Ann Monroe has written a fascinating book about the stunning variety of ways the Bible is preached, taught, studied, and revered in the United States today. Based on interviews with biblical scholars, ministers, and Bible study groups across the country, Monroe's book offers a rich mosaic of the Bible in American culture.

This commentary clearly presents the episodes in the book of Joshua as the people of Israel face the challenges of entering into the land of promise. Both the historical and theological meanings of the book are presented throughout this most helpful commentary.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

In The Rhetoric of Romans, Neil Elliott presents a rhetorical- critical reading of the letter that indicates that Paul wrote, not to counter Jewish opponents or aspects of the Jewish religion, nor to legitimize the law-free gentile church, but to warn against elements of the Hellenistic church's Christology and an incipient Christian supersessionism that threatened the collection in Jerusalem and the heart of his apostolic work.

What's the Big Deal About Sex?
Birds do it. Bees do it. And when you turn on the television, log on to the Internet, or watch a movie, you can't help but notice that everyone else seems to be doing it too. Our culture has embraced the message that sex is just a basic bodily function, as irresistible and harmless as satisfying your hunger and thirst. But is it? Or have we bought into a lie that is rapidly corroding our souls and our society?
When it comes to sexuality, you can't ignore the Manufacturer's directions and escape unharmed. That's why everyone-teen or adult, single or married-needs to know "The Truth About Sex."
This compelling, interactive study provides an antidote to the world's subtle yet insidiously dangerous lies. You'll learn...
-why God created sex in the first place
-what happens when you don't follow His design
-why virginity matters
-what consequences follow sex outside of marriage
-how to find healing if you've been harmed because you or someone else violated God's instructions
With this knowledge comes the power to stand firm, resisting the pull of temptation. Whatever your past-whether you've remained sexually pure or endured the pain of misusing God's precious gift-you'll find your eyes opened and your life transformed as you discover for yourself "The Truth About Sex,"
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Includes a companion study guide for personal use or group discussion."

This study examines the rhetoric of the Old Testament Miriam references and their socio-historical contexts, and processes the history of research into Miriam from a feminist perspective. Previous research into Miriam was largely determined by prior decisions on literary history, and was thus only able to make rudimentary statements about Miriam. In contrast, a feminist rhetorical analysis inquiring into the aesthetics of reception and production reveals new contexts for what Miriam represents in the text. She can no longer be regarded as a 'prophetess' from the early history of Israel, but instead represents a particular theo-political position in Persian times.

This study shows that Mark, Matthew and Luke present the worldwide expansion of the Christian message as a necessary consequence of Jesus' activity in Israel. The relationship between Jesus and the non-Jewish nations is examined here by a synchronic analysis of the relevant texts of the Synoptic Gospels, as well as of their compositional inner-relationships and theological classification. Departing from the same approaches for the most part, the Synoptics diverge primarily in the question of what relationship to each other Israel and the nations are placed through God's act of redemption in Jesus Christ.

Top Jesus scholars Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan join together to reveal a radical and little-known Jesus. As both authors reacted to and responded to questions about Mel Gibson's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," they discovered that many Christians are unclear on the details of events during the week leading up to Jesus's crucifixion.

Using the gospel of Mark as their guide, Borg and Crossan present a day-by-day account of Jesus's final week of life. They begin their story on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The first entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The second heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced by Borg and Crossan is this new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings.

"The Last Week" depicts Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice and to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor. In this vein, at the end of the week Jesus marches up Calvary, offering himself as a model for others to do the same when they are confronted by similar issues. Informed, challenged, and inspired, we not only meet the historical Jesus, but meet a new Jesus who engages us and invites us to follow him.

The study examines the ancient Israelite sacrificial cult and the priestly genealogies of the Hebrew Bible from a cultural and historical religious perspective. The first section accesses the collective biography of the Zadokite-Aaronite lineages through genealogical analysis. The beginnings of their office as High Priests can be dated back to the 4th century BC. A multidimensional approach to the Levites can be demonstrated. The second section analyses the sacrificial rites (Ex 12 and Lev 1-7) and shows them to be cultural communication media. The statements and messages of Pesach and other rites are presented. An authorship hypothesis on the basis of cultural anthropological findings concludes this study which proposes a revaluation of the development of the priesthood in the era of the Second Temple.

In contrast to the romantic aesthetic of originality, this analysis of the texts of "Genesis 26" and its co-texts proceeds from an aesthetic of valuing repetitions and "doubling". After presenting the concept of interpretation based on a reception aesthetic, the study reconstructs the process of reading "Genesis 12:10-20", "Genesis 20" and "Genesis 26", considering not only Christian secondary literature, but also making extensive use of Jewish exegeses.

This study subjects the conventional processes of literary criticism to a critical analysis which shows up the weaknesses of arguments from literary criticism in the Old Testament. It explores new ways for literary criticism using a concept of text derived from modern literary theories together with statistical procedures for the examination of style.

Does your knowledge of the Old Testament feel like a grab bag of people, books, events and ideas? How many times have you resolved to really understand the OT? To finally make sense of it? Perhaps you are suffering from what Sandra Richter calls the "dysfunctional closet syndrome." If so, she has a solution. Like a home-organizing expert, she comes in and helps you straighten up your cluttered closet. Gives you hangers for facts. A timeline to put them on. And handy containers for the clutter on the floor. Plus she fills out your wardrobe of knowledge with exciting new facts and new perspectives. The whole thing is put in usable order--a history of God's redeeming grace. A story that runs from the Eden of the Garden to the garden of the New Jerusalem. Whether you are a frustrated do-it-yourselfer or a beginning student enrolled in a course, this book will organize your understanding of the Old Testament and renew your enthusiasm for studying the Bible as a whole.