Race, Racism, and the Biblical Narratives

On Use and Abuse of Sacred Scripture

Cain Hope Felder

• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781506488523
• eBook ISBN: 9781506488530
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Race, Racism, and the Biblical Narratives is a critical essay from Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation written by the project's editor, Cain Hope Felder, now in a concise stand-alone book. In this important work, Felder clarifies the profound differences in racial attitudes in the biblical world and now.

The book reveals the processes at work in both the New and Old Testaments that reflect ancient ambiguity about what we call race. Felder uncovers misuses of the biblical text (such as the so-called curse of Ham) in subsequent interpretation and shows how the Bible has been used to trivialize African contributions and demean and enslave Black people. Race, Racism, and the Biblical Narratives challenges scholars and church people alike to a deeper and more honest engagement with the biblical text.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Race and Sacralization in the Old Testament
• The Curse of Ham
• Old Testament Genealogies
• The Narrative about Miriam and Aaron
• The Doctrine of Election
• Secularization in the New Testament
• Notes