Bummed About Bailey Book

Five months ago, I learned Kenneth Bailey had a new book called Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels. I wrote then that I thought announcing such a book was cruel and inhumane and then made me wait five months. As the weeks rolled by, the release date was finally set for November 9, 2007. I got my pre-order in at Amazon. Last week I pulled out my theological dinnerware, complete with extra sharp steak knives, prepared to cut into a nice thick Kenneth Bailey teaching steak. I checked on my order on the 10th, the 11th, the 12th, and again today. It still kept showing the book in pre-order mode. So I finally went to the IVP Academic website and, to my horror, discovered it has been delayed until February of 2008! Arrrrrrrgh!!! Okay IVP. You now owe me a free advance copy to review on my blog.

For those who don't know about Kenneth Bailey, you should check out his stuff. He lived and taught in the Middle East for the better part of forty years; he is a Bible translator and has written and lectured extensively on understanding the Bible from within the Middle Eastern cultural context. Reading and listening to him makes the Bible spring to life. You will find Bailey referenced if you check the footnotes carefully in some of N. T. Wright's work. In Exclusion and Embrace, Miroslav Volf says at the end of chapter 3 that the parable of the two lost sons in Luke 15 inspired him to write the book. This parable has been Bailey's lifelong favorite; sure enough, Bailey is one of Volf's prime sources for his analysis.

Emerging church folks are big on the importance of cultural context and understanding the Bible within its cultural context. One of the things that makes me suspicious of so much emerging church analysis of the Bible is that I never see Bailey's work engaged in the process. He is one of the most profound biblical scholars of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. Based on the emphasis placed on cultural context, I'm not inclined to give emerging church theology much credibility until I begin to see some interaction with Bailey.

I wrote a series almost two years ago on Bailey's analysis of Luke 15, at the end of which I recommended three of his books. For some of his lectures on DVD, click here. And if you wait three more months, another book may be added to the list. Arrrrrgh!

Comments

[Alan]

I also pre-ordered it after you wrote about it. Oh well, I guess I can wade through a few other things on my shelf while I wait. Thanks for the update.

Alan

[Viola Larson]

Michael,
I was going to order Bailey's book for Christmas for my husband. We both like Bailey and he doesn't know about the book. Oh well, I will have to think of something else.

[Keith Brown]

I too find that Kenneth E. Bailey brings the bible to life. I had the opportunity to speak with Ken last Thanksgiving for a bit of time. I've been so impressed with him and his work that I created a website in honor of him and his work.

If you are interested, you can visit the website at www.eprodigals.com

Keith

[Michael W. Kruse]

Very cool, Keith. Thanks!