The Bible in the Public Square: Reading the Signs of the Times

Though the Bible has long enjoyed a place of privilege in the American public square, much of the contemporary discussion centers on the influence of the religious right in national politics and on the principled 'separation of church and state.' How might other perspectives on the Bible help us to 'read the signs of the times' and move beyond the status quo? In The Bible in the Public Square, renowned biblical interpreters reflect on how biblically informed engagement with political issues, ancient as well as modern, is reshaping the face of contemporary biblical scholarship and challenging the civil religion. This insightful exploration bridges conventional gaps between university, seminary, church, and civic life.

The contributors include: Norman Gottwald, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Barbara Rossing, Allen Callahan, Obery Hendricks, Antoinette Wire, Sze-Kar Wan, and many more.

Cynthia Briggs Kittredge is Ernest J. Villavaso Jr., Associate Professor of New Testament at Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Ellen Bradshaw Aitken is Associate Professor of Early Christian History and Literature at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

Jonathan A. Draper is Professor of New Testament at the School of Religion and Theology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.