For centuries the Bible has been the backbone of Christianity and of Christian theology. Yet it has also been the subject of fierce controversy. Truth be told, theorizing about it (as opposed to reading it) has been the cause of massive loss of faith among Christians. An inflated and exaggerated vision of the Bible has caused believers to stumble rather than grow in the faith. In turn lovers of the Bible have turned in hostility against those who do not share their supposedly high vision of its worth and role. In 'The Bible: Beyond the Impasse' William J. Abraham tracks the problem back to its source. Astonishingly, well-meaning theologians invented an approach to Holy Scripture that backfired with a vengeance by fostering skepticism about the place of the Bible in the life of faith and in theology itself. Happily, more recent scholarship, represented by leading evangelical scholars like Bishop Tom Wright, has tried to find a constructive way beyond the battle for the Bible. However, as the diagnosis does not go deep enough, the solution remains incomplete and fragile. Abraham argues for a more accurate account of what has gone wrong and develops a more fruitful way forward. The result is a book that will provide a vision of the Bible that is spiritually liberating and intellectually bracing.
