Product Description
by William J. Bausch (Author)
The Bible is a much more convoluted, complicated and circuitous than anyone ever thought. It appears to be much more the product of a social evolution from the common stories of other ancient Near Eastern peoples with whom it shares so much (even its gods) than a singular revelation from on high. The Bible, in reality, is an unfinished mosaic of ceaseless interpretations right up to the present day. This book aims to show what is "out there" in current biblical discovery and commentary. What are the scholars saying? How compatible or non-compatible is what they tell us with traditional understandings? How do liberals and conservatives react? Why are people confused? Why do some sincere people find a literal reading of the Bible indigestible but a metaphorical reading unanchored? How do we read the Bible in a modern age? Above all, in these days of dwindling religious affiliation (at least in the western world), what is the Bible's authority? Keeping up with the Bible is an ongoing and ever shifting enterprise. This book is a frozen snapshot in that flow to give the reader a chance to catch up.
Author Biography
Rev. William J. Bausch is a parish priest of the diocese of Trenton, New Jersey. He is the award-winning author of numerous books on parish ministry, the sacraments, Church history, storytelling, and homiletics. His award-winning books include Storytelling: Faith and Imagination, The Total Parish Manual, Once Upon a Gospel and Brave New Church. He was awarded the President's Award in 1996 from the National Federation of Priests' Councils for Parish Leadership, the Catholic Library Association's Aggiornamento Award for Notable Contribution to Parish Life in 2004 and the Walter J. Burghardt, S.J. Preaching award in 2008 for his contribution to Catholic preaching. He has lectured and given workshops at such colleges and universities as Notre Dame; Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Connecticut; Boston College; Charles Carroll in Cleveland; and in most U.S. dioceses as well as abroad. First and foremost, however, though retired from the pastorate, he remains happily engaged in his first love: being a parish priest active in assisting at three parishes, writing, and giving lectures and retreats.
