Seriously Dangerous Religion: What the Old Testament Really Says and Why It Matters
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
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 a more plausible reading. As it turns out, Provan argues, the Old Testament is far more dangerous than modern critics even suppose. Its dangers are the bold claims it makes upon its readers.
- 1 Of Mice, and Men, and Hobbits - Stories, Art, and Life
- 2 The Up Quark, the Down Quark, and Other Cool Stuff - What Is the World?
- 3 Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love, and (Thankfully) Jealous - Who Is God?
- 4 Of Humus and Humanity - Who Are Man and Woman?
- 5 It Isn't Natural - Why Do Evil and Suffering Mark the World?
- 6 On Living in a Blighted World - What Am I to Do about Evil and Suffering?
- 7 Even the Stork Knows That - How Am I to Relate to God?
- 8 Love All, Trust a Few, Do Wrong to None - How Am I to Relate to My Neighbor?
- 9 On Keeping the Earth - How Am I to Relate to the Rest of Creation?
- 10 I Saw the New Jerusalem - Which Society Should I Be Helping to Build?
- 11 A Bird Perched in the Soul - What Am I to Hope For?
- 12 Further Up and Further In - New Dimensions in the Old Story
- 13 On the Judicious Closing of the Mind - The Question of Truth
- 14 Risk Assessment - Is the Story Dangerous? Postscript: Biblical Faith for a New Age
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Scripture Index
- Index of Authors
- Subject Index
This is an incredible book…unlike anything else out there.
—John H. Walton, Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College
Iain Provan thinks and writes outside the academic box. He asks questions that matter for life, and he shows what is at stake in taking seriously a biblically-rooted vision of reality.
—Walter Moberly, Durham University
Seriously Dangerous Religion will be helpful to Christians and non-Christians alike who struggle to understand how the Old Testament relates to our modern world.
—Elliot Ritzema, Bible Study Magazine
- Title: Seriously Dangerous Religion: What the Old Testament Really Says and Why It Matters
- Author: Iain Provan
- Publisher: Baylor University Press
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Pages: 512
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Resource ID: LLS:SRSLYDNGRSMTTRS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-13T14:59:52Z
Iain Provan (PhD, Cambridge University) is Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. He is the author of commentaries on Lamentations, 1 and 2 Kings, and Ecclesiastes & Song of Songs; co-author of a major history of Israel; and co-editor of an important collection of essays in honor of H.G.M. Williamson. His books cover topics like the "myths" of the Axial Age and the Dark Green Golden Age (2013) and the real meaning and significance of the Old Testament (2014). Most recently he has published a major work on the Reformation and the Bible (2017). He is an ordained Presbyterian minister, a qualified ARA rowing coach in the UK, and a B-Provincial level soccer coach in Canada. His hobbies include fly-fishing.