The Lost Art of Scripture: Rescuing the Sacred Texts
- ISBN-10
- 0525431926
- ISBN-13
- 9780525431923
- Category
- Religion
- Pages
- 624
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2020-10-20
- Publisher
- Anchor Books
- Author
- Karen Armstrong
Description
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK ONE OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR The significance of scripture may not be immediately obvious in our secular world, but its misunderstanding is perhaps the root cause of many of today's controversies. The sacred texts have been co-opted by fundamentalists, who insist that they must be taken literally, and by others who interpret scripture to bolster their own prejudices. These texts are seen to prescribe ethical norms and codes of behavior that are divinely ordained: they are believed to contain eternal truths. But as Karen Armstrong shows in this chronicle of the development and significance of major religions, such a narrow, peculiar reading of scripture is a relatively recent, modern phenomenon. For most of their history, the world's religious traditions have regarded these texts as tools that enable the individual to connect with the divine, to experience a different level of consciousness, and to help them engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways. At a time of intolerance and mutual incomprehension, The Lost Art of Scripture shines fresh light on the world's major religions to help us build bridges between faiths and rediscover a creative and spiritual engagement with holy texts.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation: Find True Peace in Jesus
By Robert J. MorganPonder His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises so that through them ...
-
The Lost Art of Disciple Making
By LeRoy EimsThere is no instant maturity. This book examines the growth process in the life of a Christian and considers what nurture and guidance it takes to develop spiritually qualified workers in the church.
-
The Lost Art of Faith: How to Decode Yourself and Biblical Scripture to Harness Real Lasting Power
By Eric Dupre'This book is a tool to help humans reveal, heal, and then to rebuild yourself and your life so you can then teach others to do the same and live lives worth living. I didn't arrive by taking a traditional route but I arrived nonetheless.
-
Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful
By Leland Ryken, Glenda MathesThis is particularly problematic for Christians, as many find it difficult to read even the Bible consistently and attentively. Reading is in desperate need of recovery.
-
The Art of Reading Scripture
By Richard B. Hays, Ellen F. Davisinclination of the thought of the human ] heart is purely evil all the time ” ( Gen 6 : 5 ) — is the very ... in prison ( " Christians and Unbelievers " ) : " Christians stand by God in his hour of grieving " ; and in a letter ( of July ...
-
The Case for God
By Karen ArmstrongThe Eden story is certainly not a morality tale; like any paradise myth, it is an imaginary account of the infancy of the human race. In Eden, Adam and Eve are still in the womb; they have to grow up, and the snake is there to guide ...
-
Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World
By Stephen BatchelorIn this collected volume of Stephen Batchelor's writings on these themes, the author explores the complex implications of Buddhism's secularization.
-
The Lost Books of the Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden
By Rutherford Hayes PlattThough apocryphal in nature, these books--suppressed by the Church Fathers--are fascinating and beautifully written. Here you can read for yourself many of the manuscripts which were excluded from the Canon...
-
The Lost Art of Meditation: Deepening Your Prayer Life
By Sheila PritchardThis is the first in a series of in-depth Closer to God books to complement our "Closer to God" Bible reading guides.
-
Holy Bible (NIV)
By , Various AuthorsThe NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978.