Name: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
Rating: 4.375 (4 reviews)
ISBN: 9780830863471

E. Randolph Richards

Brandon J. O'Brien

Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. Identifying nine areas where commonplaces of modern Western thought diverge with the text, the authors ask us to reconsider long-held opinions about our most beloved book.

Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes

What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. For example: When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to "dress modestly," we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most women in that culture would never wear racy clothing. The context suggests that Paul is likely more concerned about economic modesty--that Christian women not flaunt their wealth through expensive clothes, braided hair and gold jewelry. Some readers might assume that Moses married "below himself" because his wife was a dark-skinned Cushite. Actually, Hebrews were the slave race, not the Cushites, who were highly respected. Aaron and Miriam probably thought Moses was being presumptuous by marrying "above himself." Western individualism leads us to assume that Mary and Joseph traveled alone to Bethlehem. What went without saying was that they were likely accompanied by a large entourage of extended family. Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways. Getting beyond our own cultural assumptions is increasingly important for being Christians in our interconnected and globalized world. Learn to read Scripture as a member of the global body of Christ.

Erin Darlyn

4.5⭐️

This book is a good introduction to the idea that our cultural influences and modern paradigms can heavily shape the way we read and interpret scripture - an important thing of which to be aware if you want to really dive deeper into biblical study, interpretation, how interpretation influences what faith looks like in different circles around the world, and the relevant history. If you have not yet studied these topics much, it would be a good book with which to start. It's a book I would not hesitate to purchase for a friend interested in the topic.

Akinwale Oshodi

The book reveals how cultural biases influence how we interpret/misinterpret the Bible. Recommended for those interested in studying the Bible with accurate cultural context.

Jeweliet Coffee

This book opened my eyes to many assumptions I had filtered the Bible through. Although at times painful, this book peels off layers of instilled biases by imparting wisdom from our brothers and sisters of other cultures. 

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible

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