236 pages
English language
Published Sept. 13, 2018
"If the Bible isn't a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her--and it will change you too. Drawing on the best in recent scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories, soliloquies, and even a short screenplay. Undaunted by the Bible's most difficult passages, Evans wrestles through the process of doubting, imagining, and debating Scripture's mysteries. The Bible, she discovers, is not a static work but is a living, breathing, captivating, and confounding book that is able to equip us to join God's loving and …
"If the Bible isn't a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her--and it will change you too. Drawing on the best in recent scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories, soliloquies, and even a short screenplay. Undaunted by the Bible's most difficult passages, Evans wrestles through the process of doubting, imagining, and debating Scripture's mysteries. The Bible, she discovers, is not a static work but is a living, breathing, captivating, and confounding book that is able to equip us to join God's loving and redemptive work in the world." --amazon.com.
Rachel Held Evans - such a desperately needed voice. Her books help me feel at home in the Church when almost all other channels of input make me feel estranged. I recommend this book to anyone who follows Jesus, as well as anyone who is curious about what the Church looks like when it's inclusive.
Helpful, readable book which will be particularly useful for people on the evangelical Protestant spectrum reconsidering their view of the Bible. Evans includes a few retellings of biblical stories and her version of Job is especially good, as is her treatment of Wisdom literature.
This is a clear, straightforward book that will be a great first step for people who are looking for a way to read the Bible other than the one they were taught by their overly literal evangelical church.
That's not exactly what I need at this point in my life (I'm ready to move on to more involved and scholarly approaches to scripture), but it would have been lovely to have ten years ago when I was struggling with a lot of the things Evans does in the book. And more than that, I know many, many people who are going to find this book when they need it most. For anyone who's just figuring out that the way they've been taught to approach the Bible doesn't work, but aren't sure of any other way to approach it, this book will be a godsend.
