A book for our time
Steven D. Kurtz presents an engaging exploration of Scripture, urging readers to envision unity beyond nationalism. Through thoughtful discourse, his work invites readers to reflect on the role of outsiders to the "chosen people" in the Bible and how its sustained engagement with them reveals a vision of inclusion. According to the Bible, God's moral concerns include "all the families of the earth."
What others are saying
"Kurtz brilliantly walks us through the Bible, guiding us to see an overarching narrative. Like putting on glasses, this allows us to see the whole story and the individual narratives with fresh clarity.
Whether you’re a pastor seeking a resource to help you prepare your sermons, a small group wanting to dig deeper with your next book study, or an individual Christian hoping to read the Bible better, turn the page because you’ve picked up the right book."
Rev. Dr. Brian Kaylor
President of Word&Way
"With clear, grounded Bible teaching, Kurtz shows that God's promises were always meant for all people. By tracing the role of outsiders and nations throughout Scripture, he gently dismantles nationalist distortions and reminds us that in Jesus, God is forming one reconciled family from every tribe and nation."
-Caleb E. Campbell,
Author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor
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About the book
​This book explores the tension between universalism and particularism in biblical narratives, examining how God is portrayed not only as the special protector of a chosen people, but also the creator of all humanity with moral concerns that include everyone, to shed light on contemporary questions of Christian identity and nationalism.
Chapters
PART 1 · CHAPTERS 1–10​
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Old Testament Nationalism
Israelite Nationalism​
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CHAPTER 1
The Perfect World
Adam and Eve show life in a world as it was meant to be and depict our common human origins.
CHAPTER 2
The Mixed Multitude
The Exodus story begins with the family of Jacob migrating to Egypt to escape famine, but escaping centuries later as a “mixed multitude.”
CHAPTER 3
The Good Prostitute
Rahab the Gentile prostitute hid the men sent to spit out the land of Canaan and was therefore granted protected status in the Israelite community.
CHAPTER 4
Elijah and the widow of Zarephath
Elijah flees for his life from Jezebel, to the land of Zarephath, in Sidon where he resuscitates the widow’s son.
CHAPTER 5
Elisha and Naaman the Syrian leper
Naaman the Syrian commander follows the advice of his Israelite servant girl to go to Israel where Elisha gives him instructions that lead to his healing.
CHAPTER 6
Other Nations’ Promised Land
Moses explains to the Israelites that God has given land to other nations as well.
CHAPTER 7
Ruth the Foreigner
Ruth is repeatedly identified as a foreign woman from Moab, but she ends up as an ancestor in David’s family lineage.
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CHAPTER 8
Jonah and the Assyrian Mission
Jonah is sent to Nineveh, the capital city of his arch-enemies, the Assyrians, and grouses about God’s mercy extended to them.
CHAPTER 9
“My name shall be great in all the earth.”
Malachi places God’s concern about Israel’s failings in the context of God’s concern for His global reputation.
CHAPTER 10
Jeremiah and The Ethiopian
Jeremiah is thrown into a cistern by King Zedekiah to die of starvation, until an Ethiopian, Ebed-melech, intervenes and Jeremiah is saved.
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PART 2 · CHAPTERS 11–20​
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The New Testament's Vision
of Inclusion
CHAPTER 11
Jesus’ Near Death Experience
In his inaugural speech in Luke Jesus cites the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the leper as evidence of God’s concern for non-Israelites, for which the people attempt to push him to his death off a cliff.
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CHAPTER 12
Jesus and Non-Israelites
Jesus had interactions with non-Israelites that showed his respect and compassion for them including: healing Centurion’s servant, healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman, and dialoging with the Samaritan woman at the well.
CHAPTER 13
The Two Sides of the Lake
Jesus crosses the Lake with his disciples, frequently landing in Gentile territory where he showed compassion by healing, exorcisms, and feeding
CHAPTER 14
The International Great Commission
Jesus’ Great Commission to his present and future disciples in Matthew sends them out to the entire world.
CHAPTER 15
Pentecost: Babel No More
The account in Acts of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost united people of disparate ethnicities, reversing the particularism of a chosen people with a global spiritual unity.
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CHAPTER 16
Peter and Cornelius

The book of Acts gives us an account of Peter’s vision which he interprets as opening the door to his fellowship with the Gentile Cornelius.
CHAPTER 17
In Christ, there is no Jew or Greek
The international nature of God’s redeeming work, according to Paul, is explicit in Galatians.
CHAPTER 18
Paul’s Gentile mission
Paul took great pains to explain and defend his mission to the Gentiles, the grafted wild vine in Romans, for whom he was willing to contest Peter himself in Galatians.
CHAPTER 19
The Royal Nation
Peter asks his Gentile congregations to consider themselves as Israel did: a chosen generation, royal priesthood, and a holy nation.
CHAPTER 20
All Tribes and Peoples and Languages around the Throne
In Revelation John has a vision of the throne of God in heaven where people from every tribe, people and language gather in praise.
Author Insights
About Steven Kurtz
Steven was an instructor in Biblical Studies at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia, where he taught courses in bible, theology, and ethics. There, he saw firsthand the destructive effects of nationalism on the former Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Serbia, both nominally Christian countries, and in Bosnia, which was majority Christian. He lived within thirty minutes of mass graves in more than one direction. He was an eyewitness to destroyed churches and villages and led services in congregations whose pastors were refugees from the fighting.
These experiences gave him a passion for dislodging the roots of nationalism and its faulty biblical and theological justifications. Steven graduated from the Moody Bible Institute and the Evangelical Theological Divinity School. He has served congregations in Alabama and Arkansas, where his ministry included teaching in-depth Bible courses.
Key Themes
Universal Image of God
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All humans — male and female — are created in God's image and likeness, establishing universal dignity that precedes any ethnic or national distinction.
Creation as Preface & "Lens"
Genesis 1, though likely written after much of the Hebrew Bible, was placed first to serve as the interpretive lens for everything that follows.
Tension: Universal vs. Particular
The chapter identifies an unresolved tension in the Hebrew Bible between God as Creator of all people and the story of one "chosen" family.
Jesus’s Inaugural Sermon as Lens
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Luke placed the Nazareth sermon at the very beginning of Jesus's public ministry, serving as a theological lens for everything that follows — just as Genesis 1 functions in the Hebrew Bible.
Faith Beyond Israel
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Jesus's highest praise for faith goes to non-Israelites — a Roman centurion and a Canaanite woman — challenging the assumption that chosen-ness guarantees faithfulness.
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Identity Reimagined
Drawing extensively on biblical scripture, illuminating its relevance in today’s culturally complex world, and inviting readers to reflect on how scripture views national identity and the concept of a chosen people.
CULTURAL RELEVANCE
Current Issues
Today, many are persuaded that America is a Christian nation in origin and in purpose. Many believe America is a "city on a hill" and "a light to the nations," and that we have inherited Israel's status as a Chosen Nation. Some call this perspective American Christian Nationalism.
My question is, does that stand up to a close reading of the Bible? So I walk through texts in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the New (or Second) Testament to find the answer.
The book is written for people who do not have any special background. If you can read this webpage, you will be able to understand the book. My hope is that it will be interesting, engaging, informative, and even funny in a couple of places. I want you to enjoy reading it.
Join the Conversation
This would be a great book to read in a community, like a reading group, adult education group or Sunday School class.
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✦ AI-Powered Study Guide
This interactive study guide was AI-generated using Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant, drawing faithfully from the content and arguments of All the Families of the Earth. Each chapter's "Discuss my answer" feature uses the same AI to offer real-time, context-aware conversation about your responses — helping you think deeper without simply giving away answers. A free Claude account is sufficient to use all features.
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If you would like access, please contact me at stevendalekurtz@gmail.com.
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