The Sins of ScriptureThe Sins of Scripture
Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love
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Book, 2005
Current format, Book, 2005, 1st ed, No Longer Available.Book, 2005
Current format, Book, 2005, 1st ed, No Longer Available. Offered in 0 more formatsThe Bible, regarded as a sacred text by millions of believers, also has been quoted by politicians and church leaders to give authority to deep-seated prejudices or to justify questionable practices. As a result, the Bible has emerged in the twenty-first century as a highly political and surprisingly controversial book.
In The Sins of Scripture America's most progressive and outspoken Christian leader, John Shelby Spong, surveys the great conflicts in Western history. He reveals, for instance, how the Bible was used to oppose the Magna Carta and support the divine right of kings, to condemn the insights of Galileo and Charles Darwin, and to support slavery and later apartheid and segregation. Christian leaders used the Bible to justify the Crusades and their unspeakable horrors against Muslim peoples, as
well as the murderous behavior of the Inquisition and the virulent anti-Semitism of the Holocaust. The Bible is still quoted in the church to justify treating women as second-class citizens. Today it is the chief weapon of politicians and preachers seeking to deny justice for gay and lesbian people. In addition, the Christian church, while claiming allegiance to this book, has encouraged the abuse of children and supported environmental degradation. How can a book called "The Word of God"
leave a trail of such violence, hostility, and death throughout its history?
As a deeply committed Christian, Bishop Spong concludes this book by pointing to a dramatically different way to engage the sacred story of the Judeo-Christian Tradition. Superseding the world of tribal deities, he discovers a God of universal holiness who calls us to love even our enemies. Anyone who has ever felt threatened or overrun by a Bible-quoting, religious mentality operating in the political arena will find this book a must read. Book jacket.
In The Sins of Scripture America's most progressive and outspoken Christian leader, John Shelby Spong, surveys the great conflicts in Western history. He reveals, for instance, how the Bible was used to oppose the Magna Carta and support the divine right of kings, to condemn the insights of Galileo and Charles Darwin, and to support slavery and later apartheid and segregation. Christian leaders used the Bible to justify the Crusades and their unspeakable horrors against Muslim peoples, as
well as the murderous behavior of the Inquisition and the virulent anti-Semitism of the Holocaust. The Bible is still quoted in the church to justify treating women as second-class citizens. Today it is the chief weapon of politicians and preachers seeking to deny justice for gay and lesbian people. In addition, the Christian church, while claiming allegiance to this book, has encouraged the abuse of children and supported environmental degradation. How can a book called "The Word of God"
leave a trail of such violence, hostility, and death throughout its history?
As a deeply committed Christian, Bishop Spong concludes this book by pointing to a dramatically different way to engage the sacred story of the Judeo-Christian Tradition. Superseding the world of tribal deities, he discovers a God of universal holiness who calls us to love even our enemies. Anyone who has ever felt threatened or overrun by a Bible-quoting, religious mentality operating in the political arena will find this book a must read. Book jacket.
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- [San Francisco] : HarperSanFrancisco, c2005.
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