Events

Please join Brazos Bookstore in welcoming John Coats for a reading and signing of his new book, Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis. 

In this vivid new interpretation of Genesis, former Episcopal priest
John R. Coats looks at the ancient text and its characters in a new
light, as stories about people whose day-to-day concerns, triumphs, and
failures are not unlike our own. In fact, understanding the people and
stories of Genesis can help you understand your own life, family, and
colleagues. In the relationships of Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau,
Rachel and Leah, and Joseph and his brothers, for instance, you can see
an all too familiar escalation of the toxic sibling or even workplace
rivalries that tear at the fabric of contemporary life. And in
Abraham's ponderous response to the command to "Go forth," and Noah's
unquestioning commitment to build the ark, you can revisit the question
of your own life's path -- your calling.

Was Jacob a heartless grifter or simply clever? Was Eve the original
sinner or an innocent? Was Joseph a self-absorbed brat or a
forward-thinking leader? In Original Sinners, Coats pulls back the
wrappings that have hidden the humanity of biblical figures and reveals
the vibrant drama of these foundational narratives. "Different
clothing, yes, and language, and customs, yet at the human level," he
writes, "they were just as greedy and generous as we are, as gullible
and crafty, as moronic and brilliant, as cowardly and brave. They are
us, their stories, our stories, mirrors in which to see our best and
worst selves."