Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

UNPROTECTED TEXTS The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions   about Sex and Desire Author:   Jennifer Wright Knust Date: 2011 Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Knust’s book, Unprotected Texts , has an intriguing title for anyone thinking about the sex-related moral issues constantly in the news. I purchased a copy of her book as I was writing A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures , and I’m glad I did because I referenced some of her insights. Knust has impressive credentials. At the time she wrote Unprotected Texts , Knust had a Ph.D., from Columbia University and was an Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Boston University School of Theology. She’s also an ordained American Baptist pastor. Unprotected Texts is a well written book, which addresses biblical sex in six chapters with primary titles that do not easily identify the subject matter until you’ve read a few pages.  In this review, I’ll pro

THE MORAL TEACHING   OF PAUL SELECTED ISSUES 3RD EDITION      BY VICTOR PAUL FURNISH Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton The Moral Teaching of Paul is one of the books I cited in A House Divided.   This third edition comes some 30 years after the first edition and aims to expand our understanding of the sociocultural context of Paul's Ministry related to contemporary moral issues. Before discussing the moral topics, Furnish reminds readers in Chapter 1 about Paul's authorship, which at this point appears firm for Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Disputed works include Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy. The disputed works have been variously dated in a range from the 70s to the early second century. The importance of identifying Paul's works is a matter of emphasis thus, Furnish focuses attention on the undisputed texts to understand Paul's moral theology. Furnish advises readers