Full Description
The Bible was written within collectivist cultures. When Westerners, immersed in individualism, read the Bible, it's easy to misinterpret important elements—or miss them altogether. In any culture, the most important things usually go without being said. So to read Scripture well we benefit when we uncover the unspoken social structures and values of its world. We need to recalibrate our vision.
Combining the expertise of a biblical scholar and a missionary practitioner, Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes is an essential guidebook to the cultural background of the Bible and how it should inform our reading. E. Randolph Richards and Richard James explore deep social structures of the ancient Mediterranean—kinship, patronage, and brokerage—along with their key social tools—honor, shame, and boundaries—that the biblical authors lived in and lie below the surface of each text. From Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to Peter's instructions to elders, the authors strip away individualist assumptions and bring the world of the biblical writers to life.
Expanding on the popular Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, this book makes clear how understanding collectivism will help us better understand the Bible, which in turn will help us live more faithfully in an increasingly globalized world.
Contents
Preface
Introduction
Part 1. Social Structures of the Biblical World
1. Kinship: Being in a Family
2. Kinship: Staying in a Family
3. Patronage: Gifts Had Strings Attached
4. Patronage: The System and the Players
5. Patronage: Grace, Faith, and the Language of Patronage
6. Brokerage in the Biblical World
Part 2. Social Tools: Enforcing and Reinforcing Our Values
7. Having Honor: Everybody Has Some
8. Gaining Honor: Everybody Wants More
9. Honor Contests
10. Having Shame: It Is Good for Everyone
11. Shaming: Done Right (and Wrong)
12. Having Boundaries: Us and Them
13. Guarding Boundaries: Keeping Us Us
Part 3. Why Does Collectivism Really Matter to Me?
14. Redeeming Kinship and Boundaries: Who Is Our Family?
15. Redeeming Patronage and Brokerage
Conclusion: Biblical Collectivism in My Individualist World
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index
