In Using Our Outside Voice, Greg Carey contends that responsible public biblical interpretation requires the ability to enter a conversation about the Bible, to understand the various arguments in play, and to offer informed opinions that others can understand. This role demands not only basic knowledge but also identifiable skills, habits, and dispositions. Carey does not suggest that public interpreters of the Bible are more insightful or more correct than are other people. But public biblical interpretation involves participating in reasoned conversations about the Bible and its significance.People appeal to the Bible for all sorts of reasons. The work of public biblical interpretation involves a level of accountability, both scholarly and moral. Carey encourages interpreters to develop proficiency in historical, cultural, and literary modes of interpretation as well as to cultivate familiarity with a broad range of interpretive options, including those from diverse cultural locations and historical points of view. Many interpreters work within the context of particular faith traditions and are accountable for engaging those traditions in meaningful, constructive ways. Public interpreters also are accountable for the ethical implications of their work.Using Our Outside Voice is ideal for students in biblical studies and those who teach, preach, and interpret the Bible.
Greg Carey is professor of New Testament at Lancaster Theological Seminary and author of Sinners: Jesus and His Earliest Followers (2009), among other books, and coeditor of Vision and Persuasion: Rhetorical Dimensions of Apocalyptic Discourse (1999). Carey resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
"This is a much needed and most rewarding volume. For some time now, a number of volumes on political biblical criticism have appeared. These have examined the ways in which biblical texts can be invoked and deployed regarding key issues in contemporary society and culture. In so doing, these works bring the past and the present together in highly creative and sophisticated ways. This volume by Greg Carey on public biblical criticism continues in this vein. Its unique contribution to this ongoing discussion is an analysis of the dynamics and mechanics at work in any such criticism. Carey's volume is an excellent mixture of personal voice, critical expertise, and gentle disposition. I find it a most welcome addition to this important strand of contemporary criticism." --Fernando F. Segovia, Oberlin Graduate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University "Carey does in one book what would normally take three: he epitomizes salient information on the history of interpretation of the Bible, he surveys the landscape of contemporary methods, and he calls readers to engage in the public square regarding biblical interpretation for the sake of our common life together as global citizens. Real people's lives depend upon it." --Jamie Clark-Soles, Professor of New Testament, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Director, Baptist House of Studies, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University "The Bible is a public document and should not be left only to mystical interpreters, ecclesial enthusiasts, or political partisans. Greg Carey provides an effective and exhaustive guide to those who wish to practice biblical interpretation conscientiously for the publics they engage. We do well to heed Carey's reliable advice." --Emerson Powery, professor of Biblical Studies, Messiah College "This is a splendid, accessible survey of how scholarship illuminates the Bible. It's also an impassioned appeal, urging anyone who reads and interprets Scripture to expand their perspectives, examine their presuppositions, and learn from others. No matter who you are, whether you've never consulted a footnote in a study Bible or you've earned a degree in biblical studies, you're going to learn something new and useful here." --Matthew L. Skinner, professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary "Using Our Outside Voice responds to the ongoing claim by many evangelicals that progressives have a low view of Scripture. Here one will find an introduction to biblical hermeneutics that is pointed without being polemical, alert about how we move the Bible into the public without being pedantic, and most of all, Carey offers us all a wonderful example of how a first-rate teacher works out interpretation with students. What we say about the Bible works ripple-like into our culture and Using Our Outside Voice reminds us that what we professors and preachers say, what we write, and what we claim matters more than we may ever know." --Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament, Northern Seminary "In a period of history when U.S. readers of the Bible are divided both politically and theologically on a myriad of social and cultural issues, Using Our Outside Voice: Public Biblical Interpretation is an indispensable guide for anyone intending to participate in employing biblical interpretation in the public arena. Carey provides a clear and lively discussion in understanding people's commitments and arguments on sexuality, race, politics, geo-politics, and a host of other issues in relationship to the Bible." --Francisco Lozada, Jr, Charles Fischer Catholic Associate Professor of New Testament and Latina/o Church Studies, Brite Divinity School
