Rethinking the Bathsheba Story

The new issue of Prism is out, and in it, an article thattakes a fresh look at the Bathsheba story. The article begins like this:

 “How much responsibility did Bathsheba have in thataffair? After all, she was bathing where David could see her!” I have heardthis line, and others like it, many times in the course of my evangelicalupbringing and education—the David and Bathsheba story used as an example of“why women should be modest” and “how temptresses can bring down godlyleaders.” But that’s not what the story is about.  It’s a story of a woman being sexually abused by a man in power.