Biblical Studies

biblical narrative

• John Burnett, "Adam, High Priest and King". This is another flyer, a follow-up of "What Your Bible Really Says". This time I explore the creation stories of Genesis 1–3 in terms of their references to the Temple and Israel's history. If we read those stories as science, we not only do bad theology and bad science, but we completely miss the rich world of meaning that they really do show. Fundamentalism happens because we don't see what the biblical authors themselves thought their story was about. (If you use A4-sized paper, click here.)
• John Burnett, "What the Bible Really Says" — My attempt to give a very top-level summary of the entire the Bible to my friends in Africa. It's dense, and meant for use in classes or for relaxed meditation more than for quick reading, but it should print on two sides of one A-4 sized sheet of paper, as a handout for inquirers and parishes. The paper started as a response to a challenge on the NT Wright New Testament discussion group to express the message of the Bible in positive terms, rather than beginning with an emphasis on human sin and unworthiness.