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Genesis
Praise for the Series "Written with pastors in mind, this series is an excellent resource for discerning the intention of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures and for preaching the love of God." — Andrew Sung Park , Professor of Theology and Ethics, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio
"With this series, the theological is deliberately brought to the fore, both at the level of the texts and at the level of critics." — Fernando F. Segovia , Oberlin Graduate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University
The volumes in A Theological Commentary on the Bible from Westminster John Knox Press offer a fresh and invigorating approach to all the books of the Bible. Building on a wide range of sources from biblical studies, the history of theology, the church’s liturgical and musical traditions, contemporary culture, and the Christian tradition, noted scholars focus less on traditional historical and literary angles in favor of a theologically focused commentary that considers the contemporary relevance of the texts. This series is an invaluable resource for those who want to probe beyond the backgrounds and words of biblical texts to their deep theological and ethical meanings for the church today.
This volume in the Belief series offers a new and interesting theological interpretation of Genesis through the themes of liberation and the concerns of the poor and marginalized. The stories within Genesis are viewed as testimonies of peoples’ encounters with God and raise the issues of injustice, oppression, sexual abuse, disenfranchisement, and powerlessness—all key issues for Christian faith and life today. Miguel A. De La Torre wrestles with texts, remembering Jacob’s wrestling with God at Peniel (Gen. 32:24-32), and finds "there are consequences when we truly wrestle with the biblical text, struggling to see the face of God." He provides theological and ethical insights that enable Genesis to speak powerfully today concerning God and the divine call for love, mercy, and justice.
"With this series, the theological is deliberately brought to the fore, both at the level of the texts and at the level of critics." — Fernando F. Segovia , Oberlin Graduate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University
The volumes in A Theological Commentary on the Bible from Westminster John Knox Press offer a fresh and invigorating approach to all the books of the Bible. Building on a wide range of sources from biblical studies, the history of theology, the church’s liturgical and musical traditions, contemporary culture, and the Christian tradition, noted scholars focus less on traditional historical and literary angles in favor of a theologically focused commentary that considers the contemporary relevance of the texts. This series is an invaluable resource for those who want to probe beyond the backgrounds and words of biblical texts to their deep theological and ethical meanings for the church today.
This volume in the Belief series offers a new and interesting theological interpretation of Genesis through the themes of liberation and the concerns of the poor and marginalized. The stories within Genesis are viewed as testimonies of peoples’ encounters with God and raise the issues of injustice, oppression, sexual abuse, disenfranchisement, and powerlessness—all key issues for Christian faith and life today. Miguel A. De La Torre wrestles with texts, remembering Jacob’s wrestling with God at Peniel (Gen. 32:24-32), and finds "there are consequences when we truly wrestle with the biblical text, struggling to see the face of God." He provides theological and ethical insights that enable Genesis to speak powerfully today concerning God and the divine call for love, mercy, and justice.
- GenresTheologyChristianity
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2011
23 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Miguel A. de la Torre
43 books58 followersDe La Torre received a Masters in Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Temple University in social ethics. The focus of his academic pursuit has been ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He specializes in applying a social scientific approach to Latino/a religiosity within this country, Liberation theologies in Latin America, and postmodern/postcolonial social theory.
De La Torre currently servers as the Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.
De La Torre currently servers as the Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 29, 2021
I read the Kindle version of this book for my Genesis course at Nazarene Theological Seminary under Dr. Jennifer Matheny. I wrote the following book review for class:
De La Torre, as an ethicist and social justice activist and scholar, approaches the book of Genesis through the lens of liberation. His direct focus is on the practicing of the Christian faith in a way that might “contribute to the dismantlement of oppressive social structures” (i). This is why he is writing this commentary. He wants to get the reader outside the mindset of reading the text through the eyes of the dominant culture, specifically the Euro/Western/white centric culture of the United States. His goal is to read the text through the lens of the marginalized and the oppressed, those at the fringes of society or who have been harmed by society. His goal for the reader is that they might walk away from the biblical text having wrestled with it and wrestled with God but having been transformed and motivated to live their faith in concrete ways that raise up the marginalized rather than ignore them by dwelling on intellectual questions irrelevant to the lived exitance of so many people.
He walks through the book of Genesis chronologically, taking each story and commenting upon relevant historical background as far as it contributes to a practical application of the text into the modern world. He also specifically discusses the lives and stories of those in the text who are marginalized or oppressed—women, slaves, foreigners, etc. De La Torre is ruthless in his assessment of biblical characters in positions of power who oppress or possibly oppress others. No one is off-limits, including the most revered figures in the book like Noah, Abraham, and even God himself. He is unafraid to ask the hard questions that an honest reading of the text begs, like whether God intended for Eve and Adam to fall or why God tells Hagar, an abused slave and mother, to return back into the hands of her abusers. De La Torre does not just focus his writing on individuals but draws the reader’s attention to systems of evil that are supported or participated in by those with wealth or power which exploit the poor and disenfranchised.
In the first three chapters of Genesis, he explores the issues of God having no gender, how humanity should be relating to the created world, fundamentalist readings of the text and how they miss the point of the actual writers, sin and how it got so closely associated with sex and sexuality, and the impact on women of blaming the fall on Eve and the resulting patriarchal structures that follow. He deals with issues of race as they relate to Eve and Adam, Cain, Ham (Cannan), and the Tower of Babel, often pointing out how these stories have been misused by racist groups in recent history. He highlights the four rebellions that he sees taking place in Genesis 1-11—Eve and Adam in the garden, Cain against Abel, the Sons of God corrupting humanity, and the Tower of Babel. He encourages the reader not to see them as a downward spiral but as the ups and downs of human existence. In Genesis 12-19, De La Torre deals with the stories of Abraham and Sarah, taking a careful look at the sexism and the exploitation of slaves that takes place in those stories. In the stories of Ishmael and Isaac in Genesis 20-26, in addition to the themes mentioned already, he gives special attention to the many peoples that come from Abraham’s loins and their complex relationships with the nation of Israel in the future. In the stories of Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25-35, he discusses the issue of God’s rejecting some and choosing others. Finally, the story of the twelve sons of Israel in Genesis 37-50 provides a context to talk about issues of favoritism, racism, assimilation, and whether God is the cause or redeemer of evil. The interjected story of Tamar in Genesis 38 reveals for De La Torre, another example of how a woman has to get by in a patriarchal society by allowing others to use her body.
I found the approach of De La Torre to be both abrasive and thrilling. There were many things in his writing that rubbed me the wrong way. I knew to expect this, however, and tried to open myself to his perspective and the perspectives of those who he represents. His harsh criticism of God as not caring about the physical and sexual abuse of various characters was hard to read. His no-holds-barred critique of each of the patriarchs, figures who I have primarily heard spoken of in a positive light, was jarring. His constant harping on issues of sexism was atypical for biblical commentaries I have read. His focus on lived experience over cultural context was sometimes concerning. These, and many others, were all hard to adjust to. There were many elements of De La Torre’s commentary that I found resonance with, however. I found his intentional avoidance of referring to God with gendered pronouns inspiring. I found his boldness in pointing out the sins of the wealthy (which includes me) convicting. I found his candor about his approach, blatantly stating that he is reading the text subjectively, refreshing (although it did make me a bit apprehensive). I found his wrestling with intimidating questions about God to be genuine. While I may not agree with all that De La Torre said or advocated in this commentary, I respect him and admire that which he is calling the church to. If I am honest with myself, I do not know if I have the guts to live the way he is calling us to. The stunning thing to me is that having come to the end of the commentary I feel deeply enriched and much more in tune with the stories of Genesis. I feel a sense of connection with the characters. I feel a sense of mourning for their sorrows and hurts. I feel moved at their trials and fascinated by the way the writers painted their lives in these texts. I truly don’t think I will ever be able to read Genesis the same again.
De La Torre, as an ethicist and social justice activist and scholar, approaches the book of Genesis through the lens of liberation. His direct focus is on the practicing of the Christian faith in a way that might “contribute to the dismantlement of oppressive social structures” (i). This is why he is writing this commentary. He wants to get the reader outside the mindset of reading the text through the eyes of the dominant culture, specifically the Euro/Western/white centric culture of the United States. His goal is to read the text through the lens of the marginalized and the oppressed, those at the fringes of society or who have been harmed by society. His goal for the reader is that they might walk away from the biblical text having wrestled with it and wrestled with God but having been transformed and motivated to live their faith in concrete ways that raise up the marginalized rather than ignore them by dwelling on intellectual questions irrelevant to the lived exitance of so many people.
He walks through the book of Genesis chronologically, taking each story and commenting upon relevant historical background as far as it contributes to a practical application of the text into the modern world. He also specifically discusses the lives and stories of those in the text who are marginalized or oppressed—women, slaves, foreigners, etc. De La Torre is ruthless in his assessment of biblical characters in positions of power who oppress or possibly oppress others. No one is off-limits, including the most revered figures in the book like Noah, Abraham, and even God himself. He is unafraid to ask the hard questions that an honest reading of the text begs, like whether God intended for Eve and Adam to fall or why God tells Hagar, an abused slave and mother, to return back into the hands of her abusers. De La Torre does not just focus his writing on individuals but draws the reader’s attention to systems of evil that are supported or participated in by those with wealth or power which exploit the poor and disenfranchised.
In the first three chapters of Genesis, he explores the issues of God having no gender, how humanity should be relating to the created world, fundamentalist readings of the text and how they miss the point of the actual writers, sin and how it got so closely associated with sex and sexuality, and the impact on women of blaming the fall on Eve and the resulting patriarchal structures that follow. He deals with issues of race as they relate to Eve and Adam, Cain, Ham (Cannan), and the Tower of Babel, often pointing out how these stories have been misused by racist groups in recent history. He highlights the four rebellions that he sees taking place in Genesis 1-11—Eve and Adam in the garden, Cain against Abel, the Sons of God corrupting humanity, and the Tower of Babel. He encourages the reader not to see them as a downward spiral but as the ups and downs of human existence. In Genesis 12-19, De La Torre deals with the stories of Abraham and Sarah, taking a careful look at the sexism and the exploitation of slaves that takes place in those stories. In the stories of Ishmael and Isaac in Genesis 20-26, in addition to the themes mentioned already, he gives special attention to the many peoples that come from Abraham’s loins and their complex relationships with the nation of Israel in the future. In the stories of Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25-35, he discusses the issue of God’s rejecting some and choosing others. Finally, the story of the twelve sons of Israel in Genesis 37-50 provides a context to talk about issues of favoritism, racism, assimilation, and whether God is the cause or redeemer of evil. The interjected story of Tamar in Genesis 38 reveals for De La Torre, another example of how a woman has to get by in a patriarchal society by allowing others to use her body.
I found the approach of De La Torre to be both abrasive and thrilling. There were many things in his writing that rubbed me the wrong way. I knew to expect this, however, and tried to open myself to his perspective and the perspectives of those who he represents. His harsh criticism of God as not caring about the physical and sexual abuse of various characters was hard to read. His no-holds-barred critique of each of the patriarchs, figures who I have primarily heard spoken of in a positive light, was jarring. His constant harping on issues of sexism was atypical for biblical commentaries I have read. His focus on lived experience over cultural context was sometimes concerning. These, and many others, were all hard to adjust to. There were many elements of De La Torre’s commentary that I found resonance with, however. I found his intentional avoidance of referring to God with gendered pronouns inspiring. I found his boldness in pointing out the sins of the wealthy (which includes me) convicting. I found his candor about his approach, blatantly stating that he is reading the text subjectively, refreshing (although it did make me a bit apprehensive). I found his wrestling with intimidating questions about God to be genuine. While I may not agree with all that De La Torre said or advocated in this commentary, I respect him and admire that which he is calling the church to. If I am honest with myself, I do not know if I have the guts to live the way he is calling us to. The stunning thing to me is that having come to the end of the commentary I feel deeply enriched and much more in tune with the stories of Genesis. I feel a sense of connection with the characters. I feel a sense of mourning for their sorrows and hurts. I feel moved at their trials and fascinated by the way the writers painted their lives in these texts. I truly don’t think I will ever be able to read Genesis the same again.
Displaying 1 of 1 review