A review by reinhardt
The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It by Peter Enns

4.0

A jocular style for a serious topic. I think he is trying to soften the bluntness of the smack on the nose that he gives in the book. To boil the book into one sentence: the Old Testament is unreliable not just in its historical aspect, but its theology as well, but it's a heck of a good story.

Truly the Bible as a timeless "rulebook" is fatally flawed. The narrative aspect as well as the social and historical setting cannot be ignored when trying to make any sense of the coherence of Scripture. This is where the book shines as it directs our attention to some of the narrative patterns that are missed in the 'rulebook' reading.

His pointed criticism are difficult to ignore, but what the book lacks is a positive case on how in his view the Old Testament especially carries any more authority than Aesop's fables. No doubt the Old Testament has been and often still is misconstrued and misused. But it is difficult to see how it has any authority left in his scheme.

Overall, a comedic read that might leave you on your mental backside. But I would recommend it, even if you can't quite swallow its conclusions.