Reading the Bible for all the Wrong Reasons:

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Av o i d i n g t h e h e a r ta c h e a n d h e a r t b u r n o f fa l s e e x p e c tat i o n s The Bible can be hazardous to one’s health if it is read with faulty expectations . Writing with insight, compassion, and wit, New Testament scholar Russell Pregeant shows that reading the Bible “without interpretation” is impossible; the right question is, which assumptions are most appropriate to the Bible and our reasons for taking it up? Russell Pregeant identifies the most common and most harmful false assumptions about the Bible, beginning with the expectation that it will always “speak” as directly and immediately as a fortune cookie. The Bible’s authority is not a matter of its factual, historical, or scientific accuracy— so it can hardly “disprove” scientific theories of evolution and the nature of the universe. It does not provide crystal ball-like glimpses of the future, nor a systematic blueprint for personal morality or public policy; these are distortions of the meaning of biblical prophecy and biblical ethics. And while the Bible has long been read as a source for Christian doctrine, Pregeant emphasizes that Christians must take responsibility for their own uses—and abuses—of the biblical text. Only when respect and reason take the place of slogans and ultimatums, he argues, can the Bible exercise an appropriate authority in a mature “life in the Spirit.” In this thoughtful and accessible book, Russell Pregeant engages important questions about reading the Bible. He tackles tough contemporary issues ranging from biblical authority to care for the earth, from the rapture to evolution, from sexual and gender issues to the nature of salvation and the doing of ethics. What emerges is the contribution of the Bible to a compelling vision of the common good and of a just life lived in relation to a gracious God.” —Warren Carter, Professor of New Testament, Brite Divinity School Russell Pregeant is Professor of Religion Emeritus and Chaplain at Curry College and was Lecturer in New Testament at Andover Newton Theological School. He is author of several books, including the Fortress Press textbooks Engaging the New Testament: An Interdisciplinary Introduction (1997), Knowing Truth, Doing Good: Engaging New Testament Ethics (2008), and Encounter with the New Testament (2009). Religion/Bible m p r e g e a n t r e a d i n g t h e b i b l e f o r a l l t h e w r o n g r e a s o n s m “ ...