The Back Door Introduction to the Bible

Course instructors considering a book for adoption will be provided a complimentary copy.
$23.95
Digital Books

““Kaltner and McKenzie have done it again! As in their earlier Uncensored Bible, they have written a lively, insightful, and humorous introduction to the Bible that is sure to keep all readers——especially students——awake, informed, and entertained. In the field of biblical studies, that is no small feat! I enthusiastically recommend The Back Door Introduction to the Bible to one and all.””

Brent A. Strawn
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Emory University

“A uniquely engaging, provocative, and I daresay fun invitation into the fascinating worlds of the Bible by two master teachers who clearly love what they do and want to share that love with others. It’s a gift to teachers and students alike. I can’t wait to use it in my own introductory courses.”

Timothy Beal
Florence Harkness Professor of Religion
Case Western Reserve University

About This Book

Overview

Truly engaging introduction that will stimulate classroom discussion

The Bible’s influence on Western culture is singularly profound: from Genesis through Revelation, its stories are commonly referenced in the arts, commerce, and beyond. Know the stories and you understand the sly allusion in a commercial, the imagery in a painting, the metaphor in a movie. For those of us living in the Western world, one simply cannot be culturally literate without knowing the Bible in some capacity.

But the Bible itself? A product of a world very different from our own, it can be hard to read and difficult to understand. If you have ever been asked (or asked yourself), “Why does that character have multiple wives?” or “Who was this stuff written for?” The Back Door Introduction to the Bible is for you. Authors Kaltner and McKenzie recognize that it is in the explanation of the customs, social mores, and expressions of the time—the answering of the “what’s the deal with that?” question—that the reader can find another level of understanding, one where the real intent or significance of a story can be more clearly revealed. A different kind of textbook, The Back Door Introduction to the Bible will open up the opportunity for a more engaged, lively, and spirited classroom dialogue.

Details

Weight 0.55 lbs
Dimensions 5.375 × 1.5 × 8.25 in
Format

Softcover

Print ISBN

978-1-59982-089-7

Pages

220

Item # 7039

Customer Reviews

““Kaltner and McKenzie have done it again! As in their earlier Uncensored Bible, they have written a lively, insightful, and humorous introduction to the Bible that is sure to keep all readers——especially students——awake, informed, and entertained. In the field of biblical studies, that is no small feat! I enthusiastically recommend The Back Door Introduction to the Bible to one and all.””

Brent A. Strawn
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Emory University

“A uniquely engaging, provocative, and I daresay fun invitation into the fascinating worlds of the Bible by two master teachers who clearly love what they do and want to share that love with others. It’s a gift to teachers and students alike. I can’t wait to use it in my own introductory courses.”

Timothy Beal
Florence Harkness Professor of Religion
Case Western Reserve University

About the Authors

John Kaltner

John Kaltner is associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.

Steven L McKenzie

Steven L. McKenzie is professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.

Table of Contents

Introduction

What Manner of Book Is This?
Keepin’ It Real
What’s Holy about the Bible?
Things That Make You Go “Hmmm . . .”

  1. What “Assume” Does
    Genre
    Genre and Genesis
    Genre and Jonah
    Genre and Jesus
  2. Family Values
    Tube Families
    Threesome and Beyond
    Putting on Heirs
    All in the Family
    Travelers and Daughters
    Households and House Churches
  3. Don’t Know Much about History
    What Is History?
    History and the Bible
    A Problem of Epic Proportions
    The Dirt on Archaeology
    The Helping Hand of History
    When in Rome . . . Or Not
  4. Culture Shock
    When in Rome
    Circle of Trust
    A Meaty Matter
    Law
    Covenant
    Second Helping
    Hair and Prayer
  5. The Race Card
    Ethnicity
    Jews and Gentiles: Defining Christianity
  6. Is That What That Really Means?
    Eewwphemisms
    Lefty versus Fatty
    Deborah and Jael
    Samson and Delilah
    Jacob and Esau
    David and Michal
    Prophets and Kings
    Paul and the Judaizers
    Paul and His Accomplishments
  7. Where in the World?
    Places and Plots: Knowing Where You Are Helps You See
    What It Means
    The Lay of the Land: Geographical Formations Inform
    Biblical Tales
  8. All in a Name
    The Name Game
    A Bitter/Sweet Story
    Baby Formula
    Biblical Aliases
    A Brief Biblical Onomasticon
  9. The Real World
    Profiting from the Experience
    Propheting from the Experience
    Domiciles
    Other Buildings
    Human Activities
    Taking Stock
  10. There’s a Time for Everything
    All in the Timing
    Purim: “They Tried to Kill Us—We Won—Let’s Eat!”
    Rest for the Weary
    Marking Time
    This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land
    That’ll Be the Day
  11. “In This Corner . . .”: Competing Perspectives
    Who Says?
    The Wise Guys
    Two Pairs of Kings
    Who Do People Say He Is?
  12. All You Need Is Love
    What’s Love Got to Do with It?
    Sex, Not Sexxx
    Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd
    The Dark Side
    Jesus, the Love Guru
  13. The Bible Recycled
    Sample This
    The Gospel Truth
    In with the Old
    Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!
  14. Knowing the Audience
    Person to Person
    It’s the End of the World as We Know It
    Are You Talkin’ to Me?
    Daniel

Additional Resources

Index

 

Professional Reviews

John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie, The Back Door Introduction to the Bible. Winona, MN: Anselm Academic (www.anselmacademic.org), 2012. Pages, 210. Paper, $22.95

This is a perfect introduction to the Bible for people who know little or next to nothing about the Scriptures. Combining an excellent mix of biblical scholarship, familiarity with the contemporary American cultural scene, and even some humor, it draws readers to conclude that the Bible is worth reading. Although it may not serve as a textbook it can be an effective counterpart to the more standard introductions. Just paging through the chapter headings reveals the book’s unique and engaging approach. The contents of each chapter will lead to lively interchange in the classroom. It is an “easy read” but one that does not shortchange its readers. It is the product of informed and creative scholarship.

Leslie J. Hoppe, OFM
The Bible in Review
5/19/2020

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