The Bible in Political Debate: What Does it Really Say?

— —

Frances Flannery (James Madison University, USA) Rodney A. Werline (Barton College, USA)

The Bible in Political Debate

What Does it Really Say?

Frances Flannery (James Madison University, USA), Rodney A. Werline (Barton College, USA)

$288.95 $259.88

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

T.& T.Clark Ltd
22 September 2016

Religion & politics

Politicians and pundits regularly invoke the Bible in social and political debates on a host of controversial social and political issues, including:

abortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, the death penalty, separation of church and state, family values, climate change, income distribution, teaching evolution in schools, taxation, school prayer, aid for the poor, and immigration. But is the Bible often used out of context in these major debates?

This book includes essays by fourteen biblical scholars who examine the use of the Bible in political debates, uncovering the original historical contexts and meanings of the biblical verses that are commonly cited. The contributors take a non-confessional approach, rooted in non-partisan scholarship, to show how specific texts have at times been distorted in order to support particular views. At the same time, they show how the Bible can sometimes make for unsettling reading in the modern day. The key questions remain: What does the Bible really say? Should the Bible be used to form public policy?

Edited by: Frances Flannery (James Madison University USA), Rodney A. Werline (Barton College, USA)
Imprint: T.& T.Clark Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 409g
ISBN: 9780567666611
ISBN 10: 0567666611
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 22 September 2016
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

"Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: The Bible and Political Debate: What Does it Really Say? – Frances Flannery, James Madison University, U.S.A. and Rodney Werline, Barton College, Wilson, North Carolina, U.S.A. Part I: The Bible in Contemporary Political Debate 1. The Bible and Family Values (Marriage is Between One Man and One Woman) – Andrew Klumpp and Jack Levison, Southern Methodist University 2. Diasporas ""R"" Us: Attitudes Toward Immigrants in the Bible – Hector Avalos 3. Ending a Life that Has Not Begun – Abortion in the Bible, Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands 4. Senators, Snowballs, and Scripture: The Bible and Climate Change – Frances Flannery, James Madison University, U.S.A. 5. Work, Poverty and Welfare, Rodney A. Werline, Barton College, Wilson, North Carolina, U.S.A. 6. Culture Wars, the Bible, and Homosexuality – Jonathan L. Jackson 7. The Bible and Divine Sanctioning of Governments – Colleen Shantz, University of Toronto, Canada 8. Teaching Evolution vs Creationism – Daniel K. Falk, Pennsylvania State University, USA Part II: The Bible in Historical Political Debate 9. Tracing the Use of the Bible in Colonial Land Claims in North America – Judith H. Newman, University of Toronto, Canada 10. The Bible, Slavery, and Political Debate – Emerson B. Powery, Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. 11. Women, the Bible, and the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution – Christopher Rollston, George Washington University, U.S.A. Part III: Concluding Thoughts 12. What is the Bible? – Kelley N. Coblentz Bautch 13. Compromise as a Biblical Value – John Kutsko, Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature, U.S.A."

Frances Flannery is Director at the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Terrorism and Peace, and Professor of Religion at James Madison University, USA. Rodney A. Werline is Professor of Religious Studies, Leman and Marie Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies, and Director, Barton College Center for Religious Studies at Barton College, USA.

Reviews for The Bible in Political Debate: What Does it Really Say?

Modern American politicians often refer to Scripture in speeches and in support of policy, and they are rarely fact-checked by the experts. In this accessible, vibrant collection of essays, nonpartisan Biblical scholars of many creeds, including nonbelievers, examine what the Bible really says about family values, women's rights, homosexuality, abortion and even how to deal with man-caused climate change, and present some surprising answers to the vital question of how and whether the Bible can be the basis of the secular nation's public policy. Nina Burleigh, National Politics Correspondent, Newsweek Magazine The essays in this book confront head on without apology the complicated and thorny relationship that Americans have with the Bible from the first colonizers who saw themselves as the 'city on the hill' to the First Amendment and the establishment of a 'wall of separation' between church and state. It sets up for us a series of difficult questions. How could both slavers and abolitionists use the Bible to bolster their positions? How could the Bible be used to justify keeping women from the vote as well as supporting their bid to vote? How have people of opposite opinions used the Bible to argue that God is on their side? A powerful book that puts us at the center of the storm. April DeConick, Rice University, USA This fine book colors in what others have only sketched out - the Bible's constant presence beside and impact on the American experience. It is an insightful look at how the politics of the past are not so different from the politics of now, especially when viewed through the lens of the Bible. Kimberly Winston, Religion News Service This book is for readers of any faith or no faith who have ever heard politicians, pundits, or prophets justify their positions with appeals to scripture and wondered, 'Does the Bible really say that?' Here, Biblical scholars go about exploring that question in ways that are illuminating, surprising and provocative. Their essays combine top-notch research and much needed candor with sensitivity and wit. Mark Chancey, Southern Methodist University, USA