The Word: Imagining the Gospel in Modern America [Hardcover]

Ann Monroe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Ann Monroe has written a fascinating book about the stunning variety of ways the Bible is preached, taught, studied, and revered in the United States today. Based on interviews with biblical scholars, ministers, and Bible study groups across the country, Monroe's book offers a rich mosaic of the Bible in American culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What do Americans do when they read the Bible? This lucid, observant book by a former Wall Street Journal reporter captures a wide variety of Christians engaging with their inescapable and sometimes inexplicable sacred text. From the rarefied seminars of the Society for Biblical Literature to the carefully rehearsed lectures of conservative Bible teacher Kay Arthur, Monroe clearly has a reporter's knack for finding, and recounting, the telling moment. The result is an impressively drawn and multidimensional portrait of the ways in which American churches are helping (or not helping) their members grapple with Scripture. Monroe documents with painful precision how little the Bible is actually studied, much less understood, in both conservative and liberal camps. Anyone who has attempted to lead a Bible study or who has participated in one will wince at Monroe's alarmingly apt vignettes of discussions gone astray and self-expression masquerading as interpretation. At times the book wobbles unevenly between journalism and theologizing (Monroe is clearly more adept at the former), and it is more limited in scope than the subtitle would suggestAMonroe's account is poorer for not addressing the interpretive traditions of American Judaism, Mormonism or Catholicism. With those caveats, this is an exceptional book and a model of personally engaged reporting.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Monroe, a journalist specializing in religious topics, visited Christian Bible study classes around the country in churches of various denominationsDconservative and liberal, biblical literalists, and those who interpret the Bible quite freelyDand interviewed both the leaders and the participants in order to understand how the Bible is used today. She also visited a Billy Graham Revival and a convention of the Society for Biblical Literature. Through description and quotation, she gives a taste of each of these approaches to the study of the Bible. Monroe, a veteran of Bible study groups, shows that the Bible continues to play a prominent role in America but in multifaceted ways. In the reading of the Bible, she sees a dialog between what the Bible offers and what the reader brings to it, a place of encounter with God. Monroe brings a reporter's approach, balanced but not uncritical, to her treatment of people gathered to engage in this dialog. Recommended for most libraries.DAugustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664221416
• ISBN-13: 978-0664221416
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,901,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on modern Christianity I've ever read, September 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Word: Imagining the Gospel in Modern America (Hardcover)

Ann Monroe has written a deeply felt exploration of modern christianity. Told with humor and respect for differing opinions, her account offers a new opportunity to examine an area of life that many have discarded as irrelevant. The Word demonstrates that this is far from the case. -- JM Kass

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent survey of the gospel in modern American culture, July 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Word: Imagining the Gospel in Modern America (Hardcover)

Ann Monroe's The Word explores the words of the gospel in modern American culture, analyzing how the Bible is taught and studied today. Chapters use interviews with renowned biblical scholars to consider the beliefs surrounding the Bible. An excellent survey.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible in American Life -- an Investigation, July 30, 2005

By 

Orville B. Jenkins "Research Guy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Word: Imagining the Gospel in Modern America (Hardcover)

The author reports on and analyzes the way various churches and other Christian settings view the Bible, study it and use it in life. I found very interesting the contrast of four congregations in Colorado Springs.

The author attends church Bible classes, worship services and seminary course classes, then interviews various participants or leaders, for a rich, insightful perspective on the role of the Bible in the life of American Christians of various persuasions and backgrounds.

She reports her thoughts and observations while in these settings. This enables the reader to "participate" in the event, and enter into her analysis. The personal contexts of the comments or questions that arise in each class are instructive.

The overall effect of this compilation and analysis is to provide a dynamic real-life picture of how the Word of God connects with individual and communal daily lives. What constitutes the communication, where connection points occur, how the insight arises and is appropriated. How differently the Word of a particular occasion is received by different individuals. How two perceptions from individuals in the same class differ depending on their personal background and situation.

This volume has value as a popular cultural analysis, informing us of both the life context and the theology "on the street" (or in the class). Most readers will gain value also from the personal devotional opportunity this provides for the reader to evaluate their own situation and engagement with the Word of God.

These vignettes and reflections present an occasion for each of us to consider what we understand that term "Word of God" to mean - not just in theoretical terms, but in life terms. Another way of stating the focus is to ask, "What constitutes "good news" (gospel) to each of these individuals and their communities?" This thoughtful but readable book will help us see the cross-cultural character of the communication needed to makes sense to those who need to hear the Good News.

The book also provides comment on the state of ferment and confusion in the broad mix of American culture, and how some churches are engaging that situation in practical ways, through these group settings involving very different individuals who find themselves together seeking a Word from God.