Books by John Kaltner

The current social and political climate makes it easy to benefit from religious misunderstanding. Political and religious leaders create fear of the religious other in order to drum up support for themselves. But the best way to combat deliberate misrepresentation is to provide accurate, timely information about the three great monotheistic...

By exploring the relationship between the Bible and the Qu'ran, John Kaltner challenges Bible readers to think about their sacred book in different ways.

Designed for readers who have no familiarity with the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, this introduction provides a complete overview of its development and its continuing interpretation. Each chapter follows the same four-part format: "Content" summarizes the biblical book being treated; "Growth" explains the process behind the book's composition according to the most up-to-date scholarship; "Context" describes the historical, literary, and social settings that were at work in the book's production; and "Interpretation" explores the various ways in which the book has been and continues to be understood in scholarly and religious communities. The Old Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content is an ideal classroom resource because, even though it presents the biblical books in their canonical order, it can be read in any sequence to meet ¿the needs and aims of a given course.

The contributors to this volume use a variety of methodological approaches to explore texts and issues related to prophecy in ancient Israel and the Near East. The essays cover a wide range of themes on the institution of prophecy and on the individual prophets in ancient Israel.

As various events have focused attention on Islam, the often-misunderstood faith of one billion people, westerners have shown a new curiosity about it and other religions. This is perhaps in part because religion is such an important factor in geopolitics. Islam needs to be understood on its own terms, apart from extreme expressions, John Kaltner argues. This edition offers information about Islam in an accessible presentation and presents Islam as first and foremost a religion of practices. Showing the deep humanism of Islam and its commitments, Kaltner presents Islam through assertions that counter frequent misconceptions of the faith.

Strange but True Bible FactsDid you know:that King David swore like a sailor?that the Book of Ecclesiastes encourages drinking, especially beer?that mandrakes were the biblical equivalent of Viagra®?that the law of Moses prescribes bikini waxing?that Joseph's "coat of many colors" might have actually been a dress?that Eve might have been created, not from Adam's rib, but from something a little lower down?Discover all this, and more, in The Uncensored Bible.