Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible

By Brandon J. O'Brien and E. Randolph Richards

Book Overview

Over 150,000 Copies Sold Worldwide

Understand Scripture on Its Own Terms

What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. For example:

When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to "dress modestly," we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most women in that culture would never wear racy clothing. The context suggests that Paul is likely more concerned about economic modesty--that Christian women not flaunt their wealth through expensive clothes, braided hair, and gold jewelry. As Westerners, we tend to give much attention to avoiding vices and not much to developing virtues. We tend to think that virtuous acts are spontaneous. But what went without saying in Paul's day was that it is not enough to remove vices; you must acquire virtues to replace them with, just like changing clothes (Col. 3:12). Western individualism leads us to assume that Mary and Joseph traveled alone to Bethlehem. What went without saying was that they were likely accompanied by a large entourage of extended family.

Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text.

Drawing on their own cross-cultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time, and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways. Learn to read Scripture as a member of the global body of Christ with Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830837825
• ISBN13: 9780830837823
• Release Date: November 2012
• Publisher: IVP
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Eye opening!

This is where culture and the Bible meet head on. Every culture has those things that go without saying, and the Bible is no exception! How one culture reads the Bible can be very different how another culture reads the Bible. The more we understand the Biblical culture or context and the more we learn about how different cultures than my own understand scripture, and entire world is open to new understanding of what scripture might be saying. It isn’t as black and white or simple as we would like it to be.