by Terry Giles (Author)
Talk is essential to human social life. Through conversation we form friendships, share dreams and hopes, and develop a common outlook on the world around us. Talk with God can achieve the same thing. This book examines the conversational prayers in the Hebrew Bible, their structure and content, to understand how talk with God forms friendship, shares dreams and hopes, and develops a Divine-human outlook on the world. Conversation forces the petitioner to surrender control of the encounter and become susceptible to unscripted give and take with the Divine. Conversation with God is always a risk, but the rewards can be great. Through conversation Abraham and Moses became friends with God. The same can be true for us.
Author Biography
Terry Giles is Professor of Theology at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. Previous books include A Doubter's Guide to the Bible (2009), The Samaritan Pentateuch, with Robert T. Anderson (2012), and The Naomi Story--The Book of Ruth, with William J. Doan (Cascade, 2016).