What Is the Bible?
How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything
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4.6 • 121 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times Bestseller
Rob Bell, the beloved author of Love Wins and What We Talk About When We Talk About God, goes deep into the Bible to show how it is more revelatory, revolutionary, and relevant than we ever imagined—and offers a cogent argument for why we need to look at it in a fresh, new way.
In Love Wins, Rob Bell confronted the troubling questions that many people of faith were afraid to ask about heaven, hell, fate, and faith. Using the same inspired, inquisitive approach, he now turns to our most sacred book, the Bible. What Is the Bible? provides insights and answers that make clear why the Bible is so revered and what makes it truly inspiring and essential to our lives.
Rob takes us deep into actual passages to reveal the humanity behind the Scriptures. You cannot get to the holy without going through the human, Rob tells us. When considering a passage, we shouldn’t ask "Why did God say . . .?" To get to the heart of the Bible’s meaning, we should be asking: "What’s the story that’s unfolding here and why did people find it important to tell it? What was it that moved them to record these words? What was happening in the world at that time? What does this passage/story/poem/verse/book tell us about how people understood who they were and who God was at that time?" In asking these questions, Rob goes beyond the one-dimensional question of "is it true?" to reveal the Bible’s authentic transformative power.
Rob addresses the concerns of all those who see the Bible as God’s Word but are troubled by the ethical dilemmas, errors, and inconsistencies in Scripture. With What Is the Bible?, he recaptures the Good Book’s magic and reaffirms its power and inspiration to shape and inspire our lives today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bell (Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived), a sometimes controversial but undeniably popular author, speaker, and pastor, has written an introduction to the Bible that is one part biblical theology and interpretational principles and one part spiritual travelogue. Intermixing exegetical wisdom with reflections on life, spirituality, and the universe's abundance of divine prompts and promises, Bell shares why and how readers might encounter the Bible in a whole new way by considering the relevance of its lessons to daily life as well as to larger life decisions. Bell is an expert in reading Scripture and known for cracking open the context, language, and background of both familiar and obscure Bible stories, but his work can still come off as shallow and glib. Despite not being an in-depth theological treatise, this popular presentation prompts readers to see the Bible as a thoroughly human production meant to elicit questions and connection rather than provide firm answers or theological foes.
Customer Reviews
Love!
Great book! Gives us more to think about when reading and studying the Bible. One of the first books I have read that actually made it all make sense.
Best book I’ve read on the Bible, Ever!
Rob Bell is a controversial fellow in the evangelical community but he has great knowledge of the biblical world and how to take that message to us now! The Bible is a progressive book on healing the world. It’s inclusive and loving. This book will help bring understanding to the word and give a desire to go deeper. No matter your background, give this book a shot!
Classic Bell
Appreciate the holistic approach to reading the Bible. Easy to read and fast moving book.