In an age of fear and insecurity, in which ethnic nationalism continues to give rise to conflict
and war, we dare not avoid critical engagement
with biblical texts that have been used to justify
colonialism, conquest, occupation, and ethnic
cleansing. Building on the idea of Scripture
as dialogue partner, Matties advocates for the
book of Joshua even as he engages in a difficult
conversation with it.
In his commentary, the 25th volume in
the Believers Church Bible Commentary
series, Matties calls for "an openness to the
unexpected" in the book of Joshua. He
suggests that reading Joshua carefully will open
windows into how and why we read Scripture
at all.