Scan barcode
ginabyeg's review
4.0
Several years ago, I read Sarah Bessey's book Out of Sorts, and resonated with her statement, "taking the Bible seriously doesn't mean taking everything literally.” In this book, Peter Enns expands on this notion, challenging the belief many hold of the Bible as a rulebook, recipe book, or manual. It is refreshing to hear Enns' thoughts on the Bible as a collection of stories, poems, letters, and documented history from which we can glean wisdom as it applies to us in the 21st century. I enjoyed Enns' gentle sarcasm and sense of humour. As an academic, I did find he went a bit beyond my interest intellectually in Chapters 9 through 12, but outside of that, I found this book to be an engaging read--one that any critical-thinking Christian should consider.
chrisdepew's review
4.0
This book is accessible. You don’t need a theology degree in order to understand the material. So many of the “higher” thinking Biblical books read like graduate level textbooks that most people stay away from. This is a great exception to that rule.
I have read most of Pete’s other books before reading this one. He is known to have a snarky attitude in his less academic writing, so that didn’t come as a surprise when I read this one. However, if you don’t like snark or it affects the way you enjoy a book go into this one knowing there is a good bit of it.
With that being said, I love the snark. For too long those of us that felt, read, and interpreted scripture differently than mainstream evangelical Christianity were always dismissed. This book, along with providing you good theological information, allows you to feel like you are part of a group. A group of people that should have always been and, in the past, were the mainstream when it comes to interpreting scripture. So, if that comes with a bit of snark, I like it.
Lastly, if you are looking for God or Jesus or if you thought you knew God but lost who that is and the desire to seek God because of how others portray God, this is your book. God is bigger than we know and bigger than our ability to look at a very old book and declare, “I know God”. You don’t really know God. This book helps to open you up to the possibility that God is everything and everywhere and see how people groups from different times and places understood God in their context. Not a rule book that still applies today but this book helps show us that the Bible is telling us to find God today and use our experience, wisdom, and tradition along with it to understand who God is in our context.
I’m a Harper-one Partner. This book was provided to me by the publisher for review purposes
#wisebible #harperonepartner
I have read most of Pete’s other books before reading this one. He is known to have a snarky attitude in his less academic writing, so that didn’t come as a surprise when I read this one. However, if you don’t like snark or it affects the way you enjoy a book go into this one knowing there is a good bit of it.
With that being said, I love the snark. For too long those of us that felt, read, and interpreted scripture differently than mainstream evangelical Christianity were always dismissed. This book, along with providing you good theological information, allows you to feel like you are part of a group. A group of people that should have always been and, in the past, were the mainstream when it comes to interpreting scripture. So, if that comes with a bit of snark, I like it.
Lastly, if you are looking for God or Jesus or if you thought you knew God but lost who that is and the desire to seek God because of how others portray God, this is your book. God is bigger than we know and bigger than our ability to look at a very old book and declare, “I know God”. You don’t really know God. This book helps to open you up to the possibility that God is everything and everywhere and see how people groups from different times and places understood God in their context. Not a rule book that still applies today but this book helps show us that the Bible is telling us to find God today and use our experience, wisdom, and tradition along with it to understand who God is in our context.
I’m a Harper-one Partner. This book was provided to me by the publisher for review purposes
#wisebible #harperonepartner
mnstucki's review
4.0
A breath of fresh air! So much to think about, and a really helpful way of looking at all of the ways that the Bible contradicts itself.
dbswanson's review against another edition
3.0
I received an advance reader copy from HarperOne. #wisebible #harperonepartner Facebook: @PeterEnnsAuthor Twitter: @peteenns
mkaske's review against another edition
3.75
This is slightly repetitive, but a fresh look at how you should read the Bible and as the title states “how it works”.
laurenjcarter28's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
theburg11's review
4.0
A four star read with a five star thesis. Excellent book if you wrestle with the idea of the Bible being completely inerrant, how scripture applied to the context it was written in versus today, or other related topics.