Dr. Peter Enns is a Christian and scholar of the Bible who wants the Bible to be interpreted for what it actually seems to be (a collection of ancient texts with a variety of perspectives about how God relates to us and how we relate to God) rather than what people might think it is (a univocal, step-by-step rule book that unerringly teaches particular facts about God). He turns Evangelical devotion to the Bible against those who allow their devotion to obscure basic understanding of the biblical text. You say you love the Bible? You can show that love by letting the Bible be itself. That’s the message of his new book, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It.
In this episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast we talk about how a committed believer can critically approach scripture. It’s the second in a two-part series featuring authors of the book The Bible and the Believer which asks: Does academic study of the Bible undermine its value or diminish the religious messages it contains? In the previous episode I spoke with Dr. Marc Brettler who covered a Jewish view of the question. Peter Enns, who represented a Protestant perspective, joined me via Skype.
About Peter Enns
Peter Enns is Abram S. Clemens Professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He has taught courses at other institutions including Harvard University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Enns is a frequent contributor to journals and encyclopedias and is the author of several books, including Inspiration and Incarnation and The Evolution of Adam. You can also follow him on his blog or Twitter.
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