Missing The Mark: Sin And Its Consequences In Biblical Theology

Missing the Mark: Sin and Its Consequences in Biblical Theology

From the Back CoverBiblical Studies/Bible General"The haunting question of Karl Menninger, 'Whatever Happened to Sin?', is given full, thick answer here. Sin has been flattened, trivialized, reduced to 'crime,' and completely misconstrued among us. With shrewdness and finesse, Biddle shows the 'thickness' of sin in the Bible, and the way in which sin, without reductionism, pertains to the deepest human reality. Biddle is one 'Mark' that impressively does not miss! Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological Seminary"Missing the Mark is a watershed in the biblical study of sin. Beyond simplistic understandings of sin, it is a comprehensive recovery of the biblical understanding of sin as an organic continuum of act, condition, and cause. Biddles view of sin lays a momentous biblical foundation for the healing of sinners trapped in vicious cycles. This book is an indispensable tool for understanding the biblical conceptions of sin, salvation, and healing."Andrew Sung Park United Theological Seminary,Dayton, Ohio."Missing the Mark is more than a good book; it is an enormously important one. Beginning with a simple thesis -- 'it matters how the church and its theologians define sin' -- Biddle first submits conventional views to a probing critique, then, calling upon insights drawn from biblical scholarship, philolosophy, psychology, social sciences, and common experience -- he offers a comprehensive diagnostic framework that provides 'enhanced tools for ministry.' Pastors, scholars, students, laypersons -- in sum, all who seek better to understand the problem of human existence in the real-life world -- will welcome Biddles invitation to return once more to the abiding and transforming truths of a "biblically oriented theology of sin." Samuel E. Balentine, Professor of Old Testament, Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian EducationMark E. Biddle is Russell T. Cherry Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. CPSG:Biblical Studies/General Studies/GeneralA lucid and engaging study of the biblical theology of sin, taking into account views in theology, philosophy, and the social sciences, and offering insights for contemporary culture and ministry."The haunting question of Karl Menninger, 'Whatever Happened to Sin?', is given full, thick answer here. Sin has been flattened, trivialized, reduced to 'crime,' and completely misconstrued among us. With shrewdness and finesse, Biddle shows the 'thickness' of sin in the Bible, and the way in which sin, without reductionism, pertains to the deepest human reality. Biddle is one 'Mark' that impressively does not miss!Walter BrueggemannColumbia Theological SeminaryBiddle addresses the essential nature of sin. He examines the dominant Christian understanding of sin, carefully rereads key biblical texts, and reveals the lexical depth of meaning in the biblical tradition. Missing the Mark examines the following aspects of the subject of sin: key passages and terms in the Old and New Testaments that deal with sin, its consequences, its effect on the community; reflection on the nature of sin, including original sin, in classical Christian theology; the relationship of the biblical theology of sin to Western juridical practice as well as philosophy, psychology, and the social sciences; the implications of the biblical theology of sin for the life of the church and Christian ministry.The "sin as crime" metaphor, with its emphases on the juridical, the individual, and willful rebellion, and its interests in assignment of guilt and exaction of punishment, addresses certain aspects of the problem of human existence. Yet, although dominant in the Western popular mind, it does not fully reflect the biblical witness, nor provide a sufficient basis for the church's ministry in addressing human wrongdoing and its consequences, nor take account of the insights of contemporary theologic