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thedutchyeti's review
4.0
A very open and honest look at the Bible. I'm so glad to have read this, it really helps me feel better about some of the doubts, struggles, fears, etc. that I have been dealing with in regards to my faith and the Bible. I just wish I could find a church that has people like Peter Enns in it. This book helps to see the Bible in an honest sense, and see it for what it means to be, not what we want it to be. I just wish more people could or were able to see the Bible this way. Will be recommending to many of my close friends.
maryeeafsu's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Probably it is more the timing of when I read rather than the content or quality of writing that caused this to be rated under 3.5, but if you are interested in the topic, it is definitely worth the read
ben_smitty's review
4.0
Peter Enns did a fantastic job at portraying his views on how we should view the Bible. Enns sees the Bible as a book of stories told by the Israelites to explain how they got to where they are rather than a concrete historical book (which would mean a later date for the Pentateuch since he believed it was written after they have already taken over Canaan.)
I disagree with a lot of his views on the destruction of the Canaanites (he believed it didn't actually happen) and how some of these stories were made up by the Israelites to explain how they got to the present that I almost threw the book across the room at one point. But in the end I could see where he is coming from in regards to his belief as he presented the case for the messiah being completely different than what the Jews thought the messiah would be and paralleling that to how we should read the Bible loosely with the use of creative interpretation rather than a strict read-through of accurate history.
Enns ended with how the Bible is not supposed to be about the accuracy of history. It is about the developing plot that will lead to the story of Christ.
The writing could have been a little better, but it was easy to read through nonetheless.
I disagree with a lot of his views on the destruction of the Canaanites (he believed it didn't actually happen) and how some of these stories were made up by the Israelites to explain how they got to the present that I almost threw the book across the room at one point. But in the end I could see where he is coming from in regards to his belief as he presented the case for the messiah being completely different than what the Jews thought the messiah would be and paralleling that to how we should read the Bible loosely with the use of creative interpretation rather than a strict read-through of accurate history.
Enns ended with how the Bible is not supposed to be about the accuracy of history. It is about the developing plot that will lead to the story of Christ.
The writing could have been a little better, but it was easy to read through nonetheless.
alloryplam's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I enjoyed the challenge of reframing the Bible that Pete Enns poses. The book is a great jumping off point to anyone who is attempting to mature their faith.
jtisreading's review
4.0
Really enjoyed Peter Enn's ideas. Having a background in Theology and Philosophy I found the book an extremely easy read for people that have little background in such. Enns is humorous, thoughtful, and extends little nuggets of thoughts in short sporadic bursts that make up the chapters. I really recommend to anyone that isn't looking for the academic but wants a challenge in the way they think about the Bible.
ornamentalhermit's review
5.0
Pete does it again - makes you think and question things in a humorous and genuinely enjoyable way.
mskelley88's review
4.0
I love the author’s voice. It is humorous while informative. He explains biblical history in a way that is understandable but not patronizing. I found his interpretation compelling and fascinating even if I don’t 100% agree with it.
lisagray68's review
4.0
Recently the book "The Sin of Certainty" by this same author was recommended to me, but as this is his earlier book, and a little bit of biography about his faith journey, I decided to read it first. At first, the Christian reader might be a bit nervous; his postulation being that maybe you do not have to take everything about the Bible literally. However, this isn't an argument to discredit the Bible as it normally is. It's an argument to use to OVERCOME some of the problematic issues that people have with the Bible, such as an Old Testament violent God; the disconnect between the Bible and science, and so forth. Peter Enns suggests that the Old Testament is written by tribal people who were storytellers, and that God loves stories and uses them to convey His story. Instead of this being a bad thing, God allows the telling of stories to be used because stories are more powerful than non-fiction books of rules - every author and movie maker knows that. Whatever you think of his suggestion, it's an interesting and powerful read; one that would be so helpful to those that have turned away from faith because they can't square some of the things that trouble them about the Bible.
theamazingfencer's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
This book is so frustrating to me. The entire thesis is that the Bible is a book of it's and therefore we shouldn't follow it as an instruction manual for current daily life. Which is an alright argument but it doesn't deal with the atrocities that occurred then, it just says that that was how people at that time understood God.