An Inspired Word in Season: Reading the Bible Responsibly in a Polarized World

An accessible guide to thoughtfully and faithfully reading and interpreting the Bible in our polarized world.

Can Christians navigate the use of biblical texts that are quoted and used to support points across the political spectrum? What principles exist for interpreting those that support conflicting viewpoints? In An Inspired Word in Season, biblical scholar Thomas Bolin addresses these pressing questions by equipping readers with an interpretive toolkit to more thoughtfully and faithfully use the Bible as a moral guide to inform their thinking as Christian citizens.

Drawing upon U.S. history and contemporary social debates, along with the centuries old interpretive traditions used in reading the Bible, this book describes how biblical interpretations can be so diverse and offers an interpretive principle for helping to bridge the gaps that divide Christians who rely on the Bible as a resource for thinking about important social issues. In An Inspired Word in Season, Thomas Bolin offers readers a guide for responsible use of the Bible for discerning modern ethical questions, forming reasoned opinions on current political issues, and examining the Bible’s relevance to modern life.

Thomas M. Bolin is professor of theology and religious studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. Trained in the languages, history and religion of the Hebrew Bible and related ancient cultures, his research focuses on the literary and religious histories of ancient Israel and early Judaism, and the history of Christian biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books and numerous articles, including Ezra, Nehemiah in the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series published by Liturgical Press.