Book Description

In Texts, Rocks, and Talk biblical scholar and teacher John Lanci suggests that many have lost the ability to focus on the essentials, to experience a Jesus Christ alive and powerful in our midst. He responds by inviting readers on a journey back to the Bible. Lanci conveys the experience of interpreting the Bible, inviting readers to witness the interpretation of one particular passage from the Hebrew Bible and one from the New Testment from start to finish. Along the way he covers some of the same ground that biblical introductions present, as he explains what interpreters do and why they do it. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the need to interpret texts and greater confidence in their ability to enter into the conversation that sacred texts provide. They will also have a greater confidence in the possibility that their Christian community can open itself up to that divine conversation. Texts, Rocks, and Talk can serve as an introduction to the Bible textbook for college undergraduates, parish discussion groups, or individuals who do not have a lot of theological background but are interested in finding their way into the Bible. The chapters are relatively short and clearly written, with questions for reflection and discussion. Chapters in Preliminaries are "Why Take It on the Road?" "What the Bible Is Not, " and "A Preview of Coming Attractions: What the Bible Is." Chapters in The Song of Songs are "Sex on the Page, " "Healthy Suspicion: A Walking Staff for Our Journey, " "What is the Book?" "Lo and the Rocks, " "Lifestyles of the Dead and Buried: What Archaeology Is and What It Is Not, " "Making the Heart Forget: The Love Songs of Ancient Egypt, " and "The Egyptian LoveSongs and the Song of Songs." The chapter in An Interlude is "An Interlude with Jesus and Christ." Chapters in First Corinthians are "Our Brother Paul, " "We Raise an Eyebrow in Surprise: Paul, the Corinthians, and a Letter, " "The Rhetoric of a Text, " "What Kind of Fool Is God?" "A Little History, a Little Wisdom, a Little Mystery, " "The Rigamorale of Roman Power and Corinthian Rocks, " "The No-Relax Tour Continues into Darker Realms, " and "The Great Reversal." Chapters in Talk: Counterimagining the Wor are "Three Umbrellas and a Sea Change, " "Counterimagining the World, " "We Confront the Passion of God, " "In Praise of Christian Flesh, " and "The Journey, Not the Arrival, Matters." Includes an Introduction, Epilogue, and Notes, Citations, Suggestions for Further Readings.