Biblical Outlaws by Anthony B Pinn

Biblical Outlaws by Anthony B Pinn

A revelatory exploration of how the Bible’s underdogs, outlaws, and forgotten figures can teach us about our humanity

In this unprecedented book, a secular humanist and celebrated scholar of religion tells the stories of the Bible’s most marginalized figures, challenging readers to reconsider who are the heroes of the text, and who are the villains. What happens when such figures as Lot’s Wife, Job’s Wife, Nimrod, “Doubting” Thomas, and the cursed disciple Judas take center stage? What happens if the Bible is read to privilege the margins of life, where the most socially questionable and ignored are found?

In asking and answering these questions, Anthony B. Pinn finds important lessons in the hidden corners of scripture, in the dark places, and among the despised figures who have a troubled relationship with a troubling world. Freeing these figures to offer their version of events, this book encourages a reading of the Bible against the Bible. Pinn argues that there are life-affirming lessons to learn from these marginalized figures. Something important about our humanity is illustrated not by the Bible’s heroes but by those we tend to forget or discredit.

“By honoring the humanity of these biblical outcasts, Professor Pinn fearlessly draws liberating truth from the marginsBiblical Outlaws will reshape your reading of the Bible and profoundly expand your moral imagination.”—Brad R. Braxton, president and professor of public theology, Chicago Theological Seminary

“In Biblical Outlaws, Anthony Pinn perfects what he has pioneered: liberation atheism and emancipatory humanism. By brilliantly rereading biblical passages through his unbelieving lens, he gives believable voice to figures who have been unjustly text-communicated and unfairly demonized as enemies of the faith. Pinn challenges progressive believers to confront our complicity in the oppression we claim to oppose, and to restore the moral stature and theological usefulness of characters whose legacies are wrongly tarnished.”—Michael Eric Dyson

“Pinn breathes new life and new dimension into millennia-old stories in this nuanced and thought-provoking exploration of the very human characters who play a part in these divine dramas.”—Sasha Sagan, author of For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World

“Focusing on five biblical figures and providing a humanist assessment of their respective narratives, Pinn’s provocative and timely book presents these storied characters in ways that are both complex and compelling.”—Juan Floyd-Thomas, Vanderbilt University

Anthony B. Pinn is is Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Rice University. He is the author or editor of more than forty-five books, including Interplay of Things: Religion, Art, and Presence Together. Pinn splits his time between Houston, TX, and Boston, MA.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780300283495
ISBN 10	0300283490
Title	Biblical Outlaws
Author	Anthony B Pinn
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Yale University Press
Year published	2026-08-25
Number of pages	192
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.