Bible Genres

Modern Genre Theory describes the current state of biblical genre theory (as well as the meaning of form criticism and why it needs to die). Scholar of biblical hermeneutics Andrew Judd then presents a better alternative of interpretation based on the best developments in secular literary theory, linguistics, and rhetorical studies.

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

In Killing a Messiah, New Testament scholar Adam Winn weaves together stories of historical and fictional characters in a fresh reimagining of the events leading up to Jesus's execution. Based on what we know of the first-century context, Winn's narrative offers compelling explanations for gaps in the Gospel accounts. The social, political, and religious realities of Jesus's world come to life and shed new light on our reading of the biblical texts. In a city full of political entanglements, espionage, and competing interests, the blame for the crucifixion is complex.

In order to understand, appreciate, and faithfully preach the word of God, pastors must discern the literary nature of the Bible. Instead of just acknowledging the various genres of Scripture, pastors and teachers should allow these genres to influence how the text is approached and communicated. In The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition, they will learn how to both read and preach the Bible as a literary anthology.

Ray Carter was a proud Marine, a skilled tradesman, and a man of grit. But after years of war, failure, and silent suffering, he’s lost everything—his business, his family, and the faith that once held him together. Living in a run-down RV behind a supply yard in Walnut Springs, Texas, Ray is just surviving… until a child’s simple question about a dust-covered Bible changes everything.

John Kennedy Toole - who won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for his best-selling comic masterpiece A Confederacy of Dunces - wrote The Neon Bible for a literary contest at the age of 16. The manuscript languished in a drawer and became the subject of a legal battle among Toole's heirs. It was only in 1989, 35 years after it was written and 20 years after Toole's suicide at 31, that this amazingly accomplished and evocative novel was freed for publication.

Contemptuous of their parents, who pass their days in a stupor of liquor, drugs, and sex, the children feel neglected and suffocated at the same time. When a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, the group's ringleaders - including Eve, who narrates the story - decide to run away, leading the younger ones on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside.

Passionate, earthy, deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution to modern fiction: a vibrant new perspective of female life in the age that shaped present day civilization and values.

If you like The Red Tent, try The Harlot by the Side of the Road, a recounting of some of the most startling and explicit writings from The Old Testament.

The Book of God reads like a novel, dramatizing the sweep of biblical events, bringing to life the men and women of this ancient book in vivid detail and dialogue. From Abraham wandering in the desert to Jesus teaching the multitudes on a Judean hillside, this award-winning bestseller follows the biblical story from start to finish.

The Dirty Parts of the Bible is a humorous adventure across America during the Great Depression - a rollicking tale of love and liquor, preachers and prostitutes, trains and treasure, sure to appeal to fans of O Brother Where Art Thou?, Water for Elephants, Mark Twain, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. It's 1936, and Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls. Mostly girls, of course. But being a Baptist preacher's son, he can't escape God.

Imagine if you discovered a treasure chest in which were hidden ancient mysteries, revelations from heaven, secrets of the ages, the answers to man’s most enduring, age-old questions, and the hidden keys that can transform your life to joy, success, and blessing.... This is The Book of Mysteries. Jonathan Cahn, who caused a national and international stir with the New York Times best seller The Harbinger and then The Mystery of the Shemitah, now brings us a treasure chest inside of which are contained some of the greatest mysteries of all time.

En Roma, un hombre se confiesa: «Padre, me acuso de que voy a matar a un hombre...». Al mismo tiempo Clara Tannenberg, una joven arqueóloga nieta de un poderoso hombre de oscuro pasado, anuncia en el transcurso de un congreso el descubrimiento de unas tablillas que, de ser auténticas, serían la prueba científica de la existencia del patriarca Abraham: se trata de la obra de un escriba que recogió el relato del profeta sobre la creación del mundo, la confusión de las lenguas en Babel y el Diluvio universal. Una auténtica Biblia de Barro.

Transported two thousand years into the past, readers are introduced to Antipas, a Roman civic leader who has encountered the writings of the biblical author Luke. Luke's writings spark Antipas's interest, and a correspondence transpires between them. As the two delve deeply into each other's lives, Antipas begins to see things in fresh ways, causing him to rethink the values upon which his life had been founded.

The Complete Series for adventure and excitement in this THREE-novels, series full of love, and the joys of the season in one boxed set! When the snow falls and the fires blaze brightly in the hearth, you know Christmas is just around the corner. Venturing west is always a risk, but never more so for the brides who catch a train to tiny Reno, Nevada, at this time of year, choosing to believe that they’ll be spending Christmas with the men of their dreams. There’s a church missing in town, but no lack of faith. As the new brides come together to help Reno find its true heart, they’ll ...

Before she is Potiphar’s wife, Zuleika is the daughter of a king and the wife of a prince. She rules the isle of Crete alongside her mother in the absence of their seafaring husbands. But when tragedy nearly destroys Crete, Zuleika must sacrifice her future to save the Minoan people she loves.

Long-time Bible teacher Kristie Anyabwile discovered as she prepared her lessons that a single inductive approach doesn’t do justice to the variety of genres that make up the Word of God. Because Scripture is a collection of writings that spans 1,500 years, many literary styles are represented, and each must be taken into account for the fullest understanding of God’s Word. Kristie shows you the immense value of studying the Bible literarily—that is, according to the literary style presented in a particular book, chapter, or passage.

Jodi Baxter is slowly recuperating from a horrific car accident, but before she’s fully recovered, other problems arise within the Yada Yada Prayer Group—big problems. The turmoil starts when a heroin-addicted woman charges into a prayer meeting with a knife and isn’t afraid to use it. Things really take a turn for the worse when grim accusations are made against Jodi’s husband. Racial division, pain, and pride are tearing this close-knit group of women apart, and Jodi isn’t sure if she and her spiritual sisters will be able to survive the mess.

In The Bible Salesman, Preston Clearwater is scoring cash working a car-theft ring in post-World War II North Carolina. When he picks up 19-year-old Bible salesman Henry Dampier, Preston convinces the kid that he's an FBI spy. And before Henry knows what's up, he finds himself in way over his head with no apparent way out.

In the latest chapter of his best-selling Joshua series, Joseph Girzone offers fresh inspiration in this collection of fifty never-before-published contemporary vignettes that underscore the most important lessons of the gospel. In The Parables of Joshua, perhaps his most powerful since since the original Joshua, Girzone distills the essence of Christian teaching in entertaining and inspiring "bite-sized" tales set against the background of current society.

He persuaded a King, he Moved an Empire, and He Redeemed Himself! His name was Jonah, and he didn’t choose the mission—God did. Thrown into a storm, swallowed by a great fish, and sent to confront the most violent city on earth, Jonah’s journey is anything but ordinary. Along the way, he wrestles with his calling, his love for his beloved Naomi, and the loyalty of his lifelong friend, Amos. Set in 762 BC against the backdrop of crumbling kingdoms and rising empires, "Jonah in the Time of the Kings" is a powerful tale of love, justice, and the unstoppable reach of grace.