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This Dangerous Book: How the Bible Has Shaped Our World and Why It Still Matters Today
From Steve and Jackie Green, founders and curators of the Museum of the Bible--a fascinating exploration of the history, authenticity, and power of the Bible, the book that has changed people and nations throughout the centuries. It is the top selling book in history. It brings social upheaval, international arguments, and political controversy. It has been used to justify both love and war. And for generations, it has found its way into the hearts of millions, offering comfort, direction, and life-changing truths. How could one book have such power? In This Dangerous Book, Steve and Jackie Green explore the incredible history and impact of the Bible. As the founders and visionaries of the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C., the Greens have a unique perspective on the Bible's journey--from its ancient beginnings, to its effect on the moral fiber of nations, to its transformative influence in individual hearts. The Greens share the challenges they have faced in acquiring biblical artifacts from around the world and why generations--in every time period and in every geographical location--have risked their lives to preserve this precious book. Exploring ancient tablets, medieval commentaries, and modern translations, This Dangerous Book offers fascinating insight into the miracles and martyrdoms that have led to the Scriptures we read today. The Greens explore how cutting-edge technology gives new insight into the authenticity of the Bible, including the work of fifty scholars who recently uncovered hidden details about thirteen unpublished Dead Sea Scroll fragments. This Dangerous Book also looks at the link between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, what we can learn from how the Bible was passed down to us, and why God's Word is foundational to America's past and crucial for its future. The Bible is a world-changer and a heart-changer. Whether you have read the Bible for years or are simply curious about its influence, This Dangerous Book could change your heart as well.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published November 7, 2017
52 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 15, 2020
I have no idea what this book is trying to say. It has no focus. I assumed, based on the title, it was a book about the historical impact of the Bible, but it quickly became obvious that it wasn’t going to be that. I was left flailing after any sort of connection between chapters or even sections and paragraphs. Perhaps, it’s going to be the history and discovery of various ancient manuscripts. No… Okay, it’s going to be an overview of the Bible’s message. No… Maybe it was going to be a biography of the founders of the museum? No… Maybe it’s going to be a defense of Biblical living? But no, it’s not that either, but some of all the above all mixed randomly together. The biographical and historical bits don’t follow an identifiable chronological order. The message bits are so interrupted by random historical or biographical tidbits that I completely lost track of what they were trying to teach. It was all just confusing and frustrating.
I quickly realized that the non-biographical parts aren’t scholarly work or even popular history quality. Actually, I found parts of it lazy even for a popular history. Repeatedly they reference scholars or theologians believing this or that, but they don’t even include names for these scholars or theologians let alone footnotes or references for any of these points. There isn’t much about the museum itself, but this same slap dash approach seems to apply to its contents as well. It contains everything from a sixteenth-century BC cuneiform tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, ninth-century parchments, sixteenth-century Ethiopian art, and a Thomas Jefferson letter, to Johnny Cash’s Bible. At least as presented here there isn’t a clear focus to that either.
Ninty-nine percent of everything I know about the Bible Museum I learned in this book. As mentioned above, it’s not good at explaining anything, but from what I gathered, I do have some concerns. I had heard that sharing the message of the Bible, the Gospel, was not the point of the museum. Here they briefly explain that proselytizing is not their goal; instead, they just want to interest people in the Bible. They are clear that they love the Bible and try to live their lives in obedience to its commands. But as presented here they have opted to present the importance of the Bible’s influence on politics and culture, but downplay the eternal message of Salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. They also don’t appear to address the Protestant doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture for faith and practice. Perhaps because they want this to be an ecumenical project. They gladly partnered with the Vatican to present their collection when it was a traveling exhibit. The eternal importance to every Soul of coming to saving faith in Christ as our only sacrifice for sin is completely missing. By stripping it of its redeeming, regenerating message, they have reduced the Bible to merely another book of philosophy. It was heartbreaking.
I might be interested in seeing some of the artifacts in the Museum, but I would not recommend this book.
One more point that confused me, there are Bible maps in the back of this book. They are good maps as far a Bible maps go, but I have no idea why they are included.
I quickly realized that the non-biographical parts aren’t scholarly work or even popular history quality. Actually, I found parts of it lazy even for a popular history. Repeatedly they reference scholars or theologians believing this or that, but they don’t even include names for these scholars or theologians let alone footnotes or references for any of these points. There isn’t much about the museum itself, but this same slap dash approach seems to apply to its contents as well. It contains everything from a sixteenth-century BC cuneiform tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, ninth-century parchments, sixteenth-century Ethiopian art, and a Thomas Jefferson letter, to Johnny Cash’s Bible. At least as presented here there isn’t a clear focus to that either.
Ninty-nine percent of everything I know about the Bible Museum I learned in this book. As mentioned above, it’s not good at explaining anything, but from what I gathered, I do have some concerns. I had heard that sharing the message of the Bible, the Gospel, was not the point of the museum. Here they briefly explain that proselytizing is not their goal; instead, they just want to interest people in the Bible. They are clear that they love the Bible and try to live their lives in obedience to its commands. But as presented here they have opted to present the importance of the Bible’s influence on politics and culture, but downplay the eternal message of Salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. They also don’t appear to address the Protestant doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture for faith and practice. Perhaps because they want this to be an ecumenical project. They gladly partnered with the Vatican to present their collection when it was a traveling exhibit. The eternal importance to every Soul of coming to saving faith in Christ as our only sacrifice for sin is completely missing. By stripping it of its redeeming, regenerating message, they have reduced the Bible to merely another book of philosophy. It was heartbreaking.
I might be interested in seeing some of the artifacts in the Museum, but I would not recommend this book.
One more point that confused me, there are Bible maps in the back of this book. They are good maps as far a Bible maps go, but I have no idea why they are included.
May 12, 2018
Overall, an enjoyable and simple read. A good introduction to the history and influence of the greatest book the world has ever known.
Part Biblical history, part personal memoirs, and part advertisement for the Museum of the Bible. If you’re not familiar with how we got the Bible in its present form, this is a good primer that will cause you to explore the topic further.
The Green’s are not Bible historians or scholars; the don’t claim to be. Rather, they are ordinary folks who grew up with a great appreciation for the Scripture, and have sought to incorporate their faith into every area of their lives - from home to the marketplace.
Part Biblical history, part personal memoirs, and part advertisement for the Museum of the Bible. If you’re not familiar with how we got the Bible in its present form, this is a good primer that will cause you to explore the topic further.
The Green’s are not Bible historians or scholars; the don’t claim to be. Rather, they are ordinary folks who grew up with a great appreciation for the Scripture, and have sought to incorporate their faith into every area of their lives - from home to the marketplace.
August 25, 2018
The book is mostly about the journey the Green family took as they began collecting Bible and Bible artifacts for what would become the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D. C. With chapters on where and how they found some of the items in their collection, the history and importance of the Bible, both for our country (USA) and the entire world, determining the location of the museum, and even a segment on their adoption of a child from China, the Greens share this journey with us. The book includes color photos, endnotes, index and several very nice color maps of Bible Lands Throughout History as well as a Foreword by Rick Warren.
June 25, 2020
2020 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book with a book on the cover.
March 1, 2021
I cannot tell a lie - this is just a bad book. Even giving it some Christian grace won't change that. The Green's set out to write about...something about the Bible, but what exactly that is is never really made clear. There are chapters that start to get at the history of the Bible, but only do so in the most general possible terms. There are chapters that start to tell the story of the founding of the Museum of the Bible, but then offer little to no details about this actual process and so there's no drama there. There are chapters that start to make apologetic arguments, but then don't really follow through on them or make any substantiated claims that gets into the science or the history. There are chapters that provide bits of testimony from the Greens, but then don't connect any of that back to the larger scope or argument of the book. I suppose all of this makes sense though, because there really isn't any larger argument to the book. It's ultimately just a disconnected series of vignettes that are kind of about the Bible, kind of about faith, kind of about Christianity, but ultimately end up just as poorly written little stories that don't add up to anything. I really tried to give this book a fair shake, I swear, but I ended up in a spot where I truly believe that the book's main value is as an example of how not to write a book. This book will do nothing for non-Christians interested in looking at or learning about the Bible, and it fools Christians into thinking that it'll offer anything of substance when it actually does nothing of the sort.
February 8, 2020
Definitely worth checking out! I enjoyed this.
I enjoyed this book. I believe page 221 in the book describe the summary best. I loved learning about the museum, seeing some of the artifacts. I enjoyed reading about the history of the Bible and the brush up on some history that I’ve forgotten. I enjoyed reading about details on older books that next to the Bible, shaped Christianity in our schools, nation and even Protestantism. I also liked the personal ties the authors (s) included about how the Bible set their foundation in this life, has helped them, shaped them and guided them in every aspect. I also enjoyed some of their stories and I feel the plot line was put together well, so that all this information was cohesive and not jumbled. I am a Christian, however they don’t evangelize to the reader. I feel this book can be respected among anyone, as they look at the cultural influence and history of the Bible. They just want you to see the Bible as a huge part of our history, a wealth of information. Not once do they force the reader to take their side. I enjoyed this book, and all the information given to the reader. I can’t wait to visit this museum!
I enjoyed this book. I believe page 221 in the book describe the summary best. I loved learning about the museum, seeing some of the artifacts. I enjoyed reading about the history of the Bible and the brush up on some history that I’ve forgotten. I enjoyed reading about details on older books that next to the Bible, shaped Christianity in our schools, nation and even Protestantism. I also liked the personal ties the authors (s) included about how the Bible set their foundation in this life, has helped them, shaped them and guided them in every aspect. I also enjoyed some of their stories and I feel the plot line was put together well, so that all this information was cohesive and not jumbled. I am a Christian, however they don’t evangelize to the reader. I feel this book can be respected among anyone, as they look at the cultural influence and history of the Bible. They just want you to see the Bible as a huge part of our history, a wealth of information. Not once do they force the reader to take their side. I enjoyed this book, and all the information given to the reader. I can’t wait to visit this museum!
October 1, 2020
Steve and Jackie Green's collection of ancient Bible manuscripts became a traveling exhibit and then a museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. They describe reasons for their love of the Bible and its history. The title stems from the fact that many countries have laws against the Bible and severely punish those who own Bibles. People in our country should be curious to know why governments are afraid of the Bible. So the Greens encourage people to cherish the freedom to read the Bible, to know the value of reading the Bible, and to preserve the Bible for future generations.
March 27, 2018
The marketing presents this book as something of an academic text, perhaps a history of responses to the Bible, or of how it has influenced culture.
Don't be fooled -- this is not an academic text, it is a 100% "here's why you should live MY brand of christianity" text and nothing more than that.
Of zero interest to the non-zealot reader.
Don't be fooled -- this is not an academic text, it is a 100% "here's why you should live MY brand of christianity" text and nothing more than that.
Of zero interest to the non-zealot reader.
January 13, 2018
Fascinating read! I enjoyed learning about the Greens’ pursuit of historical artifacts and how that turned into the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. I learned plenty about the Bible that I hadn’t known, and came away with a deeper appreciation for it and a desire to learn more.
December 20, 2018
The Green's tell their personal journey with the Bible that led to the launching of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC, as well as the impact the Bible has had on cultures across time. Great book.
February 15, 2018
I was very thankful to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am terribly sorry this review is so late though! However, there will be a giveaway coming soon! It'll be for a copy of this book. I hope y'all are as excited as I am! :)
Just a bit of a disclaimer: if y'all couldn't tell this is somewhat of a religious book. If you aren't Christian or you aren't interested in other religions or even this one then don't read this review. It's a book about the Bible and Christianity. Obviously if that will make you upset just stay away because I don't want any negative people in my comment section! Thank you! <3
Where do I start? This is my problem every time I write a review haha. I guess I'll start with why I gave this book three and a half stars out of five. I felt that in the beginning this book started of kind of dull, slow, and boring for me. It got a little better, but then towards the end it started to lose me again. I'm not to great with history and this book just started throwing all these historical facts at me and it became a lot to take in. If that makes sense. However, I loved reading their (the authors') own experiences and I really wish they had more personal stories to share! It would have made the book more personal and just better to me. I understand that the book is about the Bible and not their personal lives though, but I would have liked to hear some more personal things to connect more.
There were some really good points made in this book about history and the Bible and how much it has a role in our lives. I didn't realize how big the Bible really is around the world and even in America. It's amazing to me to see how much it's impacted us and how big of a role it's played in people's lives and continues to play that role today.
Following the principles of this book requires commitment, and sometimes it is risky.
I am a Christian if you didn't know and I love my Bible. I read it every day and it's a very important part of my life. I think it's amazing to learn about it and just how much the Bible has gone through, good and bad. It's great to see Steve and Jackie's journey as they find a lot of cool artifacts. I also love the pictures included of these artifacts! They're so interesting and it's just crazy to see the beauty of something that is so old. It's crazy to think about how long it's survived and just what it's been through. I would love to visit their museum one day! :)
Many books in my library are now behind me and beneath me. They were good in their way once, and so were the clothes I wore when I was ten years old; but I have outgrown them. Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years. ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I found this book very interesting as they told their story of how the came to start a museum and how the Bible impacted their lives. Like I said before I wish there was more about them and how the book affeted them, but what can ya do?
Overall I enjoyed this book and learning about the history of the Bible. If you are a Christian I recommend this book because it's very amazing! It helps to teach you more about the book you rely so much on. It's very inspiring in a way. If you're just someone who's curious of things and like history then I suggest you give this book a try! :)
Just a bit of a disclaimer: if y'all couldn't tell this is somewhat of a religious book. If you aren't Christian or you aren't interested in other religions or even this one then don't read this review. It's a book about the Bible and Christianity. Obviously if that will make you upset just stay away because I don't want any negative people in my comment section! Thank you! <3
Where do I start? This is my problem every time I write a review haha. I guess I'll start with why I gave this book three and a half stars out of five. I felt that in the beginning this book started of kind of dull, slow, and boring for me. It got a little better, but then towards the end it started to lose me again. I'm not to great with history and this book just started throwing all these historical facts at me and it became a lot to take in. If that makes sense. However, I loved reading their (the authors') own experiences and I really wish they had more personal stories to share! It would have made the book more personal and just better to me. I understand that the book is about the Bible and not their personal lives though, but I would have liked to hear some more personal things to connect more.
There were some really good points made in this book about history and the Bible and how much it has a role in our lives. I didn't realize how big the Bible really is around the world and even in America. It's amazing to me to see how much it's impacted us and how big of a role it's played in people's lives and continues to play that role today.
Following the principles of this book requires commitment, and sometimes it is risky.
I am a Christian if you didn't know and I love my Bible. I read it every day and it's a very important part of my life. I think it's amazing to learn about it and just how much the Bible has gone through, good and bad. It's great to see Steve and Jackie's journey as they find a lot of cool artifacts. I also love the pictures included of these artifacts! They're so interesting and it's just crazy to see the beauty of something that is so old. It's crazy to think about how long it's survived and just what it's been through. I would love to visit their museum one day! :)
Many books in my library are now behind me and beneath me. They were good in their way once, and so were the clothes I wore when I was ten years old; but I have outgrown them. Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years. ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I found this book very interesting as they told their story of how the came to start a museum and how the Bible impacted their lives. Like I said before I wish there was more about them and how the book affeted them, but what can ya do?
Overall I enjoyed this book and learning about the history of the Bible. If you are a Christian I recommend this book because it's very amazing! It helps to teach you more about the book you rely so much on. It's very inspiring in a way. If you're just someone who's curious of things and like history then I suggest you give this book a try! :)
September 4, 2023
This book was no all that dangerous, minus about just one part of a chapter concerning old world persecution. I think that it was also written from the outside in. There were at least two chapters explaining (apologizing as to?) why they wrote the book at all. The middle was about family dynamics. It seemed only a bit forth coming. I don't typically appreciate the sentimental approaches, but they (author/co-author wife) held back more than it seemed that they wanted. Well I learned a few new things here and there and it was a free ebook from the Libby app.. The title really has little to do with the book.
January 31, 2021
This book’s content was quite a bit different than I anticipated based on the description. Overall, it was lacking organization and a coherent train of thought. There were some pieces of truth throughout, but the content was all over the place.
January 23, 2018
So dry.
April 8, 2018
I was really anxious to read this book. It was fantastic in sections, mediocre in others, and I was confused why a few sections where even included.
July 10, 2018
I learned dozens of things that I did not know about the Bible. Steve and Jackie have done us a wonderful service by opening the Museum of the Bible.
January 7, 2019
Easy read, good observations, and even some new knowledge for longtime Christians. Worth your 11$ at Hobby Lobby.
Want to read
November 28, 2019Ashley West - 11/28/19
June 19, 2021
A very enjoyable read!
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November 15, 2023The Green's are the founders of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews