Seriously Dangerous Religion

Posted on 25 January 2018 by Iain W. Provan

The Old Testament is often maligned as an outmoded and even dangerous text Best selling authors like Richard Dawkins, Karen Armstrong, and Derrick Jensen are prime examples of those who find the Old Testament to be problematic to modern sensibilities Iain Provan counters that such easy and popular readings misunderstand the Old Testament He opposes modern misconceptions of the Old Testament by addressing ten fundamental questions that the biblical text should and according to Provan does answer questions such as Who is God and Why do evil and suffering mark the world By focusing on Genesis and drawing on other Old Testament and extra biblical sources, Seriously Dangerous Religion constructs aplausible reading As it turns out, Provan argues, the Old Testament is fardangerous than modern critics even suppose Its dangers are the bold claims it makes upon its readers. Free Download Seriously Dangerous Religion [ Author ] Iain W. Provan [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Seriously Dangerous Religion What the Old Testament Really Says and Why It MattersIain ProvanBaylor University PressOne Bear Place 97363 Waco, TX 76798 7363http www.baylorpress.com ISBN 9781481300230 49.95 August 20145 Stars of 5 StarsHazarding Holy HistoryThe Old Testament receives a lot of flak It looks grisly, violent, vicious and unforgiving to many Then adding to the bad press it already gets, the new Atheists and others have taken great pleasure in painting it with even darker and Seriously Dangerous Religion What the Old Testament Really Says and Why It MattersIain ProvanBaylor University PressOne Bear Place 97363 Waco, TX 76798 7363http www.baylorpress.com ISBN 9781481300230 49.95 August 20145 Stars of 5 StarsHazarding Holy HistoryThe Old Testament receives a lot of flak It looks grisly, violent, vicious and unforgiving to many Then adding to the bad press it already gets, the new Atheists and others have taken great pleasure in painting it with even darker and starker colors On top of all this, Christians themselves either avoid the Old Testament at all costs, or shove it up the stairs into the attic where with the embarrassing fami...This is an excellent read that demonstrates both depth and breath of knowledge in clear compelling prose Whether discussing Mesopotamian texts, Qur an, and other literature, Provan asks questions that matter in life and reveals what is at stake i...Great reading Provan s style is noticeably artistic and rich Literarily, the reading is accessible and worth the time, either for a theologian, a regular Western citizen, or to someone with profound critics towards the god presented in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures The book explores these ancient texts in a thoughtful dialogue with its Ancient Near Eastern context, modern global biblical scholarship, contemporary literature, and Western Culture Two factors were particularly attractive Great reading Provan s style is noticeably artistic and rich Literarily, the reading is accessible and worth the time, either for a theologian, a regular Western citizen, or to someone with profound critics towards the god presented in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures The book explores these ancient texts in a thoughtful dialogue with its Ancient Near Eastern context, modern global biblical scholarship, contemporary literature, and Western Culture Two factors were particularly attractive to me One, I was raised as a Christian and always bore questions with the apparent ethical contradic...I want to be clear that this is not an atheist piece of scholarship This is a theological work for Christians and non Christians alike who are willing to test their salt against the interpretations of the masses Provan warnsI recognize that I have as much chance of persuading such ideologically committed readers that there is reality outside their box as the lion Aslan had in The Last Battle of persuading the dwarves that there was a reality outside their stable. 27 I concur, it is that I want to be clear that this is not an atheist piece of scholarship This is a theological work for Christians and non Christians alike who are willing to test their salt against the interpretations of the masses Provan warnsI recognize that I have as much chance of persuading such ideologically committed readers that there is reality outside their box as the lion Aslan had in The Last Battle of persuading the dwarves that there was a reality outside their stable. 27 I concur, it is that kind of scholarship To give an example, ...Seriously Necessary BookI don t think enjoy is the right word to describe how I felt about this book I appreciated it and I feel much of what Provan has said is necessary in moving ahead in faith as individuals and as a community I appreciated the contrasts and comparisons with other faith systems Those are valuable for building consensus and understanding I read this book in the context of a masters level class on Genesis I appreciated our discussions, but as with many things academic, m Seriously Necessary BookI don t think enjoy is the right word to describe how I felt about this book I appreciated it and I feel much of what Provan has said is necessary in moving ahead in faith as individuals and as a community I appreciated the contrasts and comparisons with other faith systems Those are valuable for building consensus and understanding I read ...This new work expands on the ideas contained in Dr Iain Provan s earlier and much shorter work, Convenient Myths The Axial Age, Dark Green Religion and the World That Never Was, also published by Baylor Press last year.In this work, Iain reminds the reader that we are all caught up in some kind of story that shapes how we participate in life and from which we make sense of fundamental issues of being human and our place within the ongoing experience of life His core contention is that the Bib This new work expands on the ideas contained in Dr Iain Provan s earlier and much shorter work, Convenient Myths The Axial Age, Dark Green Religion and the World That Never Was, also published by Baylor Press last year.In this work, Iain reminds the reader that we are all caught up in some kind of story that shapes how we participate in life and from which we make sense of fundamental issues of being human and our place within the ongoing experience of life His core contention is that the Biblical story, as maligned as it is currently, continues to offer a better answer to a core set of foundation questions when read carefully and when contrasted with alternative responses to these core questions Ten questions form the outline of the chapters that follow including What is the world Who is God Who are Man and Woman Why do evil and suffering mark the world What am I to about evil and suffering How am I to relate to God How am I to relate to my neighbour How am I to relate to the ...Iain Provan wrote this book to clarify that the purpose of the Bible is to answer religious and philosophical questions rather than historical and scientific questions He emphasizes the Old Testament in his discussion because of the unfortunate tendency to read the Old Testament only through the lens of the New Testament, rather than for its own sake p 13 He proceeds to make his case by demonstrating how the Old Testament answers ten important questions in Chapters 2 11 and by comparing th Iain Provan wrote this book to clarify that the purpose of the Bible is to answer religious and philosophical questions rather than historical and scientific questions He emphasizes the Old Testament in his discussion because of the unfortunate tendency to read the Old Testament only through the lens of the New Testament, rather than for its own sake p 13 He proceeds to make his case by demonstrating how the Old Testament answers ten important questions in Chapters 2 11 and by comparing the Old Testament s answers with those of the Ancient Near Eastern myths, ancient Greco Roman philosophies, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and or modern religions During the course of this, he clearly demonstrates, among other things, that all religions...The author is conscious of the competing narratives in our world that seek to account for reality and that in the minds of many, the Old Testament presents a particularly dated and even dangerous narrative This book is a response to that and the author does so by testing the Old Testament, not on the basis of small details but against the big questions on which all narratives should be tested Questions like What is the world Why do suffering and evil mark the world What am I to do about suf The author is conscious of the competing narratives in our world that seek to account for reality and that in the minds of many, the Old Testament presents a particularly dated and even dangerous narrative This book is a response to that and the author does so by testing the Old Testament, not on the basis of small details but against the big questions on which all narratives should be tested Questions like What is the world Why do suffering and evil mark the world What am I to do about suffering and evil How am I to relate to my neighbour What society should I be helping to build There is lots of helpful interaction with the views of other religions One could argue that he made his task easier by skipping some of the problem texts or one could argue that he judiciously stuck to the big ideas that matter most.There is no attempt to prove a case here but he does urge everyone to answer the truth questions that ought to be asked of any story pre...Certainly in the top theology reads for me this year An integral biblical story stemming from the inherent goodness of God providing the ultimate reason and hope for healing of all broken relationships in humanity, society and the rest of creation Provan presents a coherent biblical story and makes it relevant for contemporary issues such as the ecological crises, the cheapness of human life and a casual attitude to human rights as well as political organisation to name a few It is a story th Certainly in the top theology reads for me this year An integral biblical story stemming from the inherent goodness of God providing the ultimate reason and hope for healing of all broken relationships in humanity, society and the rest of creation Provan presents a coherent biblical story and makes it relevant for contemporary issues such as the ecological crises, the cheapness of human life and a casual attitude to human rights as well as political organisation to name a few It is a story that c...This is an excellent read that demonstrates both depth and breath of knowledge in clear compelling prose Whether discussing Mesopotamian texts, Qur an, and other literature, Provan asks questions that matter in life and reveals what is at stake in taking the biblically rooted vision of rea...In this excellent tome, Iain Provan addresses the challenges posed by critics of Christianity, particularly the Old Testament text Provan effectively demonstrates that, contrary to the New Atheists and d...

25 January 2018

Iain W. Provan