ABSTRACT
This chapter engages with various evangelical books and writings about interpretation of New Testament texts, some of claims about American evangelical culture come from personal–ethnographic “oral traditions” more than from published works. It describes that many branches of American evangelical Christianity do not interpret scriptural texts in the manner, although it does characterize a significant subculture within American evangelicalism. The chapter concludes with three reflections relating to questions about scripture and violence. First, many people today — whether religious or not, and including some scholars who study religion — speak as though the Qur’an is the only traditional sacred text that might be used to justify violence. Second, materials intended for a popular audience sometimes provide a hermeneutical lens through which people interpret scriptural texts. Finally, it is notable that the specific interpretation of the book of Revelation discussed functionally prioritizes “American” over “Christian.”.
