Description:
A paradigm-shifting study of parenting in the New Testament
Challenging popular attempts to mold the Bible into a single fixed model for parenting, New Testament scholars Sung Uk Lim and Amy Lindeman Allen explore the fascinating range of parent-child relationships depicted in the Gospel of Mark. By examining the multifaceted roles of parents in the biblical text while also attending to the agency of children, Lim and Allen illuminate approaches to parenting that have rarely been discussed in biblical studies: collaborative parenting, politicized parenting, borderless parenting, and vulnerable parenting. Their findings reveal biblical parenting to be surprisingly diverse, adaptive, and flexible, with parents in the Markan narrative deftly navigating boundaries of gender, class, ethnicity, and dis/ability.
While much has already been written about women and children in the New Testament, Lim and Allen's book fills a significant scholarly gap regarding relationships between mothers and children, fathers and children, and mothers and fathers. The book also stands out for its engagement with childist, feminist, and womanist biblical scholarship, and its in-depth analysis of parenting power dynamics. For biblical scholars, seminarians, and anyone seeking a fresh perspective on family and household dynamics in early Christianity, Parenting Beyond Boundaries in Mark's Gospel is an innovative study that is sure to generate lively discussion and renewed insights.
Brief description:
Sung Uk Lim is associate professor of New Testament at Yonsei University in Seoul. He is also a research fellow in the department of Old and New Testaments at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biblical Literature and Political Theology. His research interests center on the construction of Jewish and Christian identities from a multiethnic and gender-inclusive perspective. He is the author of Otherness and Identity in the Gospel of John and coauthor of Parenting Beyond Boundaries in Mark's Gospel.
Review Quotes:
"This cowritten book exemplifies what we need more of in biblical studies: collaborative work across culture, gender, and nationality. Focusing on the Gospel of Mark and the theme of parenting, the book explores diverse instances of parenting--from the Syrophoenician woman to Herod and beyond, with insights into parenting toward healing or toward oppressive politics, toward damage or care."
--Laura Salah Nasrallah, Yale University
"In Parenting Beyond Boundaries in Mark's Gospel, Lim and Allen combine thoughtful biblical analysis with attention to the complex relationships between parents and children. Their investigation sheds new light on the subject of parenting. This book is necessary reading for any who are interested in parenting or parent-child relations."
--Susan E. Hylen, Emory University