Product Description

This new revised edition, of the landmark 1988 text, includes updated text and notes throughout, taking advantage of recent studies of sexual ethics and, where appropriate, criticizing them. A new chapter engages the presumed "ethic of creation7#34; that has become a major theme among more conservative thinkers and writers in biblical ethics. A concluding chapter on sex is thoroughly rewritten and offers a positive statement of a New Testament sexual ethic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #395819 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 350 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780800638481
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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About the Author
L. William Countryman is Sherman E. Johnson Professor of New Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California, and the author of several books in New Testament interpretation for the contemporary church.

Customer Reviews

An interesting book
Countryman writes in a clear manner; it was pleasant to read as far as theology books go.

He views the Old Testament texts on sexual ethics through an interesting lens: one of purity and property law. This is problematic for several reasons, one of which is that the morality of the OT leaned on more than these laws. They also drew theological implications from the narratives. For instance from the narratives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob they learned that trusting God is good. Particular to sexual ethics, guiding principles were also seen in the creation account. If the theology of these narratives were taken into account it would not happily mesh with Countryman's conclusions.

While I disagree with most of Countryman's conclusions, I am a more careful reader of the OT after reading his book. I found myself often saying "he has a point" and just lines later "that's a big stretch." He is creative, but creativity in historical and literary interpretation leads to surprising conclusions that flash and then often fade.

I recommend reading a book that covers the same ground from a historical Christian perspective. Though you may come to disagree, it will certainly nourish a deeper engagement with Countryman's writings.

With a title like this one ...
... one can't help but be interested or repulsed - and therein lies the challenge of this book! But let me start by saying that this is a revised edition of the now classic book (same title) that came out 20 years ago - back when Nelson Mandela was still in jail, CDs overtook vinyl sales for the first time, Ronald Reagan was still President (although George W. Bush won the election later that year), and the fall of the Berlin Wall had yet to happen. People on Amazon are still reviewing the earlier edition and their comments are still relevant, as the author's conclusions have not changed significantly. Countryman argues that the various expressions of sexual morality presented in the Bible can be explained by the ethical principles of purity and property, whose antitheses are dirt and greed (hence the title). After examining how these principles are expressed in the Bible - and in particular the impact Jesus and Paul had on the way the early Christian communities rejected/reshaped them - Countryman explores the ways in which we might deal with issues of sexual morality today. His conclusions were deemed shocking 20 years ago - bestiality, erotica, homosexuality ought only be deemed `wrong' if they are degrading to those involved, not in and of themselves. It is perhaps a sad state of affairs that even after twenty years, the subtitle to Countryman's book - Sexual Ethics in the NT and Their Implications for Today - is just as relevant. Read this book - be freshly informed about the Bible - and be challenged regarding those things you might feel are `dirty.'