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Permission Granted--Take the Bible into Your Own Hands
Millions of people around the world look to the Bible as a source of encouragement and faith formation, a reminder that God is love and is in control, and a guide to living one's life the way God desires. But this treasured book has also been misused and manipulated by many, placed on a pedestal of untouchability, and protected from questioning and honest engagement. In 'Permission Granted', Jennifer Grace Bird encourages people of faith to explore the texts on their own, freed from long-held myths and misconceptions.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2015
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April 10, 2015
In the first few pages of this book, Bird does the following:
1) Significantly misstates a quotation attributed to Aristotle. The real quotation goes, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it". Bird's version leaves out "to be able", implying that if you're truly educated you will entertain other thoughts. Whether this is simply negligence or purposeful editing to better support her project, who knows? Neither option inspires confidence. (If you're interested, this accepted quotation is likely a mangling of something Aristotle says in his Nicomachean Ethics: "For it is the mark of an educated man to look for precision in each class of things just so far as the nature of the subject admits; it is evidently equally foolish to accept probable reasoning from a mathematician and to demand from a rhetorician scientific proofs".)
2) Repeatedly (six times - so not just a typo) refers to 1 Timothy as the source of the "all Scripture is God-breathed" idea when it is actually found in 2 Timothy, a mistake which somehow isn't comforting in someone who claims to be well-versed in Scripture.
3) Makes blatant assertions with no evidence/reasoning (ex: the writing of the New Testament is excluded from the "Scripture" mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:16) and then immediately accepts these assertions as given before continuing to build her argument upon them ("Now that we know that scripture meant the Hebrew Bible ..."). This is such a lazy and fairly sneaky method of argumentation!
4) Uses rhetorical questions to make opposing ideas sound inconceivable without actually demonstrating that they are ("Did those authors believe they were capturing events exactly as they had happened? Is that even possible or a reasonable thing to suggest?"). This is basically trying to argue your opponent is wrong by just pointing and saying, "Can you believe this guy actually thinks this? Haha!"
5) Invents beliefs that people who disagree with her supposedly hold or attributes them to almost everyone who disagrees with her to make them look more ridiculous. For instance, she claims that people who believe the Bible to be inerrant believe that "the Bible is as perfect as God is perfect". I know some pretty thumping fundie Christians, and literally none of them would agree with this. I have never read anything by any Christian claiming this. Later in the book, she says, "Usually a person who says ['I believe in the Bible'] tends to believe that everything in it is as God intended, therefore it is all good ... [But] not everything in the Bible is good and worth emulating." This is patently absurd. As if there are Christians who believe that since certain things in the Bible are recorded as occurring it means that God approved of those things. Again, I have never heard or read people claiming this -- not even in the depths of the sometimes-maniacal John Calvin.
6) There are no cited sources. No bibliography. No footnotes or endnotes. These might as well be just a collection of blog posts. Not quite scholarly, to say the least.
From thoroughly reading about 20% and skimming the rest, it was obvious to me that the low level of scholarly diligence and reasoning ability demonstrated at first is consistent throughout the book. I've read many of her claims made by other writers, and this is a pretty poor presentation of them, whether or not you agree with them.
And then I read the end section. Boom. This is perhaps the most revealing statement in the book, so of course it's hidden on the last page:
"Personally, I hold my understanding of who God is and is not as my lens in every encounter with scripture. I have a litmus test for scripture and theological claims: If a biblical passage or theological doctrine endorses freedom, liberation, love, the fullness of life for all people, or a mature and responsible faith, then it is "of God." When I see a passage that depicts God as wrathful or as dealing death-blows to his supposed enemies, for instance, then that passage does not pass the test. When there are passages that contain belittling words or that endorse arbitrary restrictions of people, I assume those passages were inspired by human desires, not a loving and reconciling God. Most of all, I believe in the ability of human beings to make ethical, loving, and moral choices; this is what binds us together. I believe that when a biblical passage does not endorse such choices, then we need to be able to call it out instead of finding a way to uphold it anyway."
So, er, here you have Bird flat-out acknowledging her approach to the Bible: she approaches with her own preconceptions, accepts the bits that conform, and dismisses/explains away everything that doesn't. Why would you possibly trust the evaluations of someone who admits this, no matter the subject? If you're looking for a biography of Woodrow Wilson, you're not going to trust a biographer who tells you in the intro that he hates Wilson and thus left out anything that made him look like a good president. If you're trying to figure out what Plato himself believed, you wouldn't trust a historian who admits to you that not only do they think Plato was a true-blue capitalist but that everything they write about him is trying to prove it. That is, unless you also believe that Plato was a true-blue capitalist, and you just want to validate your own position. That's kind of what Bird's book boils down to: if she is telling you what you want to hear, then you'll probably like this book. You might even actually be impressed by it.
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.*
1) Significantly misstates a quotation attributed to Aristotle. The real quotation goes, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it". Bird's version leaves out "to be able", implying that if you're truly educated you will entertain other thoughts. Whether this is simply negligence or purposeful editing to better support her project, who knows? Neither option inspires confidence. (If you're interested, this accepted quotation is likely a mangling of something Aristotle says in his Nicomachean Ethics: "For it is the mark of an educated man to look for precision in each class of things just so far as the nature of the subject admits; it is evidently equally foolish to accept probable reasoning from a mathematician and to demand from a rhetorician scientific proofs".)
2) Repeatedly (six times - so not just a typo) refers to 1 Timothy as the source of the "all Scripture is God-breathed" idea when it is actually found in 2 Timothy, a mistake which somehow isn't comforting in someone who claims to be well-versed in Scripture.
3) Makes blatant assertions with no evidence/reasoning (ex: the writing of the New Testament is excluded from the "Scripture" mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:16) and then immediately accepts these assertions as given before continuing to build her argument upon them ("Now that we know that scripture meant the Hebrew Bible ..."). This is such a lazy and fairly sneaky method of argumentation!
4) Uses rhetorical questions to make opposing ideas sound inconceivable without actually demonstrating that they are ("Did those authors believe they were capturing events exactly as they had happened? Is that even possible or a reasonable thing to suggest?"). This is basically trying to argue your opponent is wrong by just pointing and saying, "Can you believe this guy actually thinks this? Haha!"
5) Invents beliefs that people who disagree with her supposedly hold or attributes them to almost everyone who disagrees with her to make them look more ridiculous. For instance, she claims that people who believe the Bible to be inerrant believe that "the Bible is as perfect as God is perfect". I know some pretty thumping fundie Christians, and literally none of them would agree with this. I have never read anything by any Christian claiming this. Later in the book, she says, "Usually a person who says ['I believe in the Bible'] tends to believe that everything in it is as God intended, therefore it is all good ... [But] not everything in the Bible is good and worth emulating." This is patently absurd. As if there are Christians who believe that since certain things in the Bible are recorded as occurring it means that God approved of those things. Again, I have never heard or read people claiming this -- not even in the depths of the sometimes-maniacal John Calvin.
6) There are no cited sources. No bibliography. No footnotes or endnotes. These might as well be just a collection of blog posts. Not quite scholarly, to say the least.
From thoroughly reading about 20% and skimming the rest, it was obvious to me that the low level of scholarly diligence and reasoning ability demonstrated at first is consistent throughout the book. I've read many of her claims made by other writers, and this is a pretty poor presentation of them, whether or not you agree with them.
And then I read the end section. Boom. This is perhaps the most revealing statement in the book, so of course it's hidden on the last page:
"Personally, I hold my understanding of who God is and is not as my lens in every encounter with scripture. I have a litmus test for scripture and theological claims: If a biblical passage or theological doctrine endorses freedom, liberation, love, the fullness of life for all people, or a mature and responsible faith, then it is "of God." When I see a passage that depicts God as wrathful or as dealing death-blows to his supposed enemies, for instance, then that passage does not pass the test. When there are passages that contain belittling words or that endorse arbitrary restrictions of people, I assume those passages were inspired by human desires, not a loving and reconciling God. Most of all, I believe in the ability of human beings to make ethical, loving, and moral choices; this is what binds us together. I believe that when a biblical passage does not endorse such choices, then we need to be able to call it out instead of finding a way to uphold it anyway."
So, er, here you have Bird flat-out acknowledging her approach to the Bible: she approaches with her own preconceptions, accepts the bits that conform, and dismisses/explains away everything that doesn't. Why would you possibly trust the evaluations of someone who admits this, no matter the subject? If you're looking for a biography of Woodrow Wilson, you're not going to trust a biographer who tells you in the intro that he hates Wilson and thus left out anything that made him look like a good president. If you're trying to figure out what Plato himself believed, you wouldn't trust a historian who admits to you that not only do they think Plato was a true-blue capitalist but that everything they write about him is trying to prove it. That is, unless you also believe that Plato was a true-blue capitalist, and you just want to validate your own position. That's kind of what Bird's book boils down to: if she is telling you what you want to hear, then you'll probably like this book. You might even actually be impressed by it.
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.*
April 24, 2015
I was sorry to have chosen this book and I would advise anyone not to make the same mistake. Take for example on page 27…In fact, if you pay close attention to Genesis 2-3, you will see that it is actually God who has misled the humans, not the serpent. Hmmmm. Hmmmm seems to be her favorite word and gotcha to pointing out her point. I was pretty much done when she goes on to say that she was glad Eve took the bite. Knowledge is a good thing and for Eve to want that, how could that be wrong.
There is rambling galore but no Gospel.
Thank you Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
There is rambling galore but no Gospel.
Thank you Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
June 2, 2015
Title: Permission Granted
Author: Jennifer Grace Bird
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Year: 2015
Pages: 176
"To the Church, then, has been given the charge of proclaiming the Word of God. This revelatory Word is not a concatenation of human opinions and ideas but rather is God's own proclamation, the very means by which he speaks, even into postmodern society."--David Wells, Above All Earthly Pow'rs, 176
If I had been paying attention, I would have seen the endorsement by Rachel Held Evans on the front cover and I would not have selected this book for review. I should have known better. Here's the bottom line to this book: Jennifer Grace Bird did 'take the Bible into her own hands' and she made an absolute wreck of it and embarrassed herself along the way. There is nothing new whatsoever about what she wrote: she is regurgitating the arguments of folks like, Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, and John Dominic Crossan (and others) all over again--time worn arguments that question whether the Bible is God's Word and whether or not we should pay attention to it, and whether or not we can believe in the God who is there. I've heard that argument before, "Did God really say...?" And although she says: "My intention is not to leave you in the lurch, with your entire faith system challenged," she writes. "My ultimate intention has been to have you look at where you have placed your faith. Is it on the words in the Bible, or on the God the Bible points to?" (187) this is not what one comes away with after reading this book. (And, to be sure, this is a false dichotomy which I have not the space in this review to address.) (Interview)
There is nothing original about Bird's intellectual pursuit to 'read what the Bible really says.' There is nothing interesting about it. There is nothing compelling about it. It has a niche audience: those who are already on board with her absurd ideas about Scripture and her silly angry-feminist hermeneutic (I invite you to read carefully and slowly her work and notice how many times she makes pejorative remarks about men). What's amazing is that there are hundreds and thousands of women scholars and preachers who read the same Bible Bird reads and come away with a radically different understanding and application of the words written.
I think a large part of the problem is that Ms Bird seems to think that just because it is written in the Bible that this automatically translates into God's approval of it. Take for example polygamy in the Bible. Just because the Bible records many instances of polygamy is not an indication that God approves of polygamy. Remember in the garden, there was one man and one woman, which later Jesus affirmed. This was the ideal. After sin enters the world, then we see a break from the garden ideal and marriage corrupted. Bird seems to think that we should read the Bible at face value without our bifocals: one lens reminding us that we are sinful and live in a sinful world and the other lens reminding us that Jesus has redeemed us. To be sure, there is a lot of stuff in the Bible--stuff like rape, murder, slavery, and war--that God is not in favor of and certainly doesn't approve of, but is God at fault because the authors of the Bible truthfully report these events? Or is God evil because these things happen? Bird spends a lot of time in this book saying things about God that made me shudder. For all her talk about those who 'read the Bible literally' Bird seems to suffer from a profound sense of inability to distinguish one type of literature from another (she does acknowledge on page 7-8, and 11 that readers of the Bible should be aware 'of genre', but I do not recall that she employs this warning herself and her favorite term to use is actually 'myth'). In other words, she is, frequently, a worse literalist than those she accuses!
Pause for a moment and consider what that means.
I do not know too many preachers or scholars or theologians in general who would argue that there are not 'issues' when it comes to parts of the Bible. That is to say, I do not know of anyone who thinks that Genesis 1 and 2, for example, are telling us the exact same story of creation. On the other hand, I do not know anyone who believes this means they are also contradictory either. So too with the Gospels. Just because we are given four 'versions' of the Jesus story, where each author makes a particular point about Jesus (which I thought Bird handled and explained fairly well), does not mean that we are given contradictory stories about 'how to be saved' or that we have to decide 'which Jesus is the real Jesus.' Bird is rather difficult because she believes that variety means disunity and that differences mean contradiction. She actually had some good thoughts in chapter 9 ("Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?"), but she takes her conclusions from these thoughts in strange and rather unorthodox directions. Hmmm.
And to be sure, one really only needs to read her introduction to the book (xi-xvi) to understand what she is going to do with every single chapter in the book--whether writing about sex or violence or the virgin birth or John 3:16 (she made a big fuss out of John 3:16 only to tell us that we ought to read all of John 3; duh.), it is all too much for her. In her mind, we cannot trust many, many parts of the Bible because it contains things that do not pass her 'litmus test' of 'who God is and is not' (188). So she has created a god, held this god before her face while she read the Bible, and anything that does not comport with this god of her creation is suspect and therefore worthy of being tossed out into the rubbish heap. Think about that for a minute. Does that sound like the sort of author who is not trying to 'leave us in the lurch' or 'poke holes in' our faith? Hmmm.
Every now and again the book has text boxes where Bird engages in a brief excursus on some topic she finds particularly in need of reinterpretation (e.g., heaven and hell, the name 'christians', fun facts, depiction of Jews in the Newer Testament, etc.). There are also a few charts that are somewhat useful and also some charts for the reader to fill in to help better understand a concept she discusses (e.g., creation accounts, dualism in John's Gospel). Unfortunately, there is no index for subjects discussed or for Scripture referenced or discussed (although, to be fair, looking at the table of contents should give the reader a fairly good idea of what scripture can be found and where.) Each chapter ends with a series of discussion questions which may or may not be helpful after reading the chapter they are attached to. Finally, I was frustratingly disappointed that there is not a single page of references. She quotes several scholars in the book and I would have been pleased if there were references where I could check her work or dig deeper for myself.
I'm not going to bother addressing her conjectures about the sexuality of people such as Paul (whom she conjectures, based on the letter to Philemon, might be a homosexual) or David and his relationship with Jonathan. I'm not going to bother addressing her quite apparent disdain for men and the way 'they' have handled Scripture throughout the generations and kept women like her from being 'ordained' (a wholly unbiblical concept in it's own right if she would take time to investigate it). Nor will I address her rather lazy attitude towards sexuality (all of it). And I'm not going to bother dignifying her stupid idea that it was 'actually God who has misled the humans, not the serpent' in Genesis 2-3. Hmmm.
All of this, and much more besides, gives me reason to pause and question what exactly her agenda is in writing this book. Bird assures us that her task is 'not to poke holes in anyone's faith' (19) but rather to go 'for the 'mark of an educated mind,'" (121; she assures us of these things frequently). But I don't think she accomplished either point. Her questions will cause weak minded people to stumble in their faith and intellectual people to question how she got this book published in the first place. What follows, on page after page, is simply lazy exegesis with a lack of enthusiasm towards understanding.
Her 'questions' and controversies have been written by others, have been answered by others, and these questions and controversies have always been full of holes, based on faulty logic, and, frankly, in no way intellectually astute. I tend to mine books when I read them so, yes, there are times when I think she has a rather brilliant insight (e.g., much of her discussion on Job was helpful and, in my opinion, on the mark; and in one of her excursions, the one on 'heaven and hell' (p 182-183), she makes some good points too; and other places). And, yes, she is decidedly correct that we should read all of the Bible and not just the parts that make us all warm and fuzzy. Furthermore, she is also correct that there are difficult things in the Bible for us to accept about God, about ourselves, and about the Christian faith in general; nevertheless, her questions have been answered a thousand times over by scholars, preachers, theologians (men and women alike). The nuggets I was able to mine in this book are too few and too far between to make this worth the time of serious readers in search of an intellectual pursuit or faith strengthening exercise.
There's just nothing new here (literally, she retreads time worn arguments with hip language for a new generation of skeptics and they will eat it up!) and it literally brings me to tears that she is in this place (and that she teachers students in a university). I think this book comes up way, way short on both supporting faith or providing stimulation for the intellect. I would like to meet the people she claims 'confront these issues in the Bible and come out the other side...often even stronger in their faith than when they began!' (187). Seriously.
So again I will note that I think this book has a niche audience and it is those people who already believe like she does. This book will in no way strengthen the faith of anyone and it will not provide intellectual stimulation for anyone either. In fact, you will probably left with the same 'sinking feeling in' your gut when reading it as Bird often expressed she had when writing it. The church right now needs a high view of Scripture and Bird's isn't even off the ground.
Too bad.
1/2*/5
Author: Jennifer Grace Bird
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Year: 2015
Pages: 176
"To the Church, then, has been given the charge of proclaiming the Word of God. This revelatory Word is not a concatenation of human opinions and ideas but rather is God's own proclamation, the very means by which he speaks, even into postmodern society."--David Wells, Above All Earthly Pow'rs, 176
If I had been paying attention, I would have seen the endorsement by Rachel Held Evans on the front cover and I would not have selected this book for review. I should have known better. Here's the bottom line to this book: Jennifer Grace Bird did 'take the Bible into her own hands' and she made an absolute wreck of it and embarrassed herself along the way. There is nothing new whatsoever about what she wrote: she is regurgitating the arguments of folks like, Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, and John Dominic Crossan (and others) all over again--time worn arguments that question whether the Bible is God's Word and whether or not we should pay attention to it, and whether or not we can believe in the God who is there. I've heard that argument before, "Did God really say...?" And although she says: "My intention is not to leave you in the lurch, with your entire faith system challenged," she writes. "My ultimate intention has been to have you look at where you have placed your faith. Is it on the words in the Bible, or on the God the Bible points to?" (187) this is not what one comes away with after reading this book. (And, to be sure, this is a false dichotomy which I have not the space in this review to address.) (Interview)
There is nothing original about Bird's intellectual pursuit to 'read what the Bible really says.' There is nothing interesting about it. There is nothing compelling about it. It has a niche audience: those who are already on board with her absurd ideas about Scripture and her silly angry-feminist hermeneutic (I invite you to read carefully and slowly her work and notice how many times she makes pejorative remarks about men). What's amazing is that there are hundreds and thousands of women scholars and preachers who read the same Bible Bird reads and come away with a radically different understanding and application of the words written.
I think a large part of the problem is that Ms Bird seems to think that just because it is written in the Bible that this automatically translates into God's approval of it. Take for example polygamy in the Bible. Just because the Bible records many instances of polygamy is not an indication that God approves of polygamy. Remember in the garden, there was one man and one woman, which later Jesus affirmed. This was the ideal. After sin enters the world, then we see a break from the garden ideal and marriage corrupted. Bird seems to think that we should read the Bible at face value without our bifocals: one lens reminding us that we are sinful and live in a sinful world and the other lens reminding us that Jesus has redeemed us. To be sure, there is a lot of stuff in the Bible--stuff like rape, murder, slavery, and war--that God is not in favor of and certainly doesn't approve of, but is God at fault because the authors of the Bible truthfully report these events? Or is God evil because these things happen? Bird spends a lot of time in this book saying things about God that made me shudder. For all her talk about those who 'read the Bible literally' Bird seems to suffer from a profound sense of inability to distinguish one type of literature from another (she does acknowledge on page 7-8, and 11 that readers of the Bible should be aware 'of genre', but I do not recall that she employs this warning herself and her favorite term to use is actually 'myth'). In other words, she is, frequently, a worse literalist than those she accuses!
Pause for a moment and consider what that means.
I do not know too many preachers or scholars or theologians in general who would argue that there are not 'issues' when it comes to parts of the Bible. That is to say, I do not know of anyone who thinks that Genesis 1 and 2, for example, are telling us the exact same story of creation. On the other hand, I do not know anyone who believes this means they are also contradictory either. So too with the Gospels. Just because we are given four 'versions' of the Jesus story, where each author makes a particular point about Jesus (which I thought Bird handled and explained fairly well), does not mean that we are given contradictory stories about 'how to be saved' or that we have to decide 'which Jesus is the real Jesus.' Bird is rather difficult because she believes that variety means disunity and that differences mean contradiction. She actually had some good thoughts in chapter 9 ("Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?"), but she takes her conclusions from these thoughts in strange and rather unorthodox directions. Hmmm.
And to be sure, one really only needs to read her introduction to the book (xi-xvi) to understand what she is going to do with every single chapter in the book--whether writing about sex or violence or the virgin birth or John 3:16 (she made a big fuss out of John 3:16 only to tell us that we ought to read all of John 3; duh.), it is all too much for her. In her mind, we cannot trust many, many parts of the Bible because it contains things that do not pass her 'litmus test' of 'who God is and is not' (188). So she has created a god, held this god before her face while she read the Bible, and anything that does not comport with this god of her creation is suspect and therefore worthy of being tossed out into the rubbish heap. Think about that for a minute. Does that sound like the sort of author who is not trying to 'leave us in the lurch' or 'poke holes in' our faith? Hmmm.
Every now and again the book has text boxes where Bird engages in a brief excursus on some topic she finds particularly in need of reinterpretation (e.g., heaven and hell, the name 'christians', fun facts, depiction of Jews in the Newer Testament, etc.). There are also a few charts that are somewhat useful and also some charts for the reader to fill in to help better understand a concept she discusses (e.g., creation accounts, dualism in John's Gospel). Unfortunately, there is no index for subjects discussed or for Scripture referenced or discussed (although, to be fair, looking at the table of contents should give the reader a fairly good idea of what scripture can be found and where.) Each chapter ends with a series of discussion questions which may or may not be helpful after reading the chapter they are attached to. Finally, I was frustratingly disappointed that there is not a single page of references. She quotes several scholars in the book and I would have been pleased if there were references where I could check her work or dig deeper for myself.
I'm not going to bother addressing her conjectures about the sexuality of people such as Paul (whom she conjectures, based on the letter to Philemon, might be a homosexual) or David and his relationship with Jonathan. I'm not going to bother addressing her quite apparent disdain for men and the way 'they' have handled Scripture throughout the generations and kept women like her from being 'ordained' (a wholly unbiblical concept in it's own right if she would take time to investigate it). Nor will I address her rather lazy attitude towards sexuality (all of it). And I'm not going to bother dignifying her stupid idea that it was 'actually God who has misled the humans, not the serpent' in Genesis 2-3. Hmmm.
All of this, and much more besides, gives me reason to pause and question what exactly her agenda is in writing this book. Bird assures us that her task is 'not to poke holes in anyone's faith' (19) but rather to go 'for the 'mark of an educated mind,'" (121; she assures us of these things frequently). But I don't think she accomplished either point. Her questions will cause weak minded people to stumble in their faith and intellectual people to question how she got this book published in the first place. What follows, on page after page, is simply lazy exegesis with a lack of enthusiasm towards understanding.
Her 'questions' and controversies have been written by others, have been answered by others, and these questions and controversies have always been full of holes, based on faulty logic, and, frankly, in no way intellectually astute. I tend to mine books when I read them so, yes, there are times when I think she has a rather brilliant insight (e.g., much of her discussion on Job was helpful and, in my opinion, on the mark; and in one of her excursions, the one on 'heaven and hell' (p 182-183), she makes some good points too; and other places). And, yes, she is decidedly correct that we should read all of the Bible and not just the parts that make us all warm and fuzzy. Furthermore, she is also correct that there are difficult things in the Bible for us to accept about God, about ourselves, and about the Christian faith in general; nevertheless, her questions have been answered a thousand times over by scholars, preachers, theologians (men and women alike). The nuggets I was able to mine in this book are too few and too far between to make this worth the time of serious readers in search of an intellectual pursuit or faith strengthening exercise.
There's just nothing new here (literally, she retreads time worn arguments with hip language for a new generation of skeptics and they will eat it up!) and it literally brings me to tears that she is in this place (and that she teachers students in a university). I think this book comes up way, way short on both supporting faith or providing stimulation for the intellect. I would like to meet the people she claims 'confront these issues in the Bible and come out the other side...often even stronger in their faith than when they began!' (187). Seriously.
So again I will note that I think this book has a niche audience and it is those people who already believe like she does. This book will in no way strengthen the faith of anyone and it will not provide intellectual stimulation for anyone either. In fact, you will probably left with the same 'sinking feeling in' your gut when reading it as Bird often expressed she had when writing it. The church right now needs a high view of Scripture and Bird's isn't even off the ground.
Too bad.
1/2*/5
February 17, 2016
My thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Ok, going to try to use the "criticism sandwich" method to review this book. Please note that I just couldn't subject myself to more than 37% of this book, so the below is only for the first 37% and the last bit that I had skimmed to.
Positive-top piece of bread
She seems to be a liberal, which means she isn't anti-homosexual. So when she discusses sex in the Bible, she doesn't ruffle my feathers.
Negative-meat, lettuce, tomato and mayo
Now, this may be due to the copy of the book I am reading being an ARC, but there are NO notes, citations, bibliography, references, NOTHING to indicate to me that the author is writing anything but what pops into her head. None of her claims are backed up, not in the text of the book, nor at the end where references and notes usually are.
For example, 20% of the way into the book, when discussing Adam and Eve and their Fall from the Garden, she says, "Some rabbis and pastors see the enlightenment and awareness in this story as a "step up" for humankind." She doesn't say who they are, she doesn't include any statements from any of them, NOTHING. So is she making it up, or is what she said true?
Also, despite having gone to Princeton Theological Seminary and received a PhD at the least, her theology is very painful for me to read. At first I was angry with what she was writing, but now I am sad for her to have missed so much and also scared that she is teaching her less than stellar reasoning at a college level.
I don't want to get too into the points she discusses that I disagree with, as I seem to disagree with just about everything she says.
Example, roughly 19% into the book, I am paraphrasing: God misled Adam and Eve in the Garden, not the serpent and she's glad Eve took that bite, because it made life more interesting and knowledge is important.
I guess, in a way, sin DOES make things more interesting. I mean, with devastation, death and destruction world-wide, one certainly can't be bored.
Positive-bottom piece of bread
I had a crisis of faith re: the Bible recently, so I picked up a lot of books dealing with the Bible and digging deeper into it. This was one of those books.
I can honestly say that the things in this book made me SO MAD, and not at the Bible. It made me realize that despite my shaken faith in the Bible, I am still very deeply tied to it and my faith in it isn't completely gone.
So while it didn't inspire me in the way I had hoped to be inspired, this book DID do what I wanted and needed for it to do for me.
Despite what it has done for me, I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone. One star, because I can't go any lower than that.
Ok, going to try to use the "criticism sandwich" method to review this book. Please note that I just couldn't subject myself to more than 37% of this book, so the below is only for the first 37% and the last bit that I had skimmed to.
Positive-top piece of bread
She seems to be a liberal, which means she isn't anti-homosexual. So when she discusses sex in the Bible, she doesn't ruffle my feathers.
Negative-meat, lettuce, tomato and mayo
Now, this may be due to the copy of the book I am reading being an ARC, but there are NO notes, citations, bibliography, references, NOTHING to indicate to me that the author is writing anything but what pops into her head. None of her claims are backed up, not in the text of the book, nor at the end where references and notes usually are.
For example, 20% of the way into the book, when discussing Adam and Eve and their Fall from the Garden, she says, "Some rabbis and pastors see the enlightenment and awareness in this story as a "step up" for humankind." She doesn't say who they are, she doesn't include any statements from any of them, NOTHING. So is she making it up, or is what she said true?
Also, despite having gone to Princeton Theological Seminary and received a PhD at the least, her theology is very painful for me to read. At first I was angry with what she was writing, but now I am sad for her to have missed so much and also scared that she is teaching her less than stellar reasoning at a college level.
I don't want to get too into the points she discusses that I disagree with, as I seem to disagree with just about everything she says.
Example, roughly 19% into the book, I am paraphrasing: God misled Adam and Eve in the Garden, not the serpent and she's glad Eve took that bite, because it made life more interesting and knowledge is important.
I guess, in a way, sin DOES make things more interesting. I mean, with devastation, death and destruction world-wide, one certainly can't be bored.
Positive-bottom piece of bread
I had a crisis of faith re: the Bible recently, so I picked up a lot of books dealing with the Bible and digging deeper into it. This was one of those books.
I can honestly say that the things in this book made me SO MAD, and not at the Bible. It made me realize that despite my shaken faith in the Bible, I am still very deeply tied to it and my faith in it isn't completely gone.
So while it didn't inspire me in the way I had hoped to be inspired, this book DID do what I wanted and needed for it to do for me.
Despite what it has done for me, I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone. One star, because I can't go any lower than that.
April 9, 2015
I received an advanced reader copy from Westminster John Knox Press.
Permission Granted- Take the Bible into Your Own Hands by Jennifer Grace Bird is an engaging book I highly recommend. I've been waiting for years for this type of book to be published. As an avid female reader, I've wanted to read a book that directly addressed complicated Biblical issues in an academic manner. In Bird's book, you won't find any humorous stories about everyday life. Instead, prepare yourself for a thought provoking study of difficult stories, people, and specific scripture found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The Garden of Eden, the role of women in the church and family, rape, and genocide are a few examples of the topics covered in this book.
Throughout the book, Bird encourages the reader to explore difficult issues through a non-traditional lens. The author provides historical detail and background from Hebrew and Greek translations to expand the reader's understanding of difficult concepts. Personally, I found the chapter about the role of women in marriage particularly fascinating. I really appreciated the author's research approach. A couple of times while reading, I had to put the book down and just think about the ideas presented. At no point in the book does Bird talk down to the reader. Instead, Bird is always affirming that it is ok if these topics are hard to reconcile. Bird's style is easy to read, a perfect mix of academic research and a conversational tone.
This book is appropriate to read as an individual and would also work as a small group study. Thought provoking questions are included with the chapters. Also, relevant scripture suggestions are made, but not included in the book. I suggest this book to a group that enjoys working through difficult topics and is comfortable with different points of view. Not everyone will be comfortable with the author's interpretation of particular texts. By the end of the book, I was curious to hear more about how the author worked through these issues on a personal level. Little is devoted to this, leaving the reader to ponder the book well after it is finished.
Permission Granted- Take the Bible into Your Own Hands by Jennifer Grace Bird is an engaging book I highly recommend. I've been waiting for years for this type of book to be published. As an avid female reader, I've wanted to read a book that directly addressed complicated Biblical issues in an academic manner. In Bird's book, you won't find any humorous stories about everyday life. Instead, prepare yourself for a thought provoking study of difficult stories, people, and specific scripture found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The Garden of Eden, the role of women in the church and family, rape, and genocide are a few examples of the topics covered in this book.
Throughout the book, Bird encourages the reader to explore difficult issues through a non-traditional lens. The author provides historical detail and background from Hebrew and Greek translations to expand the reader's understanding of difficult concepts. Personally, I found the chapter about the role of women in marriage particularly fascinating. I really appreciated the author's research approach. A couple of times while reading, I had to put the book down and just think about the ideas presented. At no point in the book does Bird talk down to the reader. Instead, Bird is always affirming that it is ok if these topics are hard to reconcile. Bird's style is easy to read, a perfect mix of academic research and a conversational tone.
This book is appropriate to read as an individual and would also work as a small group study. Thought provoking questions are included with the chapters. Also, relevant scripture suggestions are made, but not included in the book. I suggest this book to a group that enjoys working through difficult topics and is comfortable with different points of view. Not everyone will be comfortable with the author's interpretation of particular texts. By the end of the book, I was curious to hear more about how the author worked through these issues on a personal level. Little is devoted to this, leaving the reader to ponder the book well after it is finished.
May 15, 2015
Permission Granted- Take the Bible into Your Own Hands-Jennifer Grace Bird
Each year more and more people leave the church and abandon their religious roots. Too many have reached adulthood still holding onto the interpretations of the Bible handed to them as children. Those childish interpretations seem to leave them coming up short in times of doubt or when seeking answers. This type of book has been long overdue for publication. Bird’s book: Permission Granted-Take the Bible into Your Own Hands is a model for genuine discipleship and adult faith, written in very open and relaxed style using informal, easy to understand language.
I would recommend this book for any individual or group who desires to work on developing an honest, adult engagement with the bible. Bird addresses challenging Biblical issues (of the both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament) such as violence, role of women, and homosexuality in an academic manner yet all the while affirming that it is alright for each of us if these topics are hard to merge with what we have been taught as children.
Bird's voice is a unique and important one: warm and witty, perceptive and sometimes irreverent, but ultimately intensely thoughtful and profoundly serious about the troubles many people have with the Bible and how it is used or not used by people today.
Most importantly the readers are encourage to step outside the box, look at issues from a new perspective and put away their childish way of exploring what the Bible tells us. Bird offers this challenge without intimidating the reader and explains that not everyone will be comfortable with her interpretations.
Each year more and more people leave the church and abandon their religious roots. Too many have reached adulthood still holding onto the interpretations of the Bible handed to them as children. Those childish interpretations seem to leave them coming up short in times of doubt or when seeking answers. This type of book has been long overdue for publication. Bird’s book: Permission Granted-Take the Bible into Your Own Hands is a model for genuine discipleship and adult faith, written in very open and relaxed style using informal, easy to understand language.
I would recommend this book for any individual or group who desires to work on developing an honest, adult engagement with the bible. Bird addresses challenging Biblical issues (of the both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament) such as violence, role of women, and homosexuality in an academic manner yet all the while affirming that it is alright for each of us if these topics are hard to merge with what we have been taught as children.
Bird's voice is a unique and important one: warm and witty, perceptive and sometimes irreverent, but ultimately intensely thoughtful and profoundly serious about the troubles many people have with the Bible and how it is used or not used by people today.
Most importantly the readers are encourage to step outside the box, look at issues from a new perspective and put away their childish way of exploring what the Bible tells us. Bird offers this challenge without intimidating the reader and explains that not everyone will be comfortable with her interpretations.
September 29, 2015
I was fortunate to grow up in a home and a church where I felt free to question scripture. I learned early on that just because an idea is in the Bible, it does not mean that it is life-giving, loving, helpful, or even correct. My personal litmus test for reading the Bible will always point me toward Christ and the fullness of life for all people. Thank you for your research and your honesty Jennifer Bird. You will, no doubt, cause a lot of people to squirm!
October 24, 2016
Thank you to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.
It took me over a month to read the book once through. Then I decided I couldn't say I had read it until I read it again, that time it took me one day. Yes, just one day. I determined to get through it, having a first read as a basis for the second read.
The first read through I just read the book. The second time I read the book as the author intended - using the Bible also. Since it's my review I get to make it as short - or as long - as I want. You can read the review - or not. That's your choice! *wink*
In Bird's introduction and chapter 1 she explains why this book has come into existence. She uses her own background as the reason why she first started wondering if everything she was reading in the Bible was exactly as she was reading it or if perhaps context of cultural etc really might matter. In the introduction she gives the reader two points that I really appreciate, they are perhaps the first of her many "permission granted" points.
1. God gave you your brain, so it has to be okay to use it.
2. If they are worth your devotion, God and the Bible can handle your intellectual pursuits. (My take on this particular point would be - God is not the one threatened by any questions etc we have, it's everyone else who is threatened. He's bigger than that.)
Chapter 1 finds Bird discussing what the Bible is, and what the Bible isn't. She challenges the claims of inerrancy and infallibility - which is going to raise the hackles of some immediately. It may or may not have raised mine a bit. *grin* Her challenges to those claims are based off of motivations, genres, and perspective of author of the book within the Bible. And she goes on, in chapter 1, to unpack those reasonings. Her conclusion on knowing and understanding the true writings can be summed up, in my opinion, with this statement she makes, "Most often when people begin to read with context and writing type in mind, they find the writings more meaningful, not less." I read that sentence as a challenge of sorts for myself. If I read the passages she will be discussing in this book with the context and writing type in mind as she lays them out will I indeed find the Bible more meaningful and not less?
Chapter 2 Bird starts at the beginning, which is the topic of much debate in American culture today (I can't speak for other cultures since I don't live there). She starts with the creation story found in Genesis 1-2. Bird is insistent on honoring the writings of the Bible and her idea of honoring it is explained in this way, "Reading the Bible 'literally' is not necessarily the best way to honor it." That particular statement is sure to raise some hackles. It may or may not have raised mine a bit. *grin* But instead of taking my raised hackles and marching off the other direction I am choosing to push through for the sake of being uncomfortable and having an open mind.
In chapter 2 she has a lot to say about a lot. (I don't want to be a spoiler. Okay fine, hints are: women, men, equality, creation of the earth, creation of humans, myths versus truth.) The one thing that I cannot get around being uncomfortable with is her assertion that biology is more accurate than God. But if God created the biology then can't he do whatever he wants? Perhaps it is our understanding of biology that is flawed, not the other way around?
Chapter 3 is all about the garden but here's what Bird has to say about it, "If you have thought of this story [the garden] as only being about 'original sin' or 'the fall of Man,' you are in for quite a ride. So, hold on to your hat and buckle your seatbelt." Bird's belief is that the story found in Genesis 3 is a myth, meant to give an explanation for the pains of childbirth and why it is so hard to produce food from the ground. I can't help but think, however, that if ancient peoples were looking for a story to explain these things that they might have come up with ones that didn't seem so harsh? But perhaps I misunderstand good storytelling. She also addresses the idea and purpose of Satan. These are interesting thoughts that I can lean toward - no hackles raised at that point. *grin* She closes out chapter 3 talking about the influence of the early church fathers and their opinions about the scriptures becoming the scriptures we actually read and follow today instead of what the original language etc means.
Chapter 4 tackles the topic of sex and sexuality in the Bible. Hackles will be raised in this chapter. Mine may or may not have been. *grin* She addresses the topic of "biblical marriage" and any of my hackles that may have been raised lowered the more I considered her arguments for what a "biblical marriage" actually means according to the Bible. Then she dives into sex - heterosexual and homosexual.
In the Old Testament, specifically, there is a lot of violence. Was it really violence directed by God or was it violence men attributed to God or was it something in between? Bird takes chapter 5 to discuss. She addresses both punishment/discipline and the sacrificial system. It is in discussing the sacrificial system - which leads to the crucifixion of Jesus - that hackles will probably go up again. Mine may or may not have. *grin* She also continues with the controversial topics by talking about the death penalty. She includes in the chapter about violence about the abuse and violent treatment of women throughout the scriptures. This did not raise my hackles but it will raise the hackles of many - and not all of them men, which astounds me. She does have a profound portion within the chapter about enemies and who we should consider, if anyone at all, enemies and why/why not.
Those stories we were told in Sunday School? In chapter 6 the author talks about the real story of those cleaned up stories. She also addresses the famed verse, John 3:16. Yes, hackles will be raised. Mine may or may not have been. *grin*
In the chapters leading up to chapter 7 Bird has been advocating for women and in this chapter she quits 'hinting' around and just devotes the entire chapter to the idea of women and God. She spends quite a bit of time discussing the differences found in the 'genuine Pauline' letters from what is said, about women specifically, in the 'disputed Pauline letters.' Her exegesis makes a lot of sense and provides explanation for the divided mind Paul was thought to have regarding women.
And then in chapter 8 Bird really goes for it. She discusses the conception and birth of Jesus. She discusses the virgin Mary and wonders if she really was a virgin. Yes, hackles will go up in defense of this doctrinal issue. Mine may or may not have. *grin*
Chapter 9 is titled, "Will the real Jesus please stand up?" and Bird starts off the chapter by saying that it may be "startling for people to discover that there is more that one 'version' of Jesus in the Bible and more than one way of understanding salvation." What she means is that the first four books - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - give different perspectives on Jesus. They each cast him in a different light, so to speak. So which one is he? Could he not be all of them and the books are still pointing to different facets of who he is? This chapter, in particular, really felt like Bird was building a case for the commonality of Jesus rather than the Jesus that came to be a savior. It felt very pointed toward Jesus was just a dude who happened to say and do a lot of good things and some people decided to write about him and oh yeah, they leaned on Old Testament scriptures to make it sound like he was something special and unique. My hackles may or may not have gone up. *grin*
Second in popularity, and controversy, to Jesus is the Apostle Paul. So the author spends chapter 10 on Paul. While she similarly talks about Paul the way she does Jesus, in a diminishing way, she also makes some interesting points about his mission and its differences from the mission of the disciples.
Ah, it's the end of the world as we know it - and we've come the the end of the world countless times yet we are all still here. Bird takes chapter 11 to go through Revelation - the apocalypse, the final days of this world as we know it. This is another chapter in which the potential for raised hackles is pretty high. Mine were not raised but so much of evangelical America has built their faith on the book of Revelation that I know this chapter would raise the hackles of many.
And then where do we go from here? Where do we go with the questioning of the word of God? Does the questioning of the word of God make the writings more meaningful not less? For me? For you? In the final paragraphs of this book the author says this, "My ultimate intention has been to have you look at where you have placed your faith. Is it on the words in the Bible or on the God the Bible points to?" But I take issue with that end goal. She just took the reader through 11 chapters of questioning the Bible that points to God. The Holy Bible is the resource we have been given to get to know the God we say we believe in. If we call it into question then ultimately we are also calling into question the reality of God.
One final comment on the title. In an effort, I presume, to be chatty and down to earth about this questioning of the Bible the author employs the use of "hmmmm" quite a bit. And by quite a bit I mean it appears in frequency the further into the book we get. It really got on my nerves after a while. One or two instances of it are fine, I use it myself from time to time. But it's frequency in the pages detracted not attracted.
It took me over a month to read the book once through. Then I decided I couldn't say I had read it until I read it again, that time it took me one day. Yes, just one day. I determined to get through it, having a first read as a basis for the second read.
The first read through I just read the book. The second time I read the book as the author intended - using the Bible also. Since it's my review I get to make it as short - or as long - as I want. You can read the review - or not. That's your choice! *wink*
In Bird's introduction and chapter 1 she explains why this book has come into existence. She uses her own background as the reason why she first started wondering if everything she was reading in the Bible was exactly as she was reading it or if perhaps context of cultural etc really might matter. In the introduction she gives the reader two points that I really appreciate, they are perhaps the first of her many "permission granted" points.
1. God gave you your brain, so it has to be okay to use it.
2. If they are worth your devotion, God and the Bible can handle your intellectual pursuits. (My take on this particular point would be - God is not the one threatened by any questions etc we have, it's everyone else who is threatened. He's bigger than that.)
Chapter 1 finds Bird discussing what the Bible is, and what the Bible isn't. She challenges the claims of inerrancy and infallibility - which is going to raise the hackles of some immediately. It may or may not have raised mine a bit. *grin* Her challenges to those claims are based off of motivations, genres, and perspective of author of the book within the Bible. And she goes on, in chapter 1, to unpack those reasonings. Her conclusion on knowing and understanding the true writings can be summed up, in my opinion, with this statement she makes, "Most often when people begin to read with context and writing type in mind, they find the writings more meaningful, not less." I read that sentence as a challenge of sorts for myself. If I read the passages she will be discussing in this book with the context and writing type in mind as she lays them out will I indeed find the Bible more meaningful and not less?
Chapter 2 Bird starts at the beginning, which is the topic of much debate in American culture today (I can't speak for other cultures since I don't live there). She starts with the creation story found in Genesis 1-2. Bird is insistent on honoring the writings of the Bible and her idea of honoring it is explained in this way, "Reading the Bible 'literally' is not necessarily the best way to honor it." That particular statement is sure to raise some hackles. It may or may not have raised mine a bit. *grin* But instead of taking my raised hackles and marching off the other direction I am choosing to push through for the sake of being uncomfortable and having an open mind.
In chapter 2 she has a lot to say about a lot. (I don't want to be a spoiler. Okay fine, hints are: women, men, equality, creation of the earth, creation of humans, myths versus truth.) The one thing that I cannot get around being uncomfortable with is her assertion that biology is more accurate than God. But if God created the biology then can't he do whatever he wants? Perhaps it is our understanding of biology that is flawed, not the other way around?
Chapter 3 is all about the garden but here's what Bird has to say about it, "If you have thought of this story [the garden] as only being about 'original sin' or 'the fall of Man,' you are in for quite a ride. So, hold on to your hat and buckle your seatbelt." Bird's belief is that the story found in Genesis 3 is a myth, meant to give an explanation for the pains of childbirth and why it is so hard to produce food from the ground. I can't help but think, however, that if ancient peoples were looking for a story to explain these things that they might have come up with ones that didn't seem so harsh? But perhaps I misunderstand good storytelling. She also addresses the idea and purpose of Satan. These are interesting thoughts that I can lean toward - no hackles raised at that point. *grin* She closes out chapter 3 talking about the influence of the early church fathers and their opinions about the scriptures becoming the scriptures we actually read and follow today instead of what the original language etc means.
Chapter 4 tackles the topic of sex and sexuality in the Bible. Hackles will be raised in this chapter. Mine may or may not have been. *grin* She addresses the topic of "biblical marriage" and any of my hackles that may have been raised lowered the more I considered her arguments for what a "biblical marriage" actually means according to the Bible. Then she dives into sex - heterosexual and homosexual.
In the Old Testament, specifically, there is a lot of violence. Was it really violence directed by God or was it violence men attributed to God or was it something in between? Bird takes chapter 5 to discuss. She addresses both punishment/discipline and the sacrificial system. It is in discussing the sacrificial system - which leads to the crucifixion of Jesus - that hackles will probably go up again. Mine may or may not have. *grin* She also continues with the controversial topics by talking about the death penalty. She includes in the chapter about violence about the abuse and violent treatment of women throughout the scriptures. This did not raise my hackles but it will raise the hackles of many - and not all of them men, which astounds me. She does have a profound portion within the chapter about enemies and who we should consider, if anyone at all, enemies and why/why not.
Those stories we were told in Sunday School? In chapter 6 the author talks about the real story of those cleaned up stories. She also addresses the famed verse, John 3:16. Yes, hackles will be raised. Mine may or may not have been. *grin*
In the chapters leading up to chapter 7 Bird has been advocating for women and in this chapter she quits 'hinting' around and just devotes the entire chapter to the idea of women and God. She spends quite a bit of time discussing the differences found in the 'genuine Pauline' letters from what is said, about women specifically, in the 'disputed Pauline letters.' Her exegesis makes a lot of sense and provides explanation for the divided mind Paul was thought to have regarding women.
And then in chapter 8 Bird really goes for it. She discusses the conception and birth of Jesus. She discusses the virgin Mary and wonders if she really was a virgin. Yes, hackles will go up in defense of this doctrinal issue. Mine may or may not have. *grin*
Chapter 9 is titled, "Will the real Jesus please stand up?" and Bird starts off the chapter by saying that it may be "startling for people to discover that there is more that one 'version' of Jesus in the Bible and more than one way of understanding salvation." What she means is that the first four books - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - give different perspectives on Jesus. They each cast him in a different light, so to speak. So which one is he? Could he not be all of them and the books are still pointing to different facets of who he is? This chapter, in particular, really felt like Bird was building a case for the commonality of Jesus rather than the Jesus that came to be a savior. It felt very pointed toward Jesus was just a dude who happened to say and do a lot of good things and some people decided to write about him and oh yeah, they leaned on Old Testament scriptures to make it sound like he was something special and unique. My hackles may or may not have gone up. *grin*
Second in popularity, and controversy, to Jesus is the Apostle Paul. So the author spends chapter 10 on Paul. While she similarly talks about Paul the way she does Jesus, in a diminishing way, she also makes some interesting points about his mission and its differences from the mission of the disciples.
Ah, it's the end of the world as we know it - and we've come the the end of the world countless times yet we are all still here. Bird takes chapter 11 to go through Revelation - the apocalypse, the final days of this world as we know it. This is another chapter in which the potential for raised hackles is pretty high. Mine were not raised but so much of evangelical America has built their faith on the book of Revelation that I know this chapter would raise the hackles of many.
And then where do we go from here? Where do we go with the questioning of the word of God? Does the questioning of the word of God make the writings more meaningful not less? For me? For you? In the final paragraphs of this book the author says this, "My ultimate intention has been to have you look at where you have placed your faith. Is it on the words in the Bible or on the God the Bible points to?" But I take issue with that end goal. She just took the reader through 11 chapters of questioning the Bible that points to God. The Holy Bible is the resource we have been given to get to know the God we say we believe in. If we call it into question then ultimately we are also calling into question the reality of God.
One final comment on the title. In an effort, I presume, to be chatty and down to earth about this questioning of the Bible the author employs the use of "hmmmm" quite a bit. And by quite a bit I mean it appears in frequency the further into the book we get. It really got on my nerves after a while. One or two instances of it are fine, I use it myself from time to time. But it's frequency in the pages detracted not attracted.
October 2, 2020
Have you ever felt like you can't seek answers to the many questions you have about the Bible?" I have, but when I ask these questions at church or home, I always get the same answers. "Read the Bible, everything you need to know is right there." I first realized that I could ask these burning questions and seek new insight as I took a Religious Studies class for my undergraduate degree. Since the first day of Introduction to the New Testament, I have asked what had previously been taboo questions and found some answers. At the same time, I feel unsure, can I ask these questions out loud? Jennifer Bird, a professor, writer, speaker, and mother, with a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Vanderbilt University, gives women and even men approval to ask these hard questions and more, in her book "Permission Granted: Take the Bible into Your Own Hands."
As a reader, I approach Bird's book from the perspective of someone with a general layperson's knowledge of the Bible and a beginning scholarly interest. I find Bird's argument that everyone should have permission to ask questions concerning their faith and understanding of context, validity, and perspective of the Bible very refreshing (11).
Reading the first few chapters, I thought, I have asked these same questions for most of my life, but I have was told, "Read your Bible; it has all of the answers." Many times, I have thought and even asked numerous of the questions Bird discusses in her book. As I read Bird's commentary, I am challenged by the idea someone has the same thoughts and questions I have had over the years. As I continue reading, Bird provides a fresh new outlook on my views of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelations, her chronological order of thoughts helps the reader paint a more accurate picture based on linear Biblical writing.
In chapter one, Bird elaborates on the terms inerrant and infallible and how each pertains to the Bible. The biblical text of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament have problems with the order and juxtaposing of scripture. Bird argues that the Bible is written from a male perspective. The Bible is a collection of writings with various motivations, genres, and voices. Each is creating another layer in the overall meaning behind the books of the Bible.
In Chapter 2, Bird distinguishes between myth, lie, and story. She further expands on the Bible as a collection by discussing different translations and various viewpoints from a man, woman, and child. Bird asks how each may be different, even going as far as to discuss different cultures and other creation stories. She states that stories make more sense when read with the definition or idea of myth in mind, the author's intended meaning can shine through.
Chapter 3 discusses the story of Adam and Eve, including how there are two versions in Genesis. Bird argues that the widely accepted version of Eve being the first human to sin has been so widely advertised that many Christians justify it as a cultural practice. Advertising has used Adam and Eve to sell sex, movies, and everything in between. But Bird asked the reader to read Genesis 3 with fresh eyes and without trying to jump to conclusions (26). Bird provides first a mythical, then a literal perspective, back to a mythical view. She closes the chapter with a little history of the early Church Fathers who influenced the sinful connotations that are still alive today.
Chapter 4 discusses many different types of sex, including marriage, divorce, adultery, homosexuality, and rape. Are women just property, to be sold, bought, and used? If a woman has raped, is that acceptable in the biblical context? What about in today's society? Is plural marriage something to be frowned upon, or was it proper? If a man's married brother dies, is it the brother's responsibility to marry or have sex with his sister-in-law as is the custom in Levirate marriages of the Hebrew Bible? Bird provides an alternative perspective on all of these questions, including going as far as to argue that the Bible was written by men for men. Different advantages and disadvantages are provided, laying claim to what a man's perspective and gain could be, and providing an argument form a woman's perspective. Not only does she discuss sex between man and woman, but sex between two people of the same sex. Bird recounts the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, of David's daughter, Tamar, and of an unnamed woman, all of whom were viscously raped and assaulted that were swept under the carpet (54). Once again, Bird gives the reader permission to ask the hard questions.
Chapter 5 further expands on issues concerning sex, violence, and procreation. Bird emphasizes the fact that just because there is violence depicted in the Bible does not mean that it is something God approves of it (55). The majority of people today have been exposed to visions of war, blood, hatred, and killing right from the comfort of our own homes. Bird provides a list of battle imagery, violence, and abuse. The Bible even contains child sacrifice, murder, and executions not often taken into account altogether. She closes the chapter with the notion that many people who read the Bible are unaware of just how much violence is within the sacred text they read regularly.
Chapter 6 provides insight and food for thought from how the Bible has changed over time, exaggeration, and cover-ups. Compare stories of what the information was trying to accomplish. King David is a man that many know. He is the young boy who Goliath or is he? Bird provides a chart with three different versions, from three other books of the Bible (79). She follows Goliath up with David and Bathsheba, and David and Tamar. Bird examines the text from a female perspective, questioning whether or not these women were raped or not. But these are not the only women Bird discusses in the chapter of cover-ups and editing. Mary Magdalene is often confused with another Mary's of the New Testament. Bird provides a chart to compare three different passages from three other books discussing women with whom Mary Magdalene is confused. Bird closes this chapter with the statement, "Seeing the Bible differently doesn't change who God is (93)."
Chapter 7 provides a broader perspective of women during biblical times. Bird offers a growing foundation of evidence that portrays women as unimportant in the Biblical rendition of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. She takes the reader through a few of the Bible's Matriarchs, providing examples of the abuse they suffered, often in submissive silence. However, Bird argues that women were essential to Jesus and his ministry. He included them in his travels how there were many around him as he spread the good news. She discusses how the genuine Pauline letters affirm that women were very much in leadership, while the disputed letters once again urge women to be silent. Bird challenges women to read the biblical text, ask questions of it, and understand all the harm to women over time.
In Chapter 8, Bird discusses the most well-known woman in the entire New Testament, Jesus' mother, the Virgin Mary. Bird gives an overview of when, where, and how the miraculous birth of Jesus came about. Bird further develops the idea of virgin birth with comparison, historical significance, the reason for the virgin birth, and the effects of the belief. The chapter closes with the virgin birth is complicated.
Chapter 9 delves into the idea of more than one version of Jesus in the Bible, and more than one understanding of salvation (131). Bird discusses biographies of then (more stories) and now (more details). Bird provides a list of need to know details, including background context relating to the timeline of different books and events. Bird provides parallels geologies of Jesus and Moses. She includes several charts contrasting and comparing the four gospels of Jesus to each other. After Bird walks the reader through all four gospels, she challenges the reader to take a closer look at their thoughts and beliefs surrounding Jesus.
Although Bird discusses Paul's epistles and preaching in chapter 7, chapter 10 further expands on Paul's larger picture as Bird juggles the idea of Paul being the creator of Christianity, the first Christian, or possibly not Christian at all. Bird starts with Paul's conversion moment; she provides different biblical texts from Luke and Paul himself. Bird provides another charter cover Models of Salvation (163), as she discusses Paul's Gospel and Good News of Jesus.
Chapter 11 discusses Judgement Day and beliefs of the Apocalypse, depicted in both the book of Daniel and the book of Revelations. Bird gives a brief overview of apocalyptic literature and its characteristics, including who the author is and the book's reasoning. Apocalyptic symbols captivate many people as they seek to unravel a great mystery, but Bird argues that Revelation's story is not something that will happen. She discusses the 144,000, the woman and the dragon, the beast, including the number of the beast, the Lamb and 144,00, the whore of Babylon, even Heaven on earth in Revelations 21-22. Finally, providing the reader with a profound thought, why do we need to wait on God to the right the world's wrongs, when we can work together to create peace (185).
The final chapter in Permission Granted asked the big question of "Now What?" Should the reader continue reading the Bible as a literal text, a myth, a story? What about asking questions? Bird intends that the reader will approach the Bible from a critical thought perspective and not just take someone else's word for it. Ask questions, seek understanding; there are unlimited perspectives, and yours is one of those.
As a whole argument, Bird lays the foundation for women's rights and permission for anyone to question the morals, reality, and consequences of not asking the tough questions. I agree that God's original intentions were to bring together the many different, unique people and spread throughout the world, no matter their sexual identity, color, ethnicity, or even sins. Bird brings up thoughts and questions that are relevant to the twenty-first century. I much appreciated the many tables and parallels to various biblical verses the Bird provided the reader; I was able to look at several verses at one to understand what she was trying to point out.
Not only does Bird provide visuals, but she offered a sense of knowing how the reader feels, which offers reassurance. Bird's use of everyday language and an open mind provided me a sense of security as I read chapters three through eight, especially those discussed more openly about sex, rape, and violence. As a young child, I was taught that sex is a taboo subject; it was just not discussed and especially not in public. As an adult in my late forties, I have been more open to discussing sex more openly; my children, who are both millennials, have no issue discussing sex in public. Bird has provided mothers, fathers, and other influential people with the power to discuss this with younger people, talk about the hard stuff, and answer questions our children and grandchildren have. We are permitted to look at the Bible from all perspectives.
As a reader, I approach Bird's book from the perspective of someone with a general layperson's knowledge of the Bible and a beginning scholarly interest. I find Bird's argument that everyone should have permission to ask questions concerning their faith and understanding of context, validity, and perspective of the Bible very refreshing (11).
Reading the first few chapters, I thought, I have asked these same questions for most of my life, but I have was told, "Read your Bible; it has all of the answers." Many times, I have thought and even asked numerous of the questions Bird discusses in her book. As I read Bird's commentary, I am challenged by the idea someone has the same thoughts and questions I have had over the years. As I continue reading, Bird provides a fresh new outlook on my views of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelations, her chronological order of thoughts helps the reader paint a more accurate picture based on linear Biblical writing.
In chapter one, Bird elaborates on the terms inerrant and infallible and how each pertains to the Bible. The biblical text of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament have problems with the order and juxtaposing of scripture. Bird argues that the Bible is written from a male perspective. The Bible is a collection of writings with various motivations, genres, and voices. Each is creating another layer in the overall meaning behind the books of the Bible.
In Chapter 2, Bird distinguishes between myth, lie, and story. She further expands on the Bible as a collection by discussing different translations and various viewpoints from a man, woman, and child. Bird asks how each may be different, even going as far as to discuss different cultures and other creation stories. She states that stories make more sense when read with the definition or idea of myth in mind, the author's intended meaning can shine through.
Chapter 3 discusses the story of Adam and Eve, including how there are two versions in Genesis. Bird argues that the widely accepted version of Eve being the first human to sin has been so widely advertised that many Christians justify it as a cultural practice. Advertising has used Adam and Eve to sell sex, movies, and everything in between. But Bird asked the reader to read Genesis 3 with fresh eyes and without trying to jump to conclusions (26). Bird provides first a mythical, then a literal perspective, back to a mythical view. She closes the chapter with a little history of the early Church Fathers who influenced the sinful connotations that are still alive today.
Chapter 4 discusses many different types of sex, including marriage, divorce, adultery, homosexuality, and rape. Are women just property, to be sold, bought, and used? If a woman has raped, is that acceptable in the biblical context? What about in today's society? Is plural marriage something to be frowned upon, or was it proper? If a man's married brother dies, is it the brother's responsibility to marry or have sex with his sister-in-law as is the custom in Levirate marriages of the Hebrew Bible? Bird provides an alternative perspective on all of these questions, including going as far as to argue that the Bible was written by men for men. Different advantages and disadvantages are provided, laying claim to what a man's perspective and gain could be, and providing an argument form a woman's perspective. Not only does she discuss sex between man and woman, but sex between two people of the same sex. Bird recounts the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, of David's daughter, Tamar, and of an unnamed woman, all of whom were viscously raped and assaulted that were swept under the carpet (54). Once again, Bird gives the reader permission to ask the hard questions.
Chapter 5 further expands on issues concerning sex, violence, and procreation. Bird emphasizes the fact that just because there is violence depicted in the Bible does not mean that it is something God approves of it (55). The majority of people today have been exposed to visions of war, blood, hatred, and killing right from the comfort of our own homes. Bird provides a list of battle imagery, violence, and abuse. The Bible even contains child sacrifice, murder, and executions not often taken into account altogether. She closes the chapter with the notion that many people who read the Bible are unaware of just how much violence is within the sacred text they read regularly.
Chapter 6 provides insight and food for thought from how the Bible has changed over time, exaggeration, and cover-ups. Compare stories of what the information was trying to accomplish. King David is a man that many know. He is the young boy who Goliath or is he? Bird provides a chart with three different versions, from three other books of the Bible (79). She follows Goliath up with David and Bathsheba, and David and Tamar. Bird examines the text from a female perspective, questioning whether or not these women were raped or not. But these are not the only women Bird discusses in the chapter of cover-ups and editing. Mary Magdalene is often confused with another Mary's of the New Testament. Bird provides a chart to compare three different passages from three other books discussing women with whom Mary Magdalene is confused. Bird closes this chapter with the statement, "Seeing the Bible differently doesn't change who God is (93)."
Chapter 7 provides a broader perspective of women during biblical times. Bird offers a growing foundation of evidence that portrays women as unimportant in the Biblical rendition of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. She takes the reader through a few of the Bible's Matriarchs, providing examples of the abuse they suffered, often in submissive silence. However, Bird argues that women were essential to Jesus and his ministry. He included them in his travels how there were many around him as he spread the good news. She discusses how the genuine Pauline letters affirm that women were very much in leadership, while the disputed letters once again urge women to be silent. Bird challenges women to read the biblical text, ask questions of it, and understand all the harm to women over time.
In Chapter 8, Bird discusses the most well-known woman in the entire New Testament, Jesus' mother, the Virgin Mary. Bird gives an overview of when, where, and how the miraculous birth of Jesus came about. Bird further develops the idea of virgin birth with comparison, historical significance, the reason for the virgin birth, and the effects of the belief. The chapter closes with the virgin birth is complicated.
Chapter 9 delves into the idea of more than one version of Jesus in the Bible, and more than one understanding of salvation (131). Bird discusses biographies of then (more stories) and now (more details). Bird provides a list of need to know details, including background context relating to the timeline of different books and events. Bird provides parallels geologies of Jesus and Moses. She includes several charts contrasting and comparing the four gospels of Jesus to each other. After Bird walks the reader through all four gospels, she challenges the reader to take a closer look at their thoughts and beliefs surrounding Jesus.
Although Bird discusses Paul's epistles and preaching in chapter 7, chapter 10 further expands on Paul's larger picture as Bird juggles the idea of Paul being the creator of Christianity, the first Christian, or possibly not Christian at all. Bird starts with Paul's conversion moment; she provides different biblical texts from Luke and Paul himself. Bird provides another charter cover Models of Salvation (163), as she discusses Paul's Gospel and Good News of Jesus.
Chapter 11 discusses Judgement Day and beliefs of the Apocalypse, depicted in both the book of Daniel and the book of Revelations. Bird gives a brief overview of apocalyptic literature and its characteristics, including who the author is and the book's reasoning. Apocalyptic symbols captivate many people as they seek to unravel a great mystery, but Bird argues that Revelation's story is not something that will happen. She discusses the 144,000, the woman and the dragon, the beast, including the number of the beast, the Lamb and 144,00, the whore of Babylon, even Heaven on earth in Revelations 21-22. Finally, providing the reader with a profound thought, why do we need to wait on God to the right the world's wrongs, when we can work together to create peace (185).
The final chapter in Permission Granted asked the big question of "Now What?" Should the reader continue reading the Bible as a literal text, a myth, a story? What about asking questions? Bird intends that the reader will approach the Bible from a critical thought perspective and not just take someone else's word for it. Ask questions, seek understanding; there are unlimited perspectives, and yours is one of those.
As a whole argument, Bird lays the foundation for women's rights and permission for anyone to question the morals, reality, and consequences of not asking the tough questions. I agree that God's original intentions were to bring together the many different, unique people and spread throughout the world, no matter their sexual identity, color, ethnicity, or even sins. Bird brings up thoughts and questions that are relevant to the twenty-first century. I much appreciated the many tables and parallels to various biblical verses the Bird provided the reader; I was able to look at several verses at one to understand what she was trying to point out.
Not only does Bird provide visuals, but she offered a sense of knowing how the reader feels, which offers reassurance. Bird's use of everyday language and an open mind provided me a sense of security as I read chapters three through eight, especially those discussed more openly about sex, rape, and violence. As a young child, I was taught that sex is a taboo subject; it was just not discussed and especially not in public. As an adult in my late forties, I have been more open to discussing sex more openly; my children, who are both millennials, have no issue discussing sex in public. Bird has provided mothers, fathers, and other influential people with the power to discuss this with younger people, talk about the hard stuff, and answer questions our children and grandchildren have. We are permitted to look at the Bible from all perspectives.
May 13, 2015
Wow! Incredibly thought-provoking! Part workbook, part study guide, with lots of open-ended questions. What do you think you know about the Bible? This book invites the readers to answer this question by reading and thinking for themselves. Not for everyone, probably, but definitely food for thought for those unafraid of using the brains God gave them.
June 17, 2022
Właściwie to zacząłem czytać "Did God Really Command Genocide?" Paula Copana, Matta Flannagana, ale jest to lektura niezbyt przyjemna, więc dla rozrywki sięgnąłem po lubiącą się popisywać w internecie Jennifer Bird. Pani Bird odkrył moc transmisji kursów online jeszcze przed Covidem, porzucając dla nich (?) karierę uniwersytecką. Zresztą, jak sobie pokpiwam, zerkając "w tle" na różne wykłady, nagrania ekspertów biblijnych, zerkając kto za sobą ma złotą menorę, a kto portret mistrza (akademickiego), tak muszę przyznać, że pani Bird jest, jeśli chodzi o komunikację, po prostu dobra. (Pani Bird ma dobrze przemyślane, neutralne tło.)
No dobrze, ale ja o pani Bird, a tu miejsce na relację z książki. Zaś książka jest do polecenia, tak ogólnie, choć szczególnie, to trzeba powiedzieć co, jak i dla kogo.
Z tym ostatnim pytaniem jest najtrudniej. Pani Bird adresuje swoje nauczanie do chrześcijan głównie, choć dobrze się jej rozmawia też z ateistami.
Może podpowiedzią "dla kogo" jest też co. Bo książka ma zachęcać do samodzielnej lektury Biblii (jak sam tytuł wskazuje), odkrywania tego co zawiera, a czego nie widzimy, głównie ze względu na świętoszkowatą edukację religijną. Czyli nie jest to spojrzenie dla wszystkich.
Metoda pani Bird, to opisanie jakiegoś fragmentu (wyjątkowo chętnie jeśli dotyczy on życia małżeńskiego, seksu, czy genderu) i zadanie pytania, jak widzi to czytelnik. Czasem z dwoma odpowiedziami. Przykład: "wdowi grosz". Bo tradycyjnie w słowach Jezusa widzimy pochwałę ofiarności owej wdowy. A jeśli to komentarz do niesprawiedliwego prawa podatkowego, zamiast zachęty do oddawania wszystkiego "na Kościół"?
To, na ile jest to lektura odkrywcza, zależy od tego co się już wie, bo pani Bird raczej nawiązuje do dyskutowanych tez i nurtów, niż cokolwiek odkrywa. Nie stara się też wprowadzić do całej Biblii, zreferować, zaoferować jakąś teologiczną interpretacje. Chce tylko zachęcić do czytania świeżym okiem. Dlatego to lektura przyjemna, dla odpoczynku od dyskusji o ludobójstwie.
No dobrze, ale ja o pani Bird, a tu miejsce na relację z książki. Zaś książka jest do polecenia, tak ogólnie, choć szczególnie, to trzeba powiedzieć co, jak i dla kogo.
Z tym ostatnim pytaniem jest najtrudniej. Pani Bird adresuje swoje nauczanie do chrześcijan głównie, choć dobrze się jej rozmawia też z ateistami.
Może podpowiedzią "dla kogo" jest też co. Bo książka ma zachęcać do samodzielnej lektury Biblii (jak sam tytuł wskazuje), odkrywania tego co zawiera, a czego nie widzimy, głównie ze względu na świętoszkowatą edukację religijną. Czyli nie jest to spojrzenie dla wszystkich.
Metoda pani Bird, to opisanie jakiegoś fragmentu (wyjątkowo chętnie jeśli dotyczy on życia małżeńskiego, seksu, czy genderu) i zadanie pytania, jak widzi to czytelnik. Czasem z dwoma odpowiedziami. Przykład: "wdowi grosz". Bo tradycyjnie w słowach Jezusa widzimy pochwałę ofiarności owej wdowy. A jeśli to komentarz do niesprawiedliwego prawa podatkowego, zamiast zachęty do oddawania wszystkiego "na Kościół"?
To, na ile jest to lektura odkrywcza, zależy od tego co się już wie, bo pani Bird raczej nawiązuje do dyskutowanych tez i nurtów, niż cokolwiek odkrywa. Nie stara się też wprowadzić do całej Biblii, zreferować, zaoferować jakąś teologiczną interpretacje. Chce tylko zachęcić do czytania świeżym okiem. Dlatego to lektura przyjemna, dla odpoczynku od dyskusji o ludobójstwie.
February 7, 2023
The level of enjoyment for books on biblical studies relies heavily on the season of life of the reader. I can pick up a depressing novel during a joyous and celebratory season of life, but a good novel is a good novel. I may not always be in the mood to read something depressing when I am in a good mood, but my enjoyment of the novel itself does not necessarily rely on a thorough deconstruction process or worldview. What I am saying is that if I opened Permission Granted in August of 2021 when I started seminary, or anytime post-undergraduate school, it would have been significantly less likely that I focus on the parts of the book that I think are poorly written. I would not have found the book as surface-level as I do now because so many of the concepts Bird presents here would have been brand new to my Timothy Keller-inclined ears. I would not think, as I do now, that Bird tries to cover too much ground and would have been better served to focus on three or four topics she presents so as to provide deeper analysis.
Permission Granted has helpful passages, primarily regarding the Bible and its interpreters’ treatment of women inside and outside of the scriptures. However, Bird’s unwillingness to critically engage with inerrancy, infallibility, or her own privilege renders a lot of her arguments surface level at best and moot at worst. I think there is a place for Permission Granted. Not everyone has to be where I am at. But I would HIGHLY recommend reading this alongside womanist or liberation theologians that are willing to engage what Bird misses.
Permission Granted has helpful passages, primarily regarding the Bible and its interpreters’ treatment of women inside and outside of the scriptures. However, Bird’s unwillingness to critically engage with inerrancy, infallibility, or her own privilege renders a lot of her arguments surface level at best and moot at worst. I think there is a place for Permission Granted. Not everyone has to be where I am at. But I would HIGHLY recommend reading this alongside womanist or liberation theologians that are willing to engage what Bird misses.
December 8, 2017
A text for a Brite Divinity Spring class, "Interpreting the Hebrew Bible" - From the Publisher: Millions of people around the world look to the Bible as a source of encouragement and faith formation, a reminder that God is love and is in control, and a guide to living one's life the way God desires. But this treasured book has also been misused and manipulated by many, placed on a pedestal of untouchability, and protected from questioning and honest engagement. In 'Permission Granted', Jennifer Grace Bird encourages people of faith to explore the texts on their own, freed from long-held myths and misconceptions.
October 25, 2024
I found this book incredibly helpful. The intent of the author isn’t to cause you to disbelieve the Bible but some may come to that conclusion. If you are struggling with the complete inerrancy of the Bible and reconciling what you feel in your heart to be right and what the Bible says, you will find this book helpful. It gave me an entirely different perspective.
March 2, 2023
An absolutely fantastic book!
October 13, 2024
A thought-provoking book that challenges traditional views of the Bible on all fronts, but in a kind and engaging way. It’s not about being dogmatic regarding alternative views of the Bible, but rather an invitation to think critically. However, the author does not conceal her own emotions. It becomes very clear that she has personally wrestled with (and still is being triggered by) many Bible passages. She presents so many theological alternatives that one might feel in the end there is nothing left of the traditional Christian faith. Although this book may be hard to swallow for fundamentalist Christians, I strongly recommend it to them. Not to convince them per se, but to encourage them to think critically, because in my experience, critical thinking is oftentimes taboo in these circles.
May 31, 2015
This is one of those books that you're not sure what to make of it. It covers a topic of interest to me -- as a preacher I am interested in how we read the Bible. The author, Jennifer Bird, reminds us that the Bible is a complicated book that is not itself God nor is it a fount of inerrant information about God. When read with care it can point us to God, but there is much in the Bible, if read literally, can prove harmful. With that I'm in agreement. My concern is that the overarching emphasis of the book is on the dangerous parts and we see little that contributes to a mature and gracious faith. Perhaps this is a book for an audience that needs, as the title suggests, permission to ask serious questions about the Bible.
The author is a bible scholar who it appears grew up in a rather narrow fundamentalist Christian community that required a very literalistic reading of Scripture. At some point in life, as she began to do scholarly study of Scripture she was confronted by its humanness and this proved disconcerting. In this book she shares why this discovery was so challenging to her life and faith. It seems that she has emerged with faith intact, though deeply changed. My concern is that some readers could end up unable to come out with faith.
Having finished Harvey Cox's equally liberal reading of the Bible -- How to Read the Bible -- it is interesting to compare the way they share their understandings. Bird has a rather snarky demeanor, whereas Cox is more demure and affable. Both offer a vision of the Bible as fully human, with significant problems to be dealt with, but you're more likely come out with a positive view of the Bible from Cox than from Bird. But maybe that's the point. They write to two different audiences.
Bird covers the two creation stories, the story of the Garden, the place of sex in the Bible (it's good to be reminded that while the topic is often taboo it is present in the Bible and we might be surprised by what is said). There is a chapter on violence in scripture -- and there's plenty of that as well. We are shown how biblical writers cover up certain issues and edit their stories (we run into characters such as Samson, David, Job, Mary Magdalene and more). There is a chapter on women and calls for submission, though she notes that Paul is actually fairly progressive and the the more severe views come later in letters that are disputed (Ephesians and 1 Timothy). She takes up the issue of Mary's status as virgin and what that means. There's a chapter as well that discusses the various portraits of Jesus and asks whether Paul was the first Christian. She's of the opinion that Paul was and remained a Jew and that never was a Christian. The question is what does this term apply to. Finally, there's a chapter on judgment and apocalyptic literature.
If you have some background in biblical studies (as most preachers would), much of this isn't new. For some it might be new and even upsetting. My concern is how the book is used. It's helpful that there are study questions at the end of each chapter, and this might be a good book to read with a group that is struggling with what to do with the Bible. Maybe they've been led to believe that it is a perfect and divine book, that one dare not question. Bird gives the reader permission to ask those questions. But, it's not the final book to be read (and that's true of Cox's book as well).
The author is a bible scholar who it appears grew up in a rather narrow fundamentalist Christian community that required a very literalistic reading of Scripture. At some point in life, as she began to do scholarly study of Scripture she was confronted by its humanness and this proved disconcerting. In this book she shares why this discovery was so challenging to her life and faith. It seems that she has emerged with faith intact, though deeply changed. My concern is that some readers could end up unable to come out with faith.
Having finished Harvey Cox's equally liberal reading of the Bible -- How to Read the Bible -- it is interesting to compare the way they share their understandings. Bird has a rather snarky demeanor, whereas Cox is more demure and affable. Both offer a vision of the Bible as fully human, with significant problems to be dealt with, but you're more likely come out with a positive view of the Bible from Cox than from Bird. But maybe that's the point. They write to two different audiences.
Bird covers the two creation stories, the story of the Garden, the place of sex in the Bible (it's good to be reminded that while the topic is often taboo it is present in the Bible and we might be surprised by what is said). There is a chapter on violence in scripture -- and there's plenty of that as well. We are shown how biblical writers cover up certain issues and edit their stories (we run into characters such as Samson, David, Job, Mary Magdalene and more). There is a chapter on women and calls for submission, though she notes that Paul is actually fairly progressive and the the more severe views come later in letters that are disputed (Ephesians and 1 Timothy). She takes up the issue of Mary's status as virgin and what that means. There's a chapter as well that discusses the various portraits of Jesus and asks whether Paul was the first Christian. She's of the opinion that Paul was and remained a Jew and that never was a Christian. The question is what does this term apply to. Finally, there's a chapter on judgment and apocalyptic literature.
If you have some background in biblical studies (as most preachers would), much of this isn't new. For some it might be new and even upsetting. My concern is how the book is used. It's helpful that there are study questions at the end of each chapter, and this might be a good book to read with a group that is struggling with what to do with the Bible. Maybe they've been led to believe that it is a perfect and divine book, that one dare not question. Bird gives the reader permission to ask those questions. But, it's not the final book to be read (and that's true of Cox's book as well).
June 18, 2015
I really wanted to like this. Before I review, I'm going to give a very short idea of where I'm coming from compared to religion. Two years ago I considered myself an atheist. There are way too many things in the world that I cannot explain with just science so I decided atheism was not the way for me. Agnostic is what I've professed for quite some time. Recently, last Sunday to be exact, I was baptized in a Christian church. They call it a First Century church. I've been curious about the bible and the stories in it, but more importantly about Jesus's message, my entire life. I believe in love and Jesus was the epitome of love.
Now, for this book... I do not think that Jennifer Grace Bird has any negative thoughts in her mind, really, but as a new Christian much of this threw me off and actually led me away from wanting to be a christian. One reason for being a christian is to be a loving, helpful person, to help others and by the grace of God to do work that helps others but praises him. In this book I got none of that.
I did really enjoy the beginning. So much so that I was wishing I had a print copy. I wanted to highlight and write in the book and make copious notes! And then we got to portions of the bible, which yes are a bit more negative. Jennifer wound up putting a spin onto it so much that I did not understand what exactly to even believe. As I said above, I am a very new Christian and although I realize there are some things in the bible that I do not like, there are also things in life that I do not like. I'm not trying to be naive about how they used to treat women (and in some countries still do), I am just saying that although this is chock full of information I constantly questioned where Jennifer was trying to go with this.
If I remember correctly (I set this down some time ago) she professes to be a christian. I think she does this in multiple places. One thing that my pastor tells his congregation is that you should never, never have to tell someone you are a christian. You should be so loving that it emanates from your being. Now, I get that not at all times can we be like this. Life can be very hard but that is what we are striving to be like, Christ-like. That said, Jennifer Grace Bird's rendition here on how to take the bible does not seem to be in a loving mind. I cannot get passed many of the ideas of how we are supposed to just disregard much of what is in the bible. That is not what the bible is for. Yes, we live in an age where we are 2,000 years in the future from Christ but we can be Christ-like without disregarding the entire bible.
Maybe I am coming from the wrong place for this. It seems that it was written for Christians that know where she is coming from, which obviously I do not. I think it is important to note that I really do not believe that she has any hostile intentions but each person reading this would have to determine for themselves how much of what she says they do or do not want to believe. As with everything put it up against the bible and see where it stands. I just do not think I am quite ready for that.
Recommended to those that are secure and understand Christianity already. Would not recommend to new Christians.
Now, for this book... I do not think that Jennifer Grace Bird has any negative thoughts in her mind, really, but as a new Christian much of this threw me off and actually led me away from wanting to be a christian. One reason for being a christian is to be a loving, helpful person, to help others and by the grace of God to do work that helps others but praises him. In this book I got none of that.
I did really enjoy the beginning. So much so that I was wishing I had a print copy. I wanted to highlight and write in the book and make copious notes! And then we got to portions of the bible, which yes are a bit more negative. Jennifer wound up putting a spin onto it so much that I did not understand what exactly to even believe. As I said above, I am a very new Christian and although I realize there are some things in the bible that I do not like, there are also things in life that I do not like. I'm not trying to be naive about how they used to treat women (and in some countries still do), I am just saying that although this is chock full of information I constantly questioned where Jennifer was trying to go with this.
If I remember correctly (I set this down some time ago) she professes to be a christian. I think she does this in multiple places. One thing that my pastor tells his congregation is that you should never, never have to tell someone you are a christian. You should be so loving that it emanates from your being. Now, I get that not at all times can we be like this. Life can be very hard but that is what we are striving to be like, Christ-like. That said, Jennifer Grace Bird's rendition here on how to take the bible does not seem to be in a loving mind. I cannot get passed many of the ideas of how we are supposed to just disregard much of what is in the bible. That is not what the bible is for. Yes, we live in an age where we are 2,000 years in the future from Christ but we can be Christ-like without disregarding the entire bible.
Maybe I am coming from the wrong place for this. It seems that it was written for Christians that know where she is coming from, which obviously I do not. I think it is important to note that I really do not believe that she has any hostile intentions but each person reading this would have to determine for themselves how much of what she says they do or do not want to believe. As with everything put it up against the bible and see where it stands. I just do not think I am quite ready for that.
Recommended to those that are secure and understand Christianity already. Would not recommend to new Christians.
June 26, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was truly looking forward to this book. I thought, “Wow, a book that gives me the power to make the Bible my own, to be able to question and examine, and think for myself!” When I started it, I was in love with the book.
And then I started delving deeper into the verses that she quoted, especially one that she quoted multiple times, in fact used for one of her sections. Her section says: 1. What scripture does 1Timothy 3:16 refer to? 1 Timothy 3:16 says, “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”
What verse she is really referring to is 2 Timothy 3:16, which is “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” I would be totally nit-picking if this only happened once, and I would look like a fool, but she has done it 6 times in the book.
I loved the fact that she used people like Bart Ehrman and Rachel Held Evans, but she’s nowhere near their caliber. It only seems as if she copies what they are saying, then says it at a slightly different angle, to create a book out of it.
There are much better authors to read than this one if you really want to start chewing on the Bible’s words and making it your own.
I was truly looking forward to this book. I thought, “Wow, a book that gives me the power to make the Bible my own, to be able to question and examine, and think for myself!” When I started it, I was in love with the book.
And then I started delving deeper into the verses that she quoted, especially one that she quoted multiple times, in fact used for one of her sections. Her section says: 1. What scripture does 1Timothy 3:16 refer to? 1 Timothy 3:16 says, “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”
What verse she is really referring to is 2 Timothy 3:16, which is “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” I would be totally nit-picking if this only happened once, and I would look like a fool, but she has done it 6 times in the book.
I loved the fact that she used people like Bart Ehrman and Rachel Held Evans, but she’s nowhere near their caliber. It only seems as if she copies what they are saying, then says it at a slightly different angle, to create a book out of it.
There are much better authors to read than this one if you really want to start chewing on the Bible’s words and making it your own.
April 25, 2015
SPOILER ALERTS
This book was an odd mix for me. It seemed to me that it was written for folks just venturing into a deeper Bible knowledge and yet I would not recommend it for a baby Christian. On the other hand it was too obvious for a Christian that has a Biblical or theological education.
1. I would not put this into the hands of someone new to their faith in the process of finding firm ground. This book would probably give them earthquakes and sometimes questioning things like the virgin birth is better left for someone with a longer maturity.
2. Even though it was not mentioned in the book I got a sense of a Jesus Seminar type of approach. Maybe I have been out of seminary long enough that I am not aware that theological tendencies are shifting, but this is what I saw in much of the book. I went to Fuller Theological Seminary where we dealt with the "received text". I am understanding more now what that means. I am certainly walking more deeply in the Christian Feminist way of looking at and interpreting Scripture, and that is different both from the Jesus Seminar AND from dealing with the received text.
3. The book was written in quite a casual manner and that can be fine. In this case it happened to bother me.
This book was an odd mix for me. It seemed to me that it was written for folks just venturing into a deeper Bible knowledge and yet I would not recommend it for a baby Christian. On the other hand it was too obvious for a Christian that has a Biblical or theological education.
1. I would not put this into the hands of someone new to their faith in the process of finding firm ground. This book would probably give them earthquakes and sometimes questioning things like the virgin birth is better left for someone with a longer maturity.
2. Even though it was not mentioned in the book I got a sense of a Jesus Seminar type of approach. Maybe I have been out of seminary long enough that I am not aware that theological tendencies are shifting, but this is what I saw in much of the book. I went to Fuller Theological Seminary where we dealt with the "received text". I am understanding more now what that means. I am certainly walking more deeply in the Christian Feminist way of looking at and interpreting Scripture, and that is different both from the Jesus Seminar AND from dealing with the received text.
3. The book was written in quite a casual manner and that can be fine. In this case it happened to bother me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2023
I wrote an entire book review on this one for class, so I’ll keep it brief here. There is not a single cited source in this entire book- not a footnote to be seen. That’s fine if you’re writing a memoir or something- this book is not that. It represents many of my least favorite things about my seminary and deconstruction journeys thus far— Bird presents theological stances (some pretty far-out) as uncontested fact (again, with no sources… so why would I believe her?) and makes use of shock value and patronization of her readers to get her points across. There’s a lot of “can you believe people believe ____?? How stupid can you possibly be?” With the blank being a very widely-held, for many, foundational belief about something theological. I wouldn’t give this book to anyone teetering with their faith, on a deconstruction journey, or just starting to believe. In short, would not recommend.
January 22, 2016
So objective and educational. Invites believers to look at what they know and learn to see differently without jeopardizing their faith.
March 26, 2016
a preliminary dissection. cuts to the white meat and helps illuminate some of what's really going on.
June 25, 2016
Not based on scripture as written.
October 2, 2023
I wish I had read this book years ago!
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