How the Bible Works: An Anthropological Study of Evangelical Biblicism
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Book Overview
What do evangelicals believe when they 'believe in the Bible'? Despite hundreds of English versions that differ in their texts, evangelicals continue to believe that there is a stable text-'the Bible'-which is the authoritative word of God and an essential guide to their everyday lives. To understand this phenomenon of evangelical Biblicism, anthropologist and biblical scholar Brian Malley looks not to the words of the Bible but to the Bible-believing communities. For as Malley demonstrates, it is less the meaning of the words of the Bible itself than how 'the Bible' provides a proper ground for beliefs that matters to evangelicals. Drawing on recent cognitive and social theory and extensive fieldwork in an evangelical church, Malley's book is an invaluable guide for seminarians, social scientists of religion, or for anyone who wants to understand just how the Bible works for American evangelicals.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0759106657
ISBN13:9780759106659
Release Date:April 2004
Publisher:Globe Pequot Publishing Group Inc/Bloomsbury
Length:184 Pages
Weight:0.68 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Excellent book, but technical at times.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I read this book for Dr. Malley's Introduction to Anthropology course at the University of Michigan, and I was impressed. His knowledge of how the Bible is seen by churchgoers is second to none, and throughout the book the reader comes to "know" the people a the Creekside Baptist Church, though that name is a pseudonym. I wouldn't recommend this book for coffee-table reading, as there are lots of technical details; it is better suited for a reader in the academic field.
American biblicism studied with empirical precision
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
For anyone interested in understanding the mechanics of American biblicism, this is perhaps the best anthropological study that could be done on the subject. With a fundamentalist/evangelical history in his own life, Malley gets to the core issues with great precision; yet he approaches this study very objectively. This book is not a polemic. It is a fantastic and enlightening empirical study on biblicism. So much information is packed into relatively few pages that you'll likely want to read it multiple times, letting the insights soak in further with each read.
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