Jonathan Walton is Dean of Wake Forest University Divinity School.
"Jonathan L. Walton is one of the very few grand figures in
American culture who is both public intellectual and prophetic
preacher. His brilliant work and visionary words are legendary at
Harvard and throughout the country and the world. This timely book
is another testament to his calling, rooted in the legacies of
Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Elijah Mays, Reinhold Niebuhr, and
Fannie Lou Hamer!"
--Cornel West, Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy,
Harvard University
"Love is stronger than death, and this honest, compelling,
insightful book on the ethical lens of love by Professor Jonathan
L. Walton will resurrect your biblical interpretation. Your ethics
of reading Scripture will be guided by a hermeneutic of love. By
this approach, Walton stands in a long tradition of biblical
interpreters who believe that the rule of love is the greatest rule
to follow when reading and living. When you open the pages of this
book, you'll feel the love, too, and remember once again that the
'greatest of these' is love."
--Luke A. Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel and Associate
Professor of Homiletics, Duke University Divinity School
"A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World
excels in bringing together intellectual engagement and a
passionate love of God and Scripture. Clearly and beautifully
written, it sets a model for how to do biblical theology right--how
to come together and reason, how to live faithfully toward justice.
It shows how to bring practical theology and social ethics together
and inspires its readers to live out a just and faithful Christian
identity."
--Laura S. Nasrallah, Professor of New Testament and Early
Christianity, Harvard Divinity School
"[Walton] brings a critical voice--that of the progressive
evangelical, counterpoint to the conservative strain of American
Christian evangelicalism--to the table. And he is driven, first, to
illuminate the ancient world in which the Bible was produced, to
lay bare its timeless teachings, and ultimately to apply those
moral imperatives to our own wrestling with 'the big questions of
contemporary life.' His inquiry is guided at every turn by both a
critical mind and sensitive heart....In Walton's hands, the Bible
becomes--for all of us, skeptics to die-hards--a tome of fathomless
instruction." --Chicago Tribune
"A dynamic scholar, passionate teacher, and prophetic preacher,
Jonathan L. Walton is one of our most respected and effective
leaders in occupying the intersections of biblical and contemporary
context and content. We are fortunate to receive his principled
voice in the midst of this important moment. As our local and
global communities are increasingly connected yet isolated, diverse
yet distant, and filled with hope and optimism yet also with panic
and aggression, A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for
Our World provides us with a timely trajectory to move us toward
matters that matter most. I highly recommend this book for both
personal and public study among learners of all ages."
--Brian E. Konkol, Dean of Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse
University
"In a culture of extreme polarization and otherizing, I'm grateful
for the voice of Dr. Jonathan L. Walton and his latest book, A Lens
of Love. In a society that tends to place ourselves--intentionally
or unintentionally--in an echo chamber where our assumptions and
beliefs are merely affirmed, this book both prophetically and
pastorally creates space for the reader to bring their questions
and doubts as we engage the Bible. During a time of so much pain,
fear, and division, we desperately need to be reminded of God's
reconciling truth, grace, and love."
--Eugene Cho, pastor, humanitarian, and author of Overrated: Are We
More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually
Changing the World?
"Springing from the questions, anxieties, and frustrations of the
millennials whom he serves, this text gives voice to many of the
reasons why people of Christian faith have become either activated
or disillusioned by the tyrannies of this moment. Through the
powerful narratives of his young constituents and a reclamation of
a historical lineage of progressive evangelicalism, Walton contends
that the development of a just, contextual, and informed biblical
hermeneutic is a critical tool for showing up and speaking up."
--Neichelle R. Guidry, Dean of Sisters Chapel and Director of the
WISDOM Center, Spelman College, and creator of shepreaches
organization
"Walton sat with a diverse range of young adults each month
teaching the socio-historical layers of Scripture and demonstrating
ways to interpret it through the 'lens of love.' He describes it as
an effort 'to promote ethical and responsible biblical
interpretation among non-specialists.' It's a well-written, useful
guide to the Bible by one who uses it for love in the world."
--Presbyterian Outlook
"Walton's text is a labor of love. His words sponsor empathy. His
erudite, conversational style opens up dialogue about responsible
approaches to Scripture. In this current political moment, A Lens
of Love offers Christian communities a better language by which to
engage some of our most pressing social issues."
--Keri Day, Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and
African American Religion, Princeton Theological Seminary
"With luminous wisdom and an expansive heart, Jonathan Walton's A
Lens of Love provides fresh and challenging ways to rediscover the
biblical messages of love. These are courageous words of
compassionate invitation from a vibrant mind and a loving spirit.
Walton gifts us with love-saturated readings that will be ready
guides for so many of us seeking hope and possibility in these
challenging times."
--David Kyuman Kim, Professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut
College
"Reading, interpreting, and enacting Scripture in today's world is
a difficult practice; it is of paramount importance to view
Scripture through a frame of love and scrupulous conscience.
Chapters discuss 'Explaining the Inexplicable: Sacred History and
Suffering in the Dynastic Literature, ' 'Origins, Apologies, and
Attacks: Political Allegory in the Pentateuch, ' 'Is God Racist and
Sexist? Inappropriate Metaphors and Perverted Interpretations, '
and much more. A Lens of Love is highly recommended for Bible study
groups, church libraries, and Christian readers from all walks of
life." --Midwest Book Review
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