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

3.0

First off, the intended audience for this book is believing Christians, especially Evangelicals or Christians who are adjacent to evangelicalism. That's... not me. This is a book that explains what the Bible is (a collection of historical documents, all of which are very much of their own time) and what it's not (a cohesive single narrative which despite being ancient somehow functions like a post-enlightenment document, which is what it's often treated like).

I'm completely on board with Enns' central argument, and I found this book to be highly readable, but I also struggled a bit to connect. As I said, I'm not the intended audience, so that "but" isn't really a problem but an indication that in reading this book I was listening in on a message not intended for me. I also didn't gain a lot of new knowledge or perspective - since deconverting I have studied the Bible in the context of academia where the central argument of this book is just assumed.

I just wish I had read this book when it first came out - when I was closer to being part of that intended audience. It could have made the intellectual journey I've been on since then a bit smoother and easier to navigate. All in all, I would recommend this book for people belonging to the intended audience who are open to hear Enns out. It's a good book, but unfortunately not a great fit for me at this particular time. But I'm glad I finally read it.