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Esther and Her Elusive God: How a Secular Story Functions as Scripture
What if the way the book of Esther has been taught to us in church and retold to us in films, cartoons, and romance novels has missed the original point of the story? Far from being models of piety and devotion, Esther and Mordecai seem indifferent to the faith of their ancestors. How then did this story become part of the Bible and gain the broad acceptance that it has? If the church should not neglect the story, how should it be read? Esther and Her Elusive God calls Christians to avoid the common attempts to make Esther more palatable and theological, and to reclaim this secular story as Scripture. Readers will be encouraged to see in Esther a profound message of God's grace and faithfulness to his wayward people.
170 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2014
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 22, 2015
Solid scholarship that reads well. So many of these dissertations turned books read like a dissertation. Dunne's writing style is lively and engaging. This book ill cause you completely rethink everything you thought you knew about the Esther story.
December 27, 2014
Simple yet profound.
What I love about this book is how the author anticipated he reader's objections and answers them within pages of the questions arising in one's mind.
This author moves the reader from thinking Dunne's position is not merely possible, but probable, and then Dunne shows the beauty of the book's conclusion.
I heartily recommend reading this book - with a few personal caveats. 1) I was personally unconvinced with the author's stance on canon. While I agreed to a certain extent, I also felt it unnecessary for him to exclude other variables. 2) I hope the author will write another book to discuss more of the ramifications and applications to this book. Because Dunne knew the general perspective people have toward Esther, he had to tease out all he knots - which left him only a few pages for application. But those few pages are gold! I'd love to feast on more.
Overall, I was encouraged by the book and I hope to give this book to others.
What I love about this book is how the author anticipated he reader's objections and answers them within pages of the questions arising in one's mind.
This author moves the reader from thinking Dunne's position is not merely possible, but probable, and then Dunne shows the beauty of the book's conclusion.
I heartily recommend reading this book - with a few personal caveats. 1) I was personally unconvinced with the author's stance on canon. While I agreed to a certain extent, I also felt it unnecessary for him to exclude other variables. 2) I hope the author will write another book to discuss more of the ramifications and applications to this book. Because Dunne knew the general perspective people have toward Esther, he had to tease out all he knots - which left him only a few pages for application. But those few pages are gold! I'd love to feast on more.
Overall, I was encouraged by the book and I hope to give this book to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2014
I think both scholars and others will find this book thought provoking and it will challenge how we read Esther.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews