Book Notice: Richard Bauckham on The Bible in the Contemporary World

Last updated on: May 3, 2016 at 5:06 am by Michael F. Bird

Book Notice: Richard Bauckham on The Bible in the Contemporary World 2016-04-29T19:55:33-04:00 Michael F. Bird

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Richard Bauckham

The Bible in the Contemporary World: Hermeneutical Ventures
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2015.
Available on Amazon.com

This is a great collection of essays by Richard Bauckham on matters related to postmodernism, biblical criticism, biblical prophecy, creation, ecology, freedom, and wisdom.

I thought the first chapter of the book on “Reading Scripture as a Coherent Story” was a tour de force. Bauckham makes some good points about how reading the Bible as story should not lead to the marginalization of wisdom literature.

What I really enjoyed was his claim that postmodernism (in general) is not equipped to resist the dominating meta-narrative of consumerist individualism which drives predatory capitalist perspectives. He writes how “[Consumerism] appears liberating in its valorization of consumer lifestyle choices, but is oppressive in the much more realistic sense that affluent postmodern theorists are liable to ignore: it enriches the rich while leaving the poor poor, and it destroys the environment. In this way it continues the kind of oppression that the modern metanarratives of progress have always legitimated. It is hard to acquit much postmodern theory of unintentional or intentional collusion with this metanarrative. Postmodern relativism offers no cogent resistance to this metanarrative which is not threatened by diversity so long as its overarching framework of alleged economic reality goes unchallenged.”

On how the Christian nonmodern metanarrative is threatening to modernism and postmodernism, Bauckham claims: “It makes a thoroughly universal claim, which combines the universality of the one Creator and Lord of all things with the particularity of this God’s identification of himself as the God of Israel and of Jesus Christ. The latter gives it a particularity offense to the modern metanarratives of universal reason and the former a universality even more offensive to postmodern relativism.”

And on the use of the biblical story to forge a Christian empire: “The tragic irony of Christian history is that so often Christian empires have taken over the symbol of the kingdom of God to justify the same kind of rule as those of the empires it was forged to oppose.”

Anyways, a great read!

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 1, 2016

5 Tips on Mentoring (Plus 5 Tips not to be mentored by John the Baptist)

Next Post

May 3, 2016 Seminary Professor Kylo Ren - I'll Show You the New Perspective!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Lands Blogosphere Book Review Calvinism Colleges & Universities Ecclesiology Emerging Adulthood Evangelicalism Foreign Affairs Gospel of John Greco-Roman World Humor Just War N. T. Wright Old Testament Resurrection Terrorism Theological Education Travel Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Rahab's great-great-grandson?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Boaz King David Solomon Jesse

Books by This Author Books by Mike Bird

See All Titles »