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How (Not) to Read the Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video: Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and Other Crazy Sounding Parts of Scripture
In this six-session video study (video streaming code included) bestselling author Dan Kimball guides you step-by-step through making sense of the most misunderstood, difficult, and disturbing Bible passages. This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, For centuries, the Bible was called "the Good Book," a moral and religious text that guides us into a relationship with God and shows us the right way to live. Today, however, some people argue the Bible is outdated and harmful, with many Christians unaware of some of the odd and disturbing things the Bible says or how to understand them. Whether you're a Christian, a doubter, or someone exploring the Bible for the first time, Dan Kimball is your guide to understanding and contextualizing passages in Scripture that seem backward on topics related to women, science, violence, slavery, and world religions. Filled with stories, visual illustrations, and memes reflecting popular cultural objections, How (Not) to Read the Bible is a lifeline for individuals who are confused or discouraged with questions about the Bible. Sessions This study can be done in youth groups, single's groups, small groups, Sunday classes, and by individuals. * Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2020
138 people are currently reading
3865 people want to read
About the author
Dan Kimball
35 books64 followersInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/dankimball
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dankimball
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dankimball
Dan is the author of several books on leadership, church, and culture. He was one of the founders of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California where he still serves on staff. He is also a faculty member at Western Seminary and leads the ReGeneration Project, which exists to equip and encourage new generations to think theologically and participate in the mission of the church. He is married to Becky and has two daughters, Katie and Claire. His passion is to see Christians follow and represent Jesus in the world with love, intelligence, and creativity.
He has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and a doctorate degree from George Fox University.
He enjoys comic art, punk and rockabilly music, big band jazz, pre-1960 gospel roots music, Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals, Ford Mustangs, bowling, Sun Records and 1930’s though 50’s Universal Monster Movies.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dankimball
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dankimball
Dan is the author of several books on leadership, church, and culture. He was one of the founders of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California where he still serves on staff. He is also a faculty member at Western Seminary and leads the ReGeneration Project, which exists to equip and encourage new generations to think theologically and participate in the mission of the church. He is married to Becky and has two daughters, Katie and Claire. His passion is to see Christians follow and represent Jesus in the world with love, intelligence, and creativity.
He has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and a doctorate degree from George Fox University.
He enjoys comic art, punk and rockabilly music, big band jazz, pre-1960 gospel roots music, Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals, Ford Mustangs, bowling, Sun Records and 1930’s though 50’s Universal Monster Movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
January 1, 2023
Most Christians who don’t read their bibles much except in small cursory reads, or just a passage here and a passage there, and who have pastors who give them TED talks instead of good exposition, will find this book enlightening.
The problem:
Dan K. Gives a lot of truth in the beginning of the book with regard to the law and rest of the Old Testament, but he squeezes his own cultural presuppositions into it. Not the worst thing until we get to the clear reason for the book, to talk about misogyny.
Dan consistently argues that God’s words through His apostle are merely cultural. For example, Dan does a good job (yes I mean this) of giving background to 1 Timothy 2:12 of what the letter was written for and to whom, the historical cultural background also. However, Dan leaves the text by itself and says it’s only context is the cultural. He forgets the next verse, which reads:
1 Timothy 2:13–14
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
So God gives another context to His words in verse 12. He says that the reason a woman isn’t to teach in church is because Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Eve was deceived, not Adam. This says something about men and women that God created differently. No one is arguing that women can’t talk. The letter is about the structure of the church. Women can’t shepherd the flock. The can talk, that would be absurd. And, being saved through childbearing is another call back to Genesis. The seed of the woman, but also a trial for the woman who bears children. Sanctification, not justification, is in view here.
Then Dan talks about how men and women are equal. He equivocates equality as meaning role rather than intrinsic value. Hierarchies exist because God made them, not man. But the hierarchies do not determine value. Being made in God’s image defines the value. Woman have equal value and are co-heirs in Christ. God did not give woman the dominion mandate in the same way He did for Adam. She was to help him, but he was endowed with natural authority and responsibility to fulfill this mandate. She wasn’t. The man cannot take dominion without the woman, why? He needs offspring. Women are capable of making societies and knitting them together. Men are incapable of this. We gather resources and women multiply them and make them beautiful. Todays resources are money.
The sinfulness of man to twist Gods design isn’t an argument that patriarchy is wrong. The curses given to Adam and Eve are specific to them and tell us something about how God made them.
The twin sisters of a compromising church are typically a denial of the 6 day creation, and not far behind is the denial of God’s design of father rule, especially in His church by letting women be elders. Usually after this happens the church goes woke and will crash and burn soon.
Why is it bad if women rule over them? Isaiah 3 is helpful. It’s a curse. Why is Deborah something not to emulate? She tells us why in Judges 4. And, the men wouldn’t step up. God used her to mock the men as a judgement. Again, Isaiah 3 if often forgotten.
If Dan continues on this path, and his Buddy, Sean McDowell, they will be jumping to join the LGBTQ churches. It’s not far behind.
The Genesis account shouldn’t be taken literally? Dan is smart to not quote any other scriptures on this or he would be in trouble. Exodus 20:11 specifically says we are to work 6 days and rest on the 7th, because God made the heavens and earth and all that is in them in 6 days and rested the 7th. So God confirms it. Then, Jesus believed the Genesis account and told His contemporaries “have you not read…” and begins to call back to the Genesis account.
I caution you who read the book. The wording is in such a way to make slight changes and then hit hard with the “misogyny”. Let the Bible interpret itself. You need historical context, but if you do not let scripture interpret itself, you’ll always leave with a bad interpretation. I cannot recommend this book.
The problem:
Dan K. Gives a lot of truth in the beginning of the book with regard to the law and rest of the Old Testament, but he squeezes his own cultural presuppositions into it. Not the worst thing until we get to the clear reason for the book, to talk about misogyny.
Dan consistently argues that God’s words through His apostle are merely cultural. For example, Dan does a good job (yes I mean this) of giving background to 1 Timothy 2:12 of what the letter was written for and to whom, the historical cultural background also. However, Dan leaves the text by itself and says it’s only context is the cultural. He forgets the next verse, which reads:
1 Timothy 2:13–14
For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
So God gives another context to His words in verse 12. He says that the reason a woman isn’t to teach in church is because Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Eve was deceived, not Adam. This says something about men and women that God created differently. No one is arguing that women can’t talk. The letter is about the structure of the church. Women can’t shepherd the flock. The can talk, that would be absurd. And, being saved through childbearing is another call back to Genesis. The seed of the woman, but also a trial for the woman who bears children. Sanctification, not justification, is in view here.
Then Dan talks about how men and women are equal. He equivocates equality as meaning role rather than intrinsic value. Hierarchies exist because God made them, not man. But the hierarchies do not determine value. Being made in God’s image defines the value. Woman have equal value and are co-heirs in Christ. God did not give woman the dominion mandate in the same way He did for Adam. She was to help him, but he was endowed with natural authority and responsibility to fulfill this mandate. She wasn’t. The man cannot take dominion without the woman, why? He needs offspring. Women are capable of making societies and knitting them together. Men are incapable of this. We gather resources and women multiply them and make them beautiful. Todays resources are money.
The sinfulness of man to twist Gods design isn’t an argument that patriarchy is wrong. The curses given to Adam and Eve are specific to them and tell us something about how God made them.
The twin sisters of a compromising church are typically a denial of the 6 day creation, and not far behind is the denial of God’s design of father rule, especially in His church by letting women be elders. Usually after this happens the church goes woke and will crash and burn soon.
Why is it bad if women rule over them? Isaiah 3 is helpful. It’s a curse. Why is Deborah something not to emulate? She tells us why in Judges 4. And, the men wouldn’t step up. God used her to mock the men as a judgement. Again, Isaiah 3 if often forgotten.
If Dan continues on this path, and his Buddy, Sean McDowell, they will be jumping to join the LGBTQ churches. It’s not far behind.
The Genesis account shouldn’t be taken literally? Dan is smart to not quote any other scriptures on this or he would be in trouble. Exodus 20:11 specifically says we are to work 6 days and rest on the 7th, because God made the heavens and earth and all that is in them in 6 days and rested the 7th. So God confirms it. Then, Jesus believed the Genesis account and told His contemporaries “have you not read…” and begins to call back to the Genesis account.
I caution you who read the book. The wording is in such a way to make slight changes and then hit hard with the “misogyny”. Let the Bible interpret itself. You need historical context, but if you do not let scripture interpret itself, you’ll always leave with a bad interpretation. I cannot recommend this book.
February 4, 2023
Covering some of the most difficult parts of the Bible that I myself have struggled with.
Dan Kimball has a way of looking at the scripture that makes it logical and understandable. Looking at the original Hebrew and the historical context of when the Bible was written. It is never good to merely take someone’s word for it regarding the Bible, rather I think this book is meant to make the reader want to investigate the Bible themselves and in depth.
Many of Kimball’s explanations are thought provoking and while I might not agree with everything in this book it made me want to explore the Bible deeper.
I think it’s worth the read even if it’s just to make you think.
Dan Kimball has a way of looking at the scripture that makes it logical and understandable. Looking at the original Hebrew and the historical context of when the Bible was written. It is never good to merely take someone’s word for it regarding the Bible, rather I think this book is meant to make the reader want to investigate the Bible themselves and in depth.
Many of Kimball’s explanations are thought provoking and while I might not agree with everything in this book it made me want to explore the Bible deeper.
I think it’s worth the read even if it’s just to make you think.
February 16, 2025
Not difficult to read. Gives some good explanations.
January 26, 2023
(I did not read the study guide, as the metadata on this title suggests, but the actual book (or in this case the audiobook) are not on Goodreads.)
Kimball exegetes some of the more difficult passages in the Bible using the following four guidelines:
1. The Bible is a library, not just a single book. (A way to remember that history books need to be read differently than poetry books.)
2. Never read a Bible verse. (A more inflammatory way of saying read the Bible in context. "Never read just one Bible verse" would be more accurate.)
3. The Bible was written FOR you, but not TO you. (Another way of saying you must strive to understand the Bible from the perspective of the original audience.)
4. The Bible is a unified story that points to Jesus. (Yes! Jesus is the point of the Bible.)
A fine book, probably intended for people who are somewhat new to the Bible, but I enjoyed it and got a lot out of it.
Kimball exegetes some of the more difficult passages in the Bible using the following four guidelines:
1. The Bible is a library, not just a single book. (A way to remember that history books need to be read differently than poetry books.)
2. Never read a Bible verse. (A more inflammatory way of saying read the Bible in context. "Never read just one Bible verse" would be more accurate.)
3. The Bible was written FOR you, but not TO you. (Another way of saying you must strive to understand the Bible from the perspective of the original audience.)
4. The Bible is a unified story that points to Jesus. (Yes! Jesus is the point of the Bible.)
A fine book, probably intended for people who are somewhat new to the Bible, but I enjoyed it and got a lot out of it.
March 6, 2025
An enjoyable book that gives easy-to-follow guidelines on how (not) to read the Bible. The informational text is substantiated with up-to-date memes, comments, and relatable stories and does not shy away from awkward or complex parts of the Bible.
Highly recommend it!
Highly recommend it!
November 30, 2022
I can not recommend this book at all.
July 14, 2023
I would recommend this for everyone. Wherever you are on the spiritual spectrum, however you feel about Jesus and the Hebrew and Christian Bible, this book is a detailed look at some of the difficult questions reading Scripture can cause us to ask. Kimball does an excellent job of leaning into the uncomfortable topics, guiding his readers through an examination of their presuppositions (on both sides of the argument) and encouraging critical thought while not shying away from or watering down the truth. As he mentions multiple times in the book, he has walked through these questions not only as speculation but as someone genuinely seeking to understand what the Bible says about women, violence, food, worship, and all manner of daily living.
If you want to stay comfortably and blissfully unaware of what the Bible *actually* teaches about these topics, don't read this book.
If you want to stay comfortably and blissfully unaware of what the Bible *actually* teaches about these topics, don't read this book.
January 10, 2024
my pastor wrote this. i need to reread it, as i’ve developed a much more critical approach to understanding the violence of the old testament (mainly, that god wasn’t the perpetrator of it) and i’d like to review how dan addresses this.
September 20, 2024
Fantastic read. It took me what felt like light years just because of the lack of disagreement or new thoughts I found in the book. I do recommend everyone read it if the Bible generally scares you. Or if you find your self giving ignorant views of the Bible. This will equal you out well!!
December 3, 2022
Did not finish. This book may work for some people, but it actually left me with more questions and feelings of uncertainty than when I started it. The chapters were repetitive and took the following form of persuasion: “X bible verse(s) has a commonly accepted meaning Y that was/is used to defame the Bible. The Bible is inerrant, but the interpretation was wrong because *insert reference to generational mindset on society roles, deities, etc*. Therefore the Bible is trustworthy.” There were several problems I had with this approach.
1. There was not sufficient evidence that examining scripture exclusively through the lense of its written context is the only appropriate way to interpret scripture.
2. Justifying God’s actions in the OT according to His actions in the NT feels disingenuous, even if the behavior of God is of immutable (God hates slavery and discrimination based on gender or bodily deformity even though he dictates laws specifically related to these things).
3. There is no explained methodology for “how to arrive at a proper contextual understanding of the Bible.” The “correct” interpretation of the troubling verses requires particular historical knowledge, but the means of acquiring or validating said knowledge are not explicitly discussed. We hear references to early historians and manuscript transcribers and are supposed to take their credibility at his word, despite his thesis for the book being to examine action taken in light of its context.
I don’t want to come off as adversarial. I am still a Christian, and I believe in the core doctrine of the Bible. I just believe this book fails to do what it set out to do: to dispel the reader of doubts surrounding difficult verses to interpret in the Bible, and to equip them with the resources to combat those who would seek to discredit the Bible because of those verses. If apologetics authors forge our shields for the battlefield of reasonable faith, we have every right to scrutinize the integrity of their product. If we take cardboard shields into a war, we will almost certainly be slaughtered.
If anyone reading this comment can offer recommendations for Christian literature that discusses similar controversial topics with a more robust approach, I would love to hear about it.
Eshin
1. There was not sufficient evidence that examining scripture exclusively through the lense of its written context is the only appropriate way to interpret scripture.
2. Justifying God’s actions in the OT according to His actions in the NT feels disingenuous, even if the behavior of God is of immutable (God hates slavery and discrimination based on gender or bodily deformity even though he dictates laws specifically related to these things).
3. There is no explained methodology for “how to arrive at a proper contextual understanding of the Bible.” The “correct” interpretation of the troubling verses requires particular historical knowledge, but the means of acquiring or validating said knowledge are not explicitly discussed. We hear references to early historians and manuscript transcribers and are supposed to take their credibility at his word, despite his thesis for the book being to examine action taken in light of its context.
I don’t want to come off as adversarial. I am still a Christian, and I believe in the core doctrine of the Bible. I just believe this book fails to do what it set out to do: to dispel the reader of doubts surrounding difficult verses to interpret in the Bible, and to equip them with the resources to combat those who would seek to discredit the Bible because of those verses. If apologetics authors forge our shields for the battlefield of reasonable faith, we have every right to scrutinize the integrity of their product. If we take cardboard shields into a war, we will almost certainly be slaughtered.
If anyone reading this comment can offer recommendations for Christian literature that discusses similar controversial topics with a more robust approach, I would love to hear about it.
Eshin
June 10, 2024
Read this on the bus back to colorado. Honestly just a very comforting and encouraging book about some really hard things in the Bible that I’ve been learning to wrestle with.
June 28, 2025
4.5/7
The content of this book is really good. I appreciate the honest, humble and [positive H adjective] way Kimball tackles these tough questions. I found most of his answers as satisfying as I could hope for, while still leaving room for nuance and further exploration.
There were two things that hampered my enjoyment of this book though. The first was with the quality of the writing itself. It felt like Kimball was writing at a high school level, and he often repeated himself and circled around and around on ideas to the point where I felt like grabbing him and saying "okay okay we get it. Move on to your next point." I understand that he's aiming to hey highly accessible to a general audience, but I still feel like it could've had a lot more polish (also he had a weird obsession with anti-Christian Internet memes, and used them almost exclusively for his examples).
The second was just the fact that I was already familiar with most of the concepts/explanations he went over. It was still nice to read/think through them again all in once place, but it still got kinda boring for me personally. None of that is this book's fault though ofc.
I would still feel very happy to recommend this book to both Christian and non-Christian friends. Again, the content is great, and I can see this being really helpful for someone struggling with difficult portions of the Bible. Anything that's encouraging good Biblical literacy is a big win as far as I'm concerned.
The content of this book is really good. I appreciate the honest, humble and [positive H adjective] way Kimball tackles these tough questions. I found most of his answers as satisfying as I could hope for, while still leaving room for nuance and further exploration.
There were two things that hampered my enjoyment of this book though. The first was with the quality of the writing itself. It felt like Kimball was writing at a high school level, and he often repeated himself and circled around and around on ideas to the point where I felt like grabbing him and saying "okay okay we get it. Move on to your next point." I understand that he's aiming to hey highly accessible to a general audience, but I still feel like it could've had a lot more polish (also he had a weird obsession with anti-Christian Internet memes, and used them almost exclusively for his examples).
The second was just the fact that I was already familiar with most of the concepts/explanations he went over. It was still nice to read/think through them again all in once place, but it still got kinda boring for me personally. None of that is this book's fault though ofc.
I would still feel very happy to recommend this book to both Christian and non-Christian friends. Again, the content is great, and I can see this being really helpful for someone struggling with difficult portions of the Bible. Anything that's encouraging good Biblical literacy is a big win as far as I'm concerned.
July 18, 2022
This was an interesting, light read that addressed some serious issues some people have with the Bible.
I really like what the author said about slavery, although I thought he was a little iffy on the subject of women, and also creation, (he does not personally hold to a literal, six 24 hour day creation) but I appreciated his graciousness in not expecting everyone to walk away from this book holding dogmatically to his own ideas.
The whole book was a very gracious approach to believers and non-believers alike, confronting some of the internet memes used to mock the Bible.
The author has a sense of humor, and this is a good introductory book for someone who wants a theological perspective without getting bogged down with theological jargon.
I really like what the author said about slavery, although I thought he was a little iffy on the subject of women, and also creation, (he does not personally hold to a literal, six 24 hour day creation) but I appreciated his graciousness in not expecting everyone to walk away from this book holding dogmatically to his own ideas.
The whole book was a very gracious approach to believers and non-believers alike, confronting some of the internet memes used to mock the Bible.
The author has a sense of humor, and this is a good introductory book for someone who wants a theological perspective without getting bogged down with theological jargon.
May 26, 2024
I thought it was a great read especially for what it is. It’s pretty easy to read even if you’re not a big reader, yet it tackles some challenging topics in a thoughtful way. It is a good book for someone who desires to look into some of the more confusing or challenging Bible verses and passages. There are times when he feels a little bit repetitive, but for the purpose of this book I felt it was ok and maybe necessary for those who haven’t been as exposed to the topics and concepts he discusses in this book.
April 18, 2022
This book gave an honest, heartfelt overview of several passages of scripture that, at the surface, seem cringeworthy and wrong. The author is honest on the points where there is no clear answer, but offers good tools to read the Bible and help understand better. The author obviously cares deeply for people and believes that the Bible is true and wants to help guide his readers to a better understanding and ultimately a relationship with Jesus.
August 1, 2024
Fascinating. It examines a lot of tough questions. Full disclosure - I have not read every word of it. I’m transferring it from my “reading” pile to my “Bible study” pile because I think it is worth studying.
July 23, 2023
What an amazing book!
Dan Kimball uses clear language and logic to explain those difficult and complex verses that can make you question your faith. What a great book!
Dan Kimball uses clear language and logic to explain those difficult and complex verses that can make you question your faith. What a great book!
April 24, 2022
This took me a bit to read but it is soooo so good. He really honestly confronts hard questions & bible verses that people cherry pick that truly do sound horrible. Half the stuff he talked about I was like “I didn’t even know that was in there!” He unpacks context & provides very reasonable explanations & shows multiple sides of different debates. I learned some very practical ways of how TO read the Bible that I’ll use for the rest of my life!! It was so encouraging & well researched & I feel so much more confident in these questions & equipped to talk about them!
May 26, 2022
6/10
"Never read a Bible verse, read the whole paragraph or section."
Kimball writes from a predominantly orthodox evangelical perspective, falling into the traps of overconfidence and dogmatism, at least that's what I thought through the first few chapters. He eventually turned out to be more nuanced, and brought up some genuine questions without dismissing with the usual hand waving about faith that evangelicals so often revert to. This was a good, not great book, and I appreciate the authors honesty.
I also appreciate that he brings up the divine counsel and Junia, these are considered "niche", or unknown portions of theology that are now important aspects of how I understand this book. I will say though that he fails to mention that the presence of Junia as an Apostle essentially topples the traditional view of complementarianism. For more on Junia I recommend Blue Parakeet, and for more on the divine counsel, I recommend Michael Heisers Unseen Realm.
Kimballs unique addition to my understanding is that he sees the serpent in the garden as performing the same role that he does in Job, but succeeding in this one. He implies that the fall of Satan was also in the garden. This a relatively unique viewpoint, and I appreciate him bringing it up, I'll have to run it through some filters, but expect it to come out intact.
He is very concerned with memes, bringing them up almost every chapter. I thought this was funny.
"Never read a Bible verse, read the whole paragraph or section."
Kimball writes from a predominantly orthodox evangelical perspective, falling into the traps of overconfidence and dogmatism, at least that's what I thought through the first few chapters. He eventually turned out to be more nuanced, and brought up some genuine questions without dismissing with the usual hand waving about faith that evangelicals so often revert to. This was a good, not great book, and I appreciate the authors honesty.
I also appreciate that he brings up the divine counsel and Junia, these are considered "niche", or unknown portions of theology that are now important aspects of how I understand this book. I will say though that he fails to mention that the presence of Junia as an Apostle essentially topples the traditional view of complementarianism. For more on Junia I recommend Blue Parakeet, and for more on the divine counsel, I recommend Michael Heisers Unseen Realm.
Kimballs unique addition to my understanding is that he sees the serpent in the garden as performing the same role that he does in Job, but succeeding in this one. He implies that the fall of Satan was also in the garden. This a relatively unique viewpoint, and I appreciate him bringing it up, I'll have to run it through some filters, but expect it to come out intact.
He is very concerned with memes, bringing them up almost every chapter. I thought this was funny.
May 9, 2024
Two different sources highly recommended this book, so after a cursory reading of the first chapter, I recommended it for Bible study. I sincerely wish I hadn't. Rather than being a book on how not to read the Bible, it was a study of how Dan Kimble reads the Bible.
Short review: The author attempts to answer what some would consider the difficult passages or teachings within the Bible. The questions are multifaceted, but the page space allows only a brief glance at a simple aspect of each, leaving the reader no better off than if they hadn't read this book. In some chapters, it would have been better if he had given no information at all rather than theology he does.
To start, any conversation about apologetics should begin with a look at objective and subjective truth. The majority of humans would agree we are a flightless species. Jump from a building, and you fall. That is an objective fact, easily provable. Discussions about religion are about subjective truth. Regardless of what historical facts I bring to bear in my arguments or other information I throw out, I can not scientifically prove any of it. I personally believe God is real, Jesus is His Son, and the Bible is the inerrant word of God. I can't prove any of that in a lab. Dan needed to do a much better job of explaining how to argue subjectively in a world increasingly demanding objectivism.
To clarify, I wanted to like this book. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. That said, tons of issues brought me to this rating. First, let's acknowledge who this book is for. It's for lazy apologists. Someone has attacked your faith and people pleaser that you are, you run to the Bible, see the passage used to assault you is there, and are now left with an uncomfortable choice. Do you swallow what the Bible says and carry on in a religion that now feels icky, or do you quit? Dan offers option three. Don't read only that verse, read some of the information around it. That might provide more info! Do you mean a book over a thousand pages isn't summed up in a single sentence? Shocking!! My advice. If you are in that 50% strong group of Christians who only engage with the Bible periodically and receive most of your understanding of it from Sunday school classes you had as a kid, sermons, podcasts, and radio shows, DON'T engage in apologetics. If someone is sincerely asking about something in the Bible, honestly say you're not sure and direct them to your pastor, or better yet, talk to your pastor yourself and give them the information. If they are attacking you personally, read the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense and use the tactics you learn to protect yourself, not apologetics that only protect a faith you already don't understand. If you allow that person to attack your faith on one issue, they will attack it on another, even if you answer brilliantly. The point is the attack, not what the attack is about. Back to the book: Dan tries to explain the Bible is like a library in that it contains many different types of books, but he doesn't address the fact that a historical book can contain both prophecy and poetry, and he also doesn't explain how to tell which is which. He tries to tackle the difficult topic of translations and rightfully points out that language changes, so ancient texts like the Bible can be tricky to understand (unicorn issue in ancient King James), but he doesn't inform people how to work around that. Answer: Use a more recent accredited translation like the New Living Translation. The language of the King James is stilted, and recent scholarship points to the language of the beloved NIV not connecting well with modern readers and having some underlying issues with accuracy. (That's a whole other conversation.) He also doesn't tell people to go to resources like study Bibles, Bible commentaries, Bible encyclopedias, or Strong's concordance. He doesn't talk about verse mapping, chasing down questions through different translations, or a host of other things a serious apologist needs. So he doesn't train you how to actually read the Bible nor cover what you shouldn't do while reading so that you don't wind up more confused than before (one quick hint: Never read the Bible piecemeal. Decide if you are interested in apologetics or not (you don't have to be) and either engage with the scriptures fully or simply use it through devotionals, sermons, etc.)
That was actually the best chapter in the book. His looks at misogyny and slavery weren't bad per se, but they were woefully inadequate. His look at science and the Bible was horrifying. Not just inadequate but wrong and sloppy on any number of levels. His look at Jesus as the only way focused on the question of how religions differ and, again, horrifying. First, he didn't even define religion. Imagine if someone tried to tell you how an Oreo is the greatest cookie in the world by comparing it to ice cream, and you have an idea of what happened here. Of course, Oreos and ice cream are both sugar-based treats that taste sweet to most human taste buds. Oreos and ice cream both have a creamy substance as a component. Both Oreos and ice cream are empty calories. They both come in a variety of flavors. Both are served as snacks or desserts but are typically not considered a main course. Both are portable and can be eaten on the go. I could go on and on, but my point is this: First, Oreos and ice cream aren't even the same type of dessert. Second, by nature of belonging to a category, Oreos and ice cream (treats) and Islam and Christianity (religion) are going to have many similarities. Just like all birds have many similarities or all dogs. The details are what matters in moving beyond a surface reading, and Dan does a very poor job of explaining that. Moreover, he doesn't address the big question - why does God insist on being known in a specific way instead of accepting worship in the way we are able and willing to understand him? In the Bible, this question goes back to Cain and Able. It's a big deal and deserves better treatment than what we get here. I'm not going to get into the ridiculous asides regarding the heavenly council or his treatment of violence in the Bible, which he is clearly still learning about because his explanation was missing a ton of info.
I would strongly recommend Confronting Christianity and The Skeletons in God's Closet over this.
Short review: The author attempts to answer what some would consider the difficult passages or teachings within the Bible. The questions are multifaceted, but the page space allows only a brief glance at a simple aspect of each, leaving the reader no better off than if they hadn't read this book. In some chapters, it would have been better if he had given no information at all rather than theology he does.
To start, any conversation about apologetics should begin with a look at objective and subjective truth. The majority of humans would agree we are a flightless species. Jump from a building, and you fall. That is an objective fact, easily provable. Discussions about religion are about subjective truth. Regardless of what historical facts I bring to bear in my arguments or other information I throw out, I can not scientifically prove any of it. I personally believe God is real, Jesus is His Son, and the Bible is the inerrant word of God. I can't prove any of that in a lab. Dan needed to do a much better job of explaining how to argue subjectively in a world increasingly demanding objectivism.
To clarify, I wanted to like this book. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. That said, tons of issues brought me to this rating. First, let's acknowledge who this book is for. It's for lazy apologists. Someone has attacked your faith and people pleaser that you are, you run to the Bible, see the passage used to assault you is there, and are now left with an uncomfortable choice. Do you swallow what the Bible says and carry on in a religion that now feels icky, or do you quit? Dan offers option three. Don't read only that verse, read some of the information around it. That might provide more info! Do you mean a book over a thousand pages isn't summed up in a single sentence? Shocking!! My advice. If you are in that 50% strong group of Christians who only engage with the Bible periodically and receive most of your understanding of it from Sunday school classes you had as a kid, sermons, podcasts, and radio shows, DON'T engage in apologetics. If someone is sincerely asking about something in the Bible, honestly say you're not sure and direct them to your pastor, or better yet, talk to your pastor yourself and give them the information. If they are attacking you personally, read the Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense and use the tactics you learn to protect yourself, not apologetics that only protect a faith you already don't understand. If you allow that person to attack your faith on one issue, they will attack it on another, even if you answer brilliantly. The point is the attack, not what the attack is about. Back to the book: Dan tries to explain the Bible is like a library in that it contains many different types of books, but he doesn't address the fact that a historical book can contain both prophecy and poetry, and he also doesn't explain how to tell which is which. He tries to tackle the difficult topic of translations and rightfully points out that language changes, so ancient texts like the Bible can be tricky to understand (unicorn issue in ancient King James), but he doesn't inform people how to work around that. Answer: Use a more recent accredited translation like the New Living Translation. The language of the King James is stilted, and recent scholarship points to the language of the beloved NIV not connecting well with modern readers and having some underlying issues with accuracy. (That's a whole other conversation.) He also doesn't tell people to go to resources like study Bibles, Bible commentaries, Bible encyclopedias, or Strong's concordance. He doesn't talk about verse mapping, chasing down questions through different translations, or a host of other things a serious apologist needs. So he doesn't train you how to actually read the Bible nor cover what you shouldn't do while reading so that you don't wind up more confused than before (one quick hint: Never read the Bible piecemeal. Decide if you are interested in apologetics or not (you don't have to be) and either engage with the scriptures fully or simply use it through devotionals, sermons, etc.)
That was actually the best chapter in the book. His looks at misogyny and slavery weren't bad per se, but they were woefully inadequate. His look at science and the Bible was horrifying. Not just inadequate but wrong and sloppy on any number of levels. His look at Jesus as the only way focused on the question of how religions differ and, again, horrifying. First, he didn't even define religion. Imagine if someone tried to tell you how an Oreo is the greatest cookie in the world by comparing it to ice cream, and you have an idea of what happened here. Of course, Oreos and ice cream are both sugar-based treats that taste sweet to most human taste buds. Oreos and ice cream both have a creamy substance as a component. Both Oreos and ice cream are empty calories. They both come in a variety of flavors. Both are served as snacks or desserts but are typically not considered a main course. Both are portable and can be eaten on the go. I could go on and on, but my point is this: First, Oreos and ice cream aren't even the same type of dessert. Second, by nature of belonging to a category, Oreos and ice cream (treats) and Islam and Christianity (religion) are going to have many similarities. Just like all birds have many similarities or all dogs. The details are what matters in moving beyond a surface reading, and Dan does a very poor job of explaining that. Moreover, he doesn't address the big question - why does God insist on being known in a specific way instead of accepting worship in the way we are able and willing to understand him? In the Bible, this question goes back to Cain and Able. It's a big deal and deserves better treatment than what we get here. I'm not going to get into the ridiculous asides regarding the heavenly council or his treatment of violence in the Bible, which he is clearly still learning about because his explanation was missing a ton of info.
I would strongly recommend Confronting Christianity and The Skeletons in God's Closet over this.
February 6, 2022
I appreciate Dan Kimball's attempt to explain many of the troubling verses in the Bible, and he does give some insight into some of those tricky passages.
One issue I have with the book is that in the end when talking about the texts of terror, Kimball's final bullet point is this, "Ultimately we have to trust God and what we know of him as abundantly loving... So if violence was used, God knows why even though we may not be able to comprehend the reason." So we've read an entire book trying to explain why some of them more disturbing Bible passages actually make sense in the cultural context of the time when the Bible was written, and then we end with the old faithful Christian statement that if we don't understand then God does. I find this answer frustrating.
One issue I have with the book is that in the end when talking about the texts of terror, Kimball's final bullet point is this, "Ultimately we have to trust God and what we know of him as abundantly loving... So if violence was used, God knows why even though we may not be able to comprehend the reason." So we've read an entire book trying to explain why some of them more disturbing Bible passages actually make sense in the cultural context of the time when the Bible was written, and then we end with the old faithful Christian statement that if we don't understand then God does. I find this answer frustrating.
January 15, 2025
One quote in the prelude accurately describes the main thrust behind the book, “Reading the Bible is the fast track to atheism.” - Penn Jillette
Or another one, “The road to atheism is littered with Bibles that have been read cover to cover.” - Andrew L. Seidel
Kimball’s goal then is to help Christians, or those wrestling with Christianity understand some of the wildest and most offensive parts of the Bible. He doesn’t cover every passage or verse in its entirety, but he does a pretty great job helping Christians know how to approach the Bible and the culture it originally represented.
Definitely worth the read and the wrestle.
Or another one, “The road to atheism is littered with Bibles that have been read cover to cover.” - Andrew L. Seidel
Kimball’s goal then is to help Christians, or those wrestling with Christianity understand some of the wildest and most offensive parts of the Bible. He doesn’t cover every passage or verse in its entirety, but he does a pretty great job helping Christians know how to approach the Bible and the culture it originally represented.
Definitely worth the read and the wrestle.
October 2, 2024
I honestly just couldn’t stand this book. I get what he was trying to do - but it was just all wrong. I never got around to it, but I wanted to count how many times he said “crazy” (or some extreme term) in relation to thoughts on the Bible. In the end I kind of wondered if Kimble himself was questioning his own faith, rather than “teach” us how to read the Bible with understanding.
December 29, 2021
Not for me. Very slow
September 21, 2024
Starts too silly for me. Maybe it’s more meaning fully later, but I am moving on to something else.
July 23, 2025
Pantsuit Politics once said that America has a difficulty seperating Cultural Christianity from Political Christianity and from Religious Christianity. I thought about that a lot as I listened to Kimball. He spent a lot of time defending Religious Christianity to cultural Christians in the meme wars. But honestly, a lot of those memes are directed to political Christians, and Kimball didn't touch that at all.
His best arguement is that the Bible is a collection of books writing thousands of years ago and they must be read with that context and studied with care to understand the culture that they came from. Awesome. I agree. But here's some more context. In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the cathedral listing all his disagreements with the Catholic church. Catholics believed that truth came from the Bible and from the Church. The Reformation pointed out the hypocrisies of the Church and lead to movements and sects that believed all you need is the Bible. That it is complete and perfect. And their intellectual desendents are found in both Political Christianity and Religious Christianity in America today; condemming all that don't read and interpret the Bible exactly as they do, while claiming that it is clear and easy to interpret without guides or experts. (See The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It ) The meme wars that Kimball is fighting are modern day Luthers pointing out the hypocrisies found in the Bible and in the way that it's interpreted and practiced today in Political Christianity and Religious Christianity. And we are living in an age that rejects all experts and exults in the average man understanding everything that he needs to know, just by what is written before him.
I had strong feelings about this book. And honestly think that the last paragraph should have been the first paragraph of the book. Kimball wrote this book to Christians who spend more time online than reading their Bible and consequently are shocked by the memes with Bible verses that they see. He's spent time refuting them, sometimes individually.
1. Anti-women: Fine explaination, but I've heard better in The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.
2. Anti-science: Best part of the book. It explains the reasons that genesis was written and compares it to other creation stories of the area, that the Israelities would have been familiar with.
3. Pro-slavery: Proceeded this with how the Old Testament needed to be corrected by New Testament. The New Testament was written by the 4th century and American slavery persisted until past the end of the American Civil War in 1865. Once again, the conflict between the Religious Christianity and the Political Christianity was ignored in favor of the religious argument supporting a generous reading of the Bible and not an acknowledgement of the failure of Christian practice. Read The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here.
4. Pro-violence: Weakest arguement and the throw-away line about Nephilim being the gods that the Israelities are fighting against, came out of left field and then was not followed up on. Plus, that's the first time I'd heard that Biblical theory.
5. Christ is the only way: Yikes! I learned more about Kimball and the way that he thinks. It was a circuitous arguement that ultimately wasn't convincing. And a better way to say that each religion is different, is the approach from my World Religions class. My professor started with the frame work that each religion diagnosis a problem of the world and how to solve it. Buddhists think that the problem is suffering, and the cure is letting go. Christianity posists the problem is sin and the solution is Christ. Islam thinks the problem is ignorance and we just need to learn how to living together in a community. They aren't all the same, because they are all trying to solve different problems.
I'd give this book 2.5 stars and I'm rounding down because I think Kimball and I have diagnosised different problems as to why the Bible and Christianity is mocked online. It's not ignorance of how we should be reading the Bible, but the hypocrisy between Cultural Christianity and Political Christianity that Religious Christianity is studiously ignoring.
His best arguement is that the Bible is a collection of books writing thousands of years ago and they must be read with that context and studied with care to understand the culture that they came from. Awesome. I agree. But here's some more context. In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the cathedral listing all his disagreements with the Catholic church. Catholics believed that truth came from the Bible and from the Church. The Reformation pointed out the hypocrisies of the Church and lead to movements and sects that believed all you need is the Bible. That it is complete and perfect. And their intellectual desendents are found in both Political Christianity and Religious Christianity in America today; condemming all that don't read and interpret the Bible exactly as they do, while claiming that it is clear and easy to interpret without guides or experts. (See The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It ) The meme wars that Kimball is fighting are modern day Luthers pointing out the hypocrisies found in the Bible and in the way that it's interpreted and practiced today in Political Christianity and Religious Christianity. And we are living in an age that rejects all experts and exults in the average man understanding everything that he needs to know, just by what is written before him.
I had strong feelings about this book. And honestly think that the last paragraph should have been the first paragraph of the book. Kimball wrote this book to Christians who spend more time online than reading their Bible and consequently are shocked by the memes with Bible verses that they see. He's spent time refuting them, sometimes individually.
1. Anti-women: Fine explaination, but I've heard better in The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.
2. Anti-science: Best part of the book. It explains the reasons that genesis was written and compares it to other creation stories of the area, that the Israelities would have been familiar with.
3. Pro-slavery: Proceeded this with how the Old Testament needed to be corrected by New Testament. The New Testament was written by the 4th century and American slavery persisted until past the end of the American Civil War in 1865. Once again, the conflict between the Religious Christianity and the Political Christianity was ignored in favor of the religious argument supporting a generous reading of the Bible and not an acknowledgement of the failure of Christian practice. Read The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here.
4. Pro-violence: Weakest arguement and the throw-away line about Nephilim being the gods that the Israelities are fighting against, came out of left field and then was not followed up on. Plus, that's the first time I'd heard that Biblical theory.
5. Christ is the only way: Yikes! I learned more about Kimball and the way that he thinks. It was a circuitous arguement that ultimately wasn't convincing. And a better way to say that each religion is different, is the approach from my World Religions class. My professor started with the frame work that each religion diagnosis a problem of the world and how to solve it. Buddhists think that the problem is suffering, and the cure is letting go. Christianity posists the problem is sin and the solution is Christ. Islam thinks the problem is ignorance and we just need to learn how to living together in a community. They aren't all the same, because they are all trying to solve different problems.
I'd give this book 2.5 stars and I'm rounding down because I think Kimball and I have diagnosised different problems as to why the Bible and Christianity is mocked online. It's not ignorance of how we should be reading the Bible, but the hypocrisy between Cultural Christianity and Political Christianity that Religious Christianity is studiously ignoring.
February 14, 2023
I do not recommend this book.
(This review is for the book, not for the study guide or the video sessions, but considering my problems were with the content, not the writing, it probably all applies to them, too.)
I'm disappointed because, when I started this book, I thought I would give it five stars. I'll explain what this book does well, along with where it fell short. Buckle up. I'm going to try to be succinct, but it's still probably going to be a fairly lengthy review. It wouldn't be fair to the author if I didn't fully explain myself.
The author makes the very important and true point that Christians need to be better educated. We need to be able to explain things when we're asked questions or someone raises concerns with us. We have a responsibility to do so. This book is the author's attempt to contribute to that education, as well as to help those who are genuinely struggling with these topics.
Much of his work is excellent. He does a good job of laying out principles for Bible study at the beginning, and he tackles the topics of difficult Bible verses (particularly in the Old Testament law), slavery, violence/genocide, and Jesus as the only way to salvation/Christianity as the only true religion in a way that's sensitive to people's emotions around these topics while still being logical, historically accurate, and Biblically sound.
However, he doesn't do an equally good job on the issues of women and creation. I have a Master's degree in Theological Studies, which means I was painfully aware of the spots in these topics where his scholarship was poor. He states as facts some things that are highly debated (e.g., that Junia was a female apostle, but the wording in this passage isn't clear, and experts divide on whether it means the people mentioned were apostles or well-thought-of by the apostles, plus not all early manuscripts use Junia - some have the masculine Junias) or simply historically inaccurate (e.g., that letter carriers in the ANE world taught the contents of their letter and so Phoebe would have taught the letter of Romans, but this is not factually supported if you look at records from the time). In the chapters on creation and science, he completely brushes aside the mass of scholarly, scientific literature pointing out the problems with evolution as a theory, and he portrays young earth creationists as anti-science (which many of them would find offensive because they're working diligently and actively in their scientific research to find out if there's evidence for a young earth - and on many fronts are succeeding). The stance he seems to support on creation (old earth, God used macro-evolution to create over million or billions of years, and there was death before the fall) goes along nicely with what the secular world believes but causes serious theological issues that, in my opinion, make it untenable. These are just a couple quick examples I could remember off the top of my head. There were many more in both chapters. To be clear, I didn't disagree with everything he said in these chapters. What I'm trying to point out is that he stretches too far and overstates his case on the topics of women in the Bible and the creation narrative.
I do not want to make assumptions about this author. I think his intentions are good, but in my opinion, on these two topics, he was more interested in making the Bible palatable to our current society and less interested in making sure he was accurately representing the truth. He seems to go in with the assumption that the way we see the world now is infallible, and so we need to make the Bible fit with that. He seems to think we need to make the Bible winsome and pleasing to everyone's ears. But the Bible on many fronts is counter-cultural, and it's important we stay humble enough to recognize that not liking something and something being wrong aren't the same thing. We might not like certain things the Bible says, they might be uncomfortable for us, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily false. Our society could be wrong instead. We also need to remember that science doesn't say anything. Scientists do, especially in the area of historical science (which can't be tested by repeatable experiments), where evidence has to be interpreted. Many theories scientists have put forward have later been proven false with further investigation. So to feel like we have to try to find a way to make the Bible agree with everything that secular historical scientists currently say is intellectually shaky ground to walk on. Humans are not all-knowing. And sometimes, as Christians, we need to be willing to be thought foolish. Not to be foolish - that's a different thing. If we've carefully studied and explored and prayed, and we're convinced that the truth is contrary to what's popular in society, then we just need to stand our ground - lovingly, patiently, and humbly, accepting the abuse heaped on us.
(This review is for the book, not for the study guide or the video sessions, but considering my problems were with the content, not the writing, it probably all applies to them, too.)
I'm disappointed because, when I started this book, I thought I would give it five stars. I'll explain what this book does well, along with where it fell short. Buckle up. I'm going to try to be succinct, but it's still probably going to be a fairly lengthy review. It wouldn't be fair to the author if I didn't fully explain myself.
The author makes the very important and true point that Christians need to be better educated. We need to be able to explain things when we're asked questions or someone raises concerns with us. We have a responsibility to do so. This book is the author's attempt to contribute to that education, as well as to help those who are genuinely struggling with these topics.
Much of his work is excellent. He does a good job of laying out principles for Bible study at the beginning, and he tackles the topics of difficult Bible verses (particularly in the Old Testament law), slavery, violence/genocide, and Jesus as the only way to salvation/Christianity as the only true religion in a way that's sensitive to people's emotions around these topics while still being logical, historically accurate, and Biblically sound.
However, he doesn't do an equally good job on the issues of women and creation. I have a Master's degree in Theological Studies, which means I was painfully aware of the spots in these topics where his scholarship was poor. He states as facts some things that are highly debated (e.g., that Junia was a female apostle, but the wording in this passage isn't clear, and experts divide on whether it means the people mentioned were apostles or well-thought-of by the apostles, plus not all early manuscripts use Junia - some have the masculine Junias) or simply historically inaccurate (e.g., that letter carriers in the ANE world taught the contents of their letter and so Phoebe would have taught the letter of Romans, but this is not factually supported if you look at records from the time). In the chapters on creation and science, he completely brushes aside the mass of scholarly, scientific literature pointing out the problems with evolution as a theory, and he portrays young earth creationists as anti-science (which many of them would find offensive because they're working diligently and actively in their scientific research to find out if there's evidence for a young earth - and on many fronts are succeeding). The stance he seems to support on creation (old earth, God used macro-evolution to create over million or billions of years, and there was death before the fall) goes along nicely with what the secular world believes but causes serious theological issues that, in my opinion, make it untenable. These are just a couple quick examples I could remember off the top of my head. There were many more in both chapters. To be clear, I didn't disagree with everything he said in these chapters. What I'm trying to point out is that he stretches too far and overstates his case on the topics of women in the Bible and the creation narrative.
I do not want to make assumptions about this author. I think his intentions are good, but in my opinion, on these two topics, he was more interested in making the Bible palatable to our current society and less interested in making sure he was accurately representing the truth. He seems to go in with the assumption that the way we see the world now is infallible, and so we need to make the Bible fit with that. He seems to think we need to make the Bible winsome and pleasing to everyone's ears. But the Bible on many fronts is counter-cultural, and it's important we stay humble enough to recognize that not liking something and something being wrong aren't the same thing. We might not like certain things the Bible says, they might be uncomfortable for us, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily false. Our society could be wrong instead. We also need to remember that science doesn't say anything. Scientists do, especially in the area of historical science (which can't be tested by repeatable experiments), where evidence has to be interpreted. Many theories scientists have put forward have later been proven false with further investigation. So to feel like we have to try to find a way to make the Bible agree with everything that secular historical scientists currently say is intellectually shaky ground to walk on. Humans are not all-knowing. And sometimes, as Christians, we need to be willing to be thought foolish. Not to be foolish - that's a different thing. If we've carefully studied and explored and prayed, and we're convinced that the truth is contrary to what's popular in society, then we just need to stand our ground - lovingly, patiently, and humbly, accepting the abuse heaped on us.
December 19, 2024
There is a lot of good and interesting information in this novel. There are historic and cultural contexts discussed, which I always appreciate learning. The author also has a good bit of solid theology throughout the entire book. This is why it makes little sense to me how the author made some of the conclusions he did.
Throughout the book, the author points to different memes which call out a Bible verse that sounds absurd. Then, the author claims that the memes only exist because of a lack of education and understanding of each verse the memes poke fun at. This statement may have some truth to it, however, the author implies that if the Bible were easier to understand, people would not have a good reason to criticize it AND a lot more people would be saved. He claims that God wants all people to be saved and that this would be a lot easier if the modern culture did not misunderstand the Bible. Also, when correcting a meme's misinterpretation, there are many instances in which the author comes off smug and proud of himself. For example, he calls his audience to say very specific quotes to people who use these memes as a sticker. He then claims the reader will feel very good for besting the person and being more educated then them. The book often reads as if the author is responding emotionally with offense, rather than teaching sound theology.
In the author's conclusions, I'm not sure the author realizes the scenario he has created. Not only does he validate the modern culture and puts its ideas and values and a justified pedestal (aside from a couple of values the author does reject), but he also implies that if the Bible were not confusing, everyone would be saved. He has essentially made the argument that confusion is a force more powerful than God's wish for humanity to be saved. He says that it is our job to clear the confusion as best we can in order to help people come to Christ, as if people's faith and salvation is in our control rather than God's (who has failed to do the job Himself???).
To summarize: there is a lot of interesting information and a lot of good theology sprinkled throughout. However, the author ultimately makes "confusion" an enemy which has bested God and His plans for humanity. He implies that people are the ones who may save humanity by ridding it of Biblical confusion.
I would not recommend this book, because it may ironically confuse the reader with false ideas about the Bible and salvation.
Throughout the book, the author points to different memes which call out a Bible verse that sounds absurd. Then, the author claims that the memes only exist because of a lack of education and understanding of each verse the memes poke fun at. This statement may have some truth to it, however, the author implies that if the Bible were easier to understand, people would not have a good reason to criticize it AND a lot more people would be saved. He claims that God wants all people to be saved and that this would be a lot easier if the modern culture did not misunderstand the Bible. Also, when correcting a meme's misinterpretation, there are many instances in which the author comes off smug and proud of himself. For example, he calls his audience to say very specific quotes to people who use these memes as a sticker. He then claims the reader will feel very good for besting the person and being more educated then them. The book often reads as if the author is responding emotionally with offense, rather than teaching sound theology.
In the author's conclusions, I'm not sure the author realizes the scenario he has created. Not only does he validate the modern culture and puts its ideas and values and a justified pedestal (aside from a couple of values the author does reject), but he also implies that if the Bible were not confusing, everyone would be saved. He has essentially made the argument that confusion is a force more powerful than God's wish for humanity to be saved. He says that it is our job to clear the confusion as best we can in order to help people come to Christ, as if people's faith and salvation is in our control rather than God's (who has failed to do the job Himself???).
To summarize: there is a lot of interesting information and a lot of good theology sprinkled throughout. However, the author ultimately makes "confusion" an enemy which has bested God and His plans for humanity. He implies that people are the ones who may save humanity by ridding it of Biblical confusion.
I would not recommend this book, because it may ironically confuse the reader with false ideas about the Bible and salvation.
February 11, 2024
[For my full review, visit https://overthinkingchristian.com/ ]
What I enjoyed most about this book was how Kimball took his time explaining the world of the Bible, & how if we make no effort to wrestle with how that world thought, we'll never be able to understand the Bible. The Christian Scriptures comes with its own terms--it refuses to bow down to our sensibilities. I'm not a fan of someone spoon-feeding you the correct answers, & Kimball doesn't do that. He invites you to dig deeper & do your own research, appealing to vetted scholars/resources (such as John Walton & Tremper Longmann).
Well-researched, thoughtful and accessible, I recommend this to anyone who wants to a) understand the Bible on its own terms or b) anyone who wants to discredit the Bible (in a responsible way). Those who reject Christianity may be pleasantly surprised with this book, the crux of Kimball’s argument being this: if someone is to disagree with the Bible, they ought to do so in an intellectually-honest way. Christians may find themselves pleasantly surprised as well as they learn to stop seeing the Bible through a Western lens. When we choose to become careful students of the Bible, we show reverence to its Author. This is not bibliolatry; this is the proper posture of disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus to learn from him. The Bible wasn’t written to address us directly and our modern fears (nuclear war, climate change, questions of A.I and life on planets). When we understand the questions of the original audience(s) of the Bible, we can then begin to move forward in applying Scripture to our own unique cultural moment.
As with Kimball’s other books, his pastoral and inviting tone helps the reader lay down their defenses. Kimball never tells the reader how to think. He makes suggestions and at times lays out various diverse viewpoints that Christians have along with their strengths and weaknesses.
What I enjoyed most about this book was how Kimball took his time explaining the world of the Bible, & how if we make no effort to wrestle with how that world thought, we'll never be able to understand the Bible. The Christian Scriptures comes with its own terms--it refuses to bow down to our sensibilities. I'm not a fan of someone spoon-feeding you the correct answers, & Kimball doesn't do that. He invites you to dig deeper & do your own research, appealing to vetted scholars/resources (such as John Walton & Tremper Longmann).
Well-researched, thoughtful and accessible, I recommend this to anyone who wants to a) understand the Bible on its own terms or b) anyone who wants to discredit the Bible (in a responsible way). Those who reject Christianity may be pleasantly surprised with this book, the crux of Kimball’s argument being this: if someone is to disagree with the Bible, they ought to do so in an intellectually-honest way. Christians may find themselves pleasantly surprised as well as they learn to stop seeing the Bible through a Western lens. When we choose to become careful students of the Bible, we show reverence to its Author. This is not bibliolatry; this is the proper posture of disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus to learn from him. The Bible wasn’t written to address us directly and our modern fears (nuclear war, climate change, questions of A.I and life on planets). When we understand the questions of the original audience(s) of the Bible, we can then begin to move forward in applying Scripture to our own unique cultural moment.
As with Kimball’s other books, his pastoral and inviting tone helps the reader lay down their defenses. Kimball never tells the reader how to think. He makes suggestions and at times lays out various diverse viewpoints that Christians have along with their strengths and weaknesses.
August 2, 2024
"How Not to Read the Bible" is a surprising and thought-provoking exploration that challenges the critiques of anti-Christianity activists. The author presents arguments that allow even non-Christians to see the Bible in a more positive and nuanced light, making this book a refreshing read for a broad audience.
One of the book’s standout features is its critique of Christians and churches that promote exclusion and hatred toward non-Christians. The author advocates for a more inclusive and loving approach, highlighting the core Christian values of compassion and acceptance. This critique is timely and necessary, providing a counter-narrative to the often negative portrayals of Christianity in the media.
Furthermore, the book promotes female equality in churches, challenging those religious institutions that do not allow women to minister. The author’s progressive stance on this issue is commendable, and it underscores the importance of gender equality in all aspects of society, including religion. This message is not only relevant but also empowering for women who seek a greater role within their faith communities.
As a non-Christian, I found this book to be an engaging and enlightening way to view the Bible. The author successfully presents the Bible as a progressive text, filled with lessons and values that are still applicable today. This perspective is both refreshing and educational, offering a new way to appreciate the Bible’s teachings.
I strongly recommend "How Not to Read the Bible" for both Christians and non-Christians alike. It provides valuable insights and promotes a more inclusive and positive understanding of the Bible, making it a worthwhile read for anyone interested in religious studies or seeking a deeper understanding of Christianity.
One of the book’s standout features is its critique of Christians and churches that promote exclusion and hatred toward non-Christians. The author advocates for a more inclusive and loving approach, highlighting the core Christian values of compassion and acceptance. This critique is timely and necessary, providing a counter-narrative to the often negative portrayals of Christianity in the media.
Furthermore, the book promotes female equality in churches, challenging those religious institutions that do not allow women to minister. The author’s progressive stance on this issue is commendable, and it underscores the importance of gender equality in all aspects of society, including religion. This message is not only relevant but also empowering for women who seek a greater role within their faith communities.
As a non-Christian, I found this book to be an engaging and enlightening way to view the Bible. The author successfully presents the Bible as a progressive text, filled with lessons and values that are still applicable today. This perspective is both refreshing and educational, offering a new way to appreciate the Bible’s teachings.
I strongly recommend "How Not to Read the Bible" for both Christians and non-Christians alike. It provides valuable insights and promotes a more inclusive and positive understanding of the Bible, making it a worthwhile read for anyone interested in religious studies or seeking a deeper understanding of Christianity.
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