Bible as Word of God: In a Postmodern Age [Paperback]

Terence E. Fretheim (Author), Karlfried Froehlich (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2001

How is Scripture authoritative today? In this lively exchange in the Hein/Fry Lecture series, Fretheim and Froehlich mount important, divergent analyses of the situation and strategies to meet it. Church historian Froehlich traces the crisis to civilizational change and draws masterfully on the ecclesial tradition to recover the Word of God as inspired, incarnate, and creative. Fretheim, by contrast, wrestles with the reality of postmodernism and the question of how Christians today can deal with problematic aspects of biblical texts, for example, their treatment of women and children. He points to postmodern developments with positive potential for the Bible to speak in our time.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

How is the Bible authoritative in this postmodern age? In this exchange from the 1995 Hein/Fry Lecture series, Fretheim and Froehlich mount important, though divergent, analyses of the contemporary situation regarding Scripture and suggest varying strategies to meet it.

The Hein/Fry Lectures Committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America set the questions for the two lectures in these terms: What does it mean to say that Scripture has authority for Christian faith and life in light of contemporary forms of biblical criticism? How do we understand a biblical text to be the Word of God when the meaning of the text can vary, depending on the perspective of the reader/hearer? Given the profound hermeneutical challenges of our time, how does Scripture serve as a guide in worship, doctrine, preaching, and ethical decision-making for the people of God?

Church historian Froehlich traces the crisis regarding the Bible to civilizational change and draws on the ecclesial tradition to recover the Word of God as inspired, incarnate, and creative. Old Testament scholar Freheim, by contrast, wrestles with the reality of postmodernism and the question of how Christians today can deal with problematic aspects of biblical texts, for example, their treatment of women and children. He points to postmodern developments with positive potential for the Bible to speak in our time.

The Hein/Fry Lecture series is given annually at all eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Commonly, as in 1995, each lecturer speaks at four seminaries. The concern of the series is to engage both the theological leadership of the ELCA and a generation of ministerial candidates in discussion of a focused theological issue. ---from the Foreword --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers (November 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579108466
• ISBN-13: 978-1579108465
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,325,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terence E. Fretheim is Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Fretheim is the author of The Suffering God (Fortress Press) and coauthor of The Bible as Word of God (Fortress Press).