the author and her students. Each devotional includes (1) one or two verses in Hebrew, (2) an English translation, (3) a brief explanation of the biblical context, (4) an exposition for life application, (5) a few New Testament verses, (6) a prayer, and (7) space for personal reflections. The rich spiritual truths found in the devotionals are designed to provide nourishment for all believers, including academics, church leaders, congregants, students, and youth. The Hebrew texts included in the devotionals are drawn both from prosaic and poetic texts found in the Torah, historical books, and wisdom literature. They cover themes such as the image of God in humans, healthy relationships, managing God’s blessings, dealing with doubts, responding to God’s call, and much more.