The Nowhere Bible

The Bible contains passages that allow both scholars and believers to project their hopes and fears onto ever-changing empirical realities. By reading specific biblical passages as utopia and dystopia, this volume raises questions about reconstructing the past, the impact of wishful imagination on reality, and the hermeneutic implications of dealing with utopia – “good place” yet “no place” – as a method and a concept in biblical studies. A believer like William Bradford might approach a biblical passage as utopia by reading it as instructions for bringing about a significantly changed society in reality, even at the cost of becoming an oppressor. A contemporary biblical scholar might approach the same passage with the ambition of locating the historical reality behind it – finding the places it describes on a map, or arriving at a conclusion about the social reality experienced by a historical community of redactors. These utopian goals are projected onto a utopian text. This volume advocates an honest hermeneutical approach to the question of how reliably a past reality can be reconstructed from a biblical passage, and it aims to provide an example of disclosing – not obscuring – pre-suppositions brought to the text.

An overseer…must be above reproach. 1 Timothy 3:2 Scripture holds leaders and teachers of the Word to an incredibly high standard. And for good reason. Shepherding God’s people into salvation and spiritual growth is an enormous responsibility. Even more now than ever, today’s church needs leaders who faithfully proclaim the Word of God and equip believers to live it out. But great leaders need great role models. Bestselling author John MacArthur has compiled, from the internationally renowned Shepherd’s Conference, the best-ever messages for Christian leaders—now available in a single volume. Alongside MacArthur’s candid, instructive writings you’ll find the works of other proven ministry leaders, including John Piper, Steven Lawson, RC Sproul, Ligon Duncan, and Al Mohler. Whether you’re a pastor, elder, or leader in your church, or you desire to be more effective in your spiritual leadership, this book will help you learn how to . . . guide others with integrity and conviction deliver God’s Word with passion and power accurately interpret and apply God’s Word When you accept the challenge to be a leader who follows God’s standard both in ministry and personally, you will become better equipped to fulfill your calling to lead with excellence.

For centuries, evangelicals who read the Bible literally have misused seven verses to convince the world that homosexuality is a sin and homosexuals sinners. Those verses have forced LGBTQ+ persons to live their lives under a cloud of shame and guilt. In Clobber the Passages, Mel White doesn't bother to explain the verses again. That's been done a thousand times. Instead, he blows away that dark cloud by celebrating the truth learned from America's leading mental and physical health professionals. Homosexuality like heterosexuality is just another of the Creator's mysterious gifts. White calls literalists to stop accusing LGBTQ+ people falsely and to start celebrating what they have achieved throughout history in music, science, athletics, politics, the arts, education, literature, the military, parenting, and even religion. Clobber the Passages presents LGBTQ+ people in a healthy new light and leaves that dark cloud of guilt and shame over the evangelical literalists where it belongs.

The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BC is the likely setting for the book of Lamentations. This was the most traumatic event in Old Testament history, as Israel faced extreme human suffering, the destruction of the ancient city, national humiliation, and the undermining of all that was thought to be divinely guaranteed, such as the Davidic monarchy, the city of Zion, and the very temple of their God. It is out of such unspeakable pain that Lamentations speaks, through poetry of astonishing beauty and intricacy, although soaked in tears. If we neglect this book of the Bible, says Chris Wright, we miss the challenge and reward of wrestling with the massive theological issues that permeate it. How can suffering be endured alongside faith in an all-loving, good God? If death and destruction stalk the land, can Israel's faith in the covenant God of faithfulness and mercy be sustained? Through this commentary, Wright shows that we must not isolate Lamentations from the rest of the Bible, nor should we read the rest of the Bible without Lamentations. It is a crucial part of the narrative that still has many messages for us to learn from today. Part of the beloved Bible Speaks Today series, The Message of Lamentations offers an insightful, readable exposition of the biblical text and thought-provoking discussion of how its meaning relates to contemporary life. Used by students and teachers around the world, the Bible Speaks Today commentaries are ideal for those studying or preaching the Bible and anyone who wants to delve deeper into the text. This revised edition of a classic volume features lightly updated language and a new interior design.