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The Lost Art of Scripture

Karen Armstrong

$35

Paperback

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English
Vintage
15 September 2020
An urgent review of the use and abuse of holy texts in today's world - and a call for understanding and compassion at a time when religion is viewed as a source of conflict.

'An amazingly wide-ranging book, showing that the world's religious texts can be a force for good today' John Barton, author of A History of the Bible

In our increasingly secular world, holy texts are at best seen as irrelevant, and at worst as an excuse to incite violence, hatred and division. The Quran, the Torah and the Bible are often employed selectively to underwrite arbitrary and subjective views. They are believed to be divinely ordained; they are claimed to contain eternal truths.

But as Karen Armstrong, a world authority on religious affairs, shows in this fascinating journey through millennia of history, this narrow reading of scripture is a relatively recent phenomenon. Armstrong argues that only by rediscovering an open engagement with their holy texts will the world's religions be able to curtail arrogance and intolerance. And if scripture is used to engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways, we will find that it still has a great deal to teach us.

'Magisterial... A dazzling accomplishment' New York Times

'Glorious... Armstrong is the most articulate and generous-hearted exegete of religion writing in English at the present time' A.N. Wilson, New Statesman

By:  
Imprint:   Vintage
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 135mm,  Spine: 135mm
Weight:   505g
ISBN:   9781784705329
ISBN 10:   1784705322
Pages:   560
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Karen Armstrong is one of the world's leading commentators on religious affairs. She spent seven years as a Roman Catholic nun, but left her teaching order in 1969 to read English at St Anne's College, Oxford. In 1982, she became a full time writer and broadcaster. She is a best-selling author of over 16 books. A passionate campaigner for religious liberty, Armstrong has addressed members of the United States Congress and participated in the World Economic Forum. In 2013 she recieved the British Academy's inaugural Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for improving transcultural understanding.

Reviews for The Lost Art of Scripture

'Karen Armstrong has written an amazingly wide-ranging book, showing that the world's religious texts can be a force for good today, rather than a cause of conflict. The scale of her knowledge never ceases to astonish' -- John Barton, author of A History of the Bible A triumph... Karen Armstrong is one of our great commentators on the sacred. In this book she explores the sacred texts with a scholar's eye and an illuminating clarity suggesting how much their wisdom and lasting power are still needed today -- Salley Vickers [The Lost Art of Scripture] takes us on a glorious journey... Armstrong is the most articulate and generous-hearted exegete of religion writing in English at the present time -- AN Wilson * New Statesman * Rich and wide-ranging... [The Lost Art of Scripture] makes a fascinating read... a treasure chest of social and religious history. Armstrong's lucid prose makes her many-stranded story remarkably straightforward to follow... a learned and stimulating book -- Teresa Morgan * Tablet * A remarkable book by a remarkable writer... the author's mission is urgent in the light of the uses to which the world's scriptures are sometimes put -- Rev Dr Neil Richardson * Methodist Recorder *


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