R. (“Randy”) Richards, Provost and Professor of New Testament at Palm Beach Atlantic University, joins David Capes on “The Stone Chapel Podcast” to talk about his book, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes (written with Brandon J. O’Brien [IVP], 2012).

The book’s subtitle Is “Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible.”

Dr. Richard’s life has been shaped by his experiences as a missionary in Indonesia. In those years he saw how he tended to read Scripture through a cultural lens vastly different from the world of the Bible. 

This is not a book about bashing the West; no, Richards celebrates all the contributions the West has made to furthering the gospel. But he does want to alert us to the subtleties of “what goes without being said” in our culture and the Scriptures’.

He gives two examples: the first, from the Joseph story (Genesis) and second, from Paul’s admonition in 1 Timothy for women to dress “modestly.” What goes without being said, in both cases, differs from various cultures.

Now, any cultural reading could be off, and Dr. Richards admits that.  Someone, he says, should write a book “Misreading Scripture with Eastern Eyes.” This is an important book and a timely book. The Bible does not come from the Middle West but from the Middle East.

Watch Dr. Richards at the Lanier Theological Library here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmELARKVt5c

Books by Dr. Richards and Dr. Capes: