Father Abraham’s Many Children The Bible in a World of Religious Difference Tyler D. Mayfield Foreword by Eboo Patel
The way we read the Bible matters for the way we engage the pluralistic world around us. For instance, if we understand the book of Genesis as narrowly focused on primary characters like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, we’ll miss the larger story and end up with the impression that God only cares about those who are “chosen.” In fact, the narratives of marginalized biblical characters reveal that God protects and provides for them also. What might this mean for Christians living in a world of religious difference today? In Father Abraham’s Many Children, Tyler Mayfield reflects on the stories of three of the most significant “other brothers” in the Bible—namely, on God’s continued engagement with Cain after he murders Abel, Ishmael’s circumcision as a sign of God’s covenant, and Esau’s reconciliation with Jacob. From these stories, Mayfield draws out a more generous theology of religious diversity, so that Christians might be better equipped to authentically love their neighbors of multiple faith traditions—as God loves, and has always loved, all humanity. “Tyler Mayfield offers an expansive translation and interpretation of three familiar sets of brothers—Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, and Esau and Jacob—particularly in terms of what it means to be ‘chosen.’ His bold premise is that the way we translate and view the forsaken brother in each duo, the one who is invisible and discounted in most interpretations, affects our ability to live in a religiously plural world, nation, and community and even our relationships at our own family tables. . . . While it’s not always easy or comfortable to go along with Mayfield, it’s definitely a journey worth taking. Wherever readers end up, they will have found plenty of food for thought along the way.” — CHRISTIAN CENTURY
“I love Tyler D. Mayfield’s book because he illuminates parallel parts of the Bible. In beautiful clear prose, he shows how the call and command of Christian scripture helps people connect being both faithful to the Bible and contributing citizens in a diverse nation and world.” — EBOO PATEL
from the foreword
“Through his rich and deep reading of the biblical stories of Cain, Ishmael, and Esau, Tyler Mayfield helps us see God, the Bible, our neighbors, and our neighbors’ religions differently. In today’s world, that’s a wonderful and needed accomplishment!” — BRIAN D. McLAREN
author of Faith after Doubt
“Religious pluralism is increasingly an unavoidable reality today, not only in how we see the world but also in how we experience our neighborhoods. As Christians are wrestling with these realities, many have assumed the ancient texts comprising their Bible have little to offer. Tyler Mayfield’s Father Abraham’s Many Children steps into this void with an accessible and creative approach that literally goes back to the beginning, to the book of Genesis, to uncover neglected stories of diversity that have been right in front of us all along.” — ROBERT P. JONES
978-0-8028-7945-5 • Paperback • 145 pages • $17.99 US • $23.99 CAN • £13.99 UK AVAILABLE NOW
Tyler D. Mayfield is the A. B. Rhodes Professor of Old Testament and director of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. His other books include A Guide to Bible Basics and Unto Us a Child Is Born: Isaiah, Advent, and Our Jewish Neighbors.
O L D T E S TA M E N T & H E B R E W B I B L E
Rethinking Christian engagement with religious diversity through the stories of three marginalized characters in the book of Genesis.
“In a world in which incendiary antagonism toward other faiths is all too common, Mayfield invites Christians to engage religious pluralism with empathy and intelligence. The pastoral tone and searching discussion questions make this slim volume well-suited for those eager to examine inherited biases of Christianity and move toward a more audacious love of neighbor.”
— CAROLYN J. SHARP
author of Wrestling the Word: The Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Believer
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award-winning author and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute
“Mayfield brings stunning biblical scholarship to our most urgent work: to become Christian pluralists who love difference, as God surely does. By exploring the complexity of biblical narrative through marginalized figures we come to fresh awareness of those whom we have judged ‘less than’ and pushed to the margins today.” — KATHARINE RHODES HENDERSON
president of Auburn Seminary
“Lucid, innovative, and expansive. . . . An invaluable resource to those looking for a biblical basis for a new approach to religious pluralism.” — S. WESLEY ARIARA JAH
former director of the interfaith dialogue program of the World Council of Churches
toll free 800 253 7521
Unto Us a Child Is Born
Our Father Abraham
Sacred Misinterpretation
Isaiah, Advent, and Our Jewish Neighbors
Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
Reaching across the Christian-Muslim Divide
Marvin R. Wilson 978-0-8028-7733-8
Martin Accad 978-0-8028-7414-6
Tyler D. Mayfield 978-0-8028-7398-9
www.eerdmans.com
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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