Fighting With the Bible: Why Scripture Divides Us And How It Can Bring It Together by Donn Morgan

DONN MORGAN In times of conflict, the Bible is often used as a club to beat those whose opinions differ from one's own. We recoil from such usage, yet the Bible actually represents many diverse and conflicting points of view. It is like a library, full of books that speak to all sides of every question. Like Christians today, the communities and individuals who wrote the biblical texts often strongly disagree with each other. Ruth and Ezra, Isaiah and Ezekiel, Micah and Joel, Deuteronomy and Daniel, Mark and John. What would they say to each other? Do they have anything in common? Each of these voices is firmly committed to his or her specific view of "the truth," whether it reflects a particular place or community, a prophet, a style of worship, or an "understanding" of who is in and who is out. The author guides us in considering how we can do justice to this welter of disparate voices. What can the Bible teach us about living together? How can we use it as a powerful resource for understanding and for moving beyond conflict? A study guide and template for creating safe spaces for conversation abou the tough issues in which the bible may be dividing your community is found at the end of the book. Paperback, 126 pages "Fighting With the Bible appreciates the pluralism of the Bible and the church as well as the need to allow the mystery of God's holiness to dwell in that diversity. Our failure to acknowledge diversity leads to division and competing absolutes; to embrace it lets us live faithfully together. Donn Morgan's wisdom, clarity, and thoughtful passion offer a great service to the church." -- Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary Donn Morgan is president and dean of Old Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. His books include The Wisdom of Sages: Biblical Wisdom and Contemporary Culture.