Stories, Folk Tales and Legends From The Bible

A request from my daughter several years ago to help her find an appropriate book for my ten year old grandson, who had expressed an interest in learning about stories from the Bible, led me to search diligently for a book that did an adequate job of presenting the stories as they were written, without trying to gloss over inconsistencies or ignoring the context of the story and therefore missing the point, or without an underlying theme or assumption that these stories were about actual events of the past. I was not successful. The few collections of bible stories for children that I could find were educationally useless, historically inaccurate, and unhelpful for understanding these culturally important stories in their literary and historical context.  Having found nothing useful for my grandchildren, I resolved to fill that gap.  The result of that resolution is Stories, Folk Tales and Legends from the Bible.    The paperback can be purchased from the publisher <here>.  Those who have a Kindle (Amazon e-book reader) can download it <here > (free for those with Prime accounts).   To read a sample of the stories or to learn more about this book click <here>.

I expect the book will find a place in the homes of Progressives and Humanists, both adults and teens alike, and in various Fellowship youth programs. It will make for some interesting discussions. Be warned: biblical stories are not for young children.  There is a lot of “X-rated” material in the Bible (rape, incest, murder, adultery, homosexuality, etc.) and I have not glossed over it to make it acceptable to parents of young readers.

The Gospel of Christian Humanism

Just Published: The Gospel of Christian Humanism – Christianity without God will appeal to skeptics, agnostics, non-theists, liberal Christians or former Christians who have difficulty with the mythology and the concept of god in traditional Christian theology but find the life and ethical teachings of Jesus compelling as a way of life and a basis for ethics, as well as traditional Christians who are interested in a different perspective on Christianity. The author argues that Christian Humanism is essentially Christian, is justified on historical grounds, and is consistent with the teachings of Jesus and the early Church Fathers so far as we can determine with reasonable historical and literary accuracy.  He argues for an approach to Christianity based on rational inquiry, human freedom, individual conscience,  and a commitment to the values taught by Jesus as a guide to ethical decision-making; and further that these values are not only compatible with Christianity, they are fundamental to a proper understanding and interpretation of it.  

The author discusses the concept of Christian love (agape) as selfless love that affirms the dignity and worth of others as the guiding principle applied by the Christian to ethical decision making.  Agape underlies the commitment to work for justice even against one’s own interests by standing with the powerless against the powerful, fighting for human rights, caring for the stranger in need, feeding the hungry and comforting the dying. The author concludes with a discussion of the application of Christian love to particular issues such as economic justice, the social safety net, abortion, immigration policy, the elderly, and the worker.

Available as an e-book on Kindle at Amazon and as a paperback.