God's Book: An Honest Look at the Bible's 7 Toughest Topics

by Andrew Ollerton

Does the Bible condone warfare and slavery?
Isn't the New Testament's teaching on sex outdated?
Surely there's not a literal heaven and hell?

These are just some of the questions that popular Bible teacher Andrew Ollerton asks as he helps us navigate the most challenging topics in the Bible.

God's Book follows the biblical plotline from Genesis to Revelation and reveals how to make sense of difficult passages by considering them in their original setting. When we understand the creation story in its ancient context, we won't need to choose between science or the Bible. When we appreciate that the conquest of Canaan was a unique moment in history, these passages won't justify violence today.

The Bible's 7 toughest topics
Science versus Creation
Slavery and Old Testament laws
Warfare and violence
Suffering
Miracles and exorcisms
Sex
Heaven, hell and judgement

Andrew concludes each chapter with a letter to a young adult, giving practical advice on each topic. God's Book is for anyone who is spiritually curious and wants to make sense of the Bible, and for Christians who want to share their faith more confidently in today's culture.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published October 2, 2025

Reviews

[Jon Håversen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Godt jobbet!

Gøy å lese ferdig denne boken, som Andrew skrev mens vi delte rom på en konferanse i Tessaloniki. Svært mange hjelpsomme måter å imøtegå ulike innvendinger til bibelen, mange nyttige nyanser og en svært praktisk bok. Jeg synes den er svært håpefull, og får frem både sannheten og skjønnheten i det kristne budskapet. Den er teologisk robust og har en solid vinge til det sjelesørgriske. Spesielt kapitlet på himmel/helvete var godt. En god bok som anbefales - spesielt om du er litt ny til apologetikk/teologi.

[Frank Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mostly an excellent book. The author has sought to accomplish his purpose (see the book title) in a way that would be accessible to largest book reading audience. In that he succeeds very well. I believe he uses an ideal mix of intellectual and emotional arguments and has largely sourced the best material for his answers. I would recommend this book to most people, but sadly only those who don’t know any Physics. Why? For the author (and apparently his reviewers) completely messed up one aspect of Physics. He writes on page 25 “Carbon atoms were generated when supernovae exploded under intense heat”, which is entirely wrong. Carbon is produced through a process that is far more interesting, beautiful and one that points to a creator (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-...). With this exception (which for this Physicist is unacceptable), the book was excellent.

[Lydia Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good introduction to some incredibly complex biblical topics. Very accessible and easy to read. Didn’t pretend to be anything but a starting point, but naturally I felt unsatisfied by the simplicity...would be great to have a more detailed book on each topic with this accessible style of writing. Will definitely recommend this!

[Cazi3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative start to understanding the bible

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me a lot to think about. It didn’t really make me change my mind about anything, but it did give me some good talking points when discussing with others and I simply had to take notes on a few chapters so I don’t forget about them. The most important thing when reading the Bible is to not get hung up on the small stuff and let the Holy Spirit work through it and into your heart. You’ll take away the most important parts that God wants you to know. That being said though, the Bible is indeed the greatest book in the world and I do love learning more and more about it. Context is everything and that’s why books like this are helpful.

[Jane Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting concept - examining the issues raised by the Bible that cause people the most concern and, let's face it, for believers, are the most difficult to witness about when challenged by skeptics.

The author takes the seven toughest topics in the Bible and unpacks them. Whilst it is an easy read in the sense that the narrative flows well and the author is good at explaining things, the topics are tough and I very much felt that this book would be better suited to a group study than being read as an individual; then one could discuss things, argue points and hear the opinions of others.

There could be a short video presentation to set the scene and a series of pointer questions for discussion after reading / studying the next topic. Just a thought and probably one that is already being put into action.

It is a hard book to review; yes, I enjoyed it but it wasn't a book which I rushed to pick up or looked forward to my next session of reading, but I did come away with a greater understanding of some of the topics, a clearer perspective.

[Jim Holscher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important tool to have in your tool kit. These questions are the ones I sometimes dread. This is because they are question everyone has asked that are soul deep. Don't expect easy answers here. Expect well thought out biblical exegesis is very easy to follow.
5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the great folks over at Tyndale House Publishing for the digital ARC of this work that comes out June 22, 2026.

For a more in depth review watch it on Reading It Runs in the Family wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Peregine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that addresses 7 topics, rather than questions about the Bible. It isn't so much an apologetic, but rather an educational tool for believers. It covers some broad topics and contains in text citations, so that even those that disagree with the ideas can see where they are coming from. The writing style is nice and informative and it contains quotations from people as diverse as Joe Rogan to C.S. Lewis.

[Christine Ottaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful book for giving a broader picture on some of the Bible's most difficult topics.

I found the Creation chapters the most helpful and Revelation ones probably the least helpful.

However it is a very good to assist in grasping some of the wider themes that can challenge our Christian faith.

[Michael Hillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Ollerton looks at 7 "tricky" subjects on the Bible, to see how looking at the Bible gives us an idea of what God is saying about these subjects. He tries to give us the tools to look sensibly at a book (66 books) which were not originally written to us, but were written for us.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear answers to some of the most culturally challenging aspects of the Bible's narrative. I do not always agree with the approach that Ollerton takes at each point, but it's a valuable book to have on the shelf.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy writing style and well referenced. But these topics aren’t difficult without good reason so the book left me somewhat unsatisfied.

[Bethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great easily accessible book for adults on some tough and controversial topics in the bible. For me the book is a must alongside the small group series

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It’s put a lot of things into perspective and has helped me to understand the themes in the bible.

[Caitlin Russell-Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian books normally annoy me but this one is no nonsense. It doesn’t tell you what to think. It gives you the varying opinions and lets you decide. Sensitive but direct.

[Catherine Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!