Ancient Laws and Contemporary Controversies: The Need for Inclusive Biblical Interpretation
"Cheryl Anderson's book opens up Biblical law from the perspective of women, gays, the poor, indigenous and colonized peoples and wrestles with issues of Biblical authority in that context. This is a key work for those concerned with the role of the Bible in promoting inclusive justice."-- Rosemary Radford Ruether, Professor of Theology, Claremont Graduate University"Cheryl Anderson has added her compelling voice to the articulation of a responsible, knowing, contextual hermeneutic. In her discussion of biblical texts, she shows how much interpretation has been the self-interested, even if self-deceiving, domain of Western 'affluent, white, heterosexual males.' Her forays into subsequent theology exhibit the same, with the important recognition that such practitioners as Luther, Calvin, and Wesley were able to go beyond their own interests by attending to 'the Word of God.' Going beyond criticism of earlier interpretive practices, the book is a testimony to the faithfulness and urgency of 'other-regarding' interpretation. The subtlety of the argument makes this an important voice in an interpretive enterprise now increasingly persuasive among us."-- Walter Brueggemann, author ofAn Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible"A compelling account of the inclusive promises of the Christian message, one highly pertinent to contemporary social realities."--Christian Century