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What Do We Do with the Bible?
Does this ancient, sometimes violent and contradictory text have anything to teach us today? Selective use of Scripture – by preachers and politicians alike – has been employed to justify violence, racism, misogyny, homophobia . . . the list goes on. Still, we believe the Bible has something important to say. How can we read it in a contemplative and intelligent way?
In What do we do with the Bible?, Richard Rohr answers just this question. He offers a methodology of hermeneutics (interpretation) that creates a foundation for a hopeful and cosmic vision – incarnation from beginning to end of time. (He explores this vision further in The Universal Christ). In particular, Father Richard focuses on Jesus’ own method of using his Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus read between the lines to find and follow God’s mercy, inclusion, and compassionate justice. For him, everything came down to relationship and transformation.
In What do we do with the Bible?, Richard Rohr answers just this question. He offers a methodology of hermeneutics (interpretation) that creates a foundation for a hopeful and cosmic vision – incarnation from beginning to end of time. (He explores this vision further in The Universal Christ). In particular, Father Richard focuses on Jesus’ own method of using his Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus read between the lines to find and follow God’s mercy, inclusion, and compassionate justice. For him, everything came down to relationship and transformation.
96 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2019
23 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Richard Rohr
248 books2,351 followersFr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.
Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).
Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.
Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).
Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 22, 2022
I can't remember when I first read this book (per Mom's advice) but probably in 2018 and I continue to re-read it regularly. Main points: approach scripture with an open heart and mind; note how Jesus used scripture (selectively & sharply focused on the themes he wanted to emphasize such as love & mercy); try reading from a contemplative stance (allow Spirit into the process); and don't be overly literal - be literary (a rich, juicy, and healthy practice). Brilliant, succinct, and empowering - a compassionate and necessary counterbalance to the tendency to weaponize the Bible and Christianity.
August 12, 2019
Classic Rohr. By which I mean a few good nuggets hidden amongst some confused and occasionally genuinely bizarre/false ideas.
It’s always amusing to review a book that shares it’s title with that of a recent blog post – but unfortunately in this case I’m incredibly glad I was given a review copy of What Do We Do with the Bible? by Richard Rohr, as I’m very glad I didn’t waste my money on this frustrating book. Simply put, if you want to think honestly and carefully about how to read the Bible today, this book is not for you. Doubtless, because it has Rohr’s name on it it will sell like hot cakes on a cold day, but it is actually incredibly flawed.
Full review here: https://www.thomascreedy.co.uk/book-r...
It’s always amusing to review a book that shares it’s title with that of a recent blog post – but unfortunately in this case I’m incredibly glad I was given a review copy of What Do We Do with the Bible? by Richard Rohr, as I’m very glad I didn’t waste my money on this frustrating book. Simply put, if you want to think honestly and carefully about how to read the Bible today, this book is not for you. Doubtless, because it has Rohr’s name on it it will sell like hot cakes on a cold day, but it is actually incredibly flawed.
Full review here: https://www.thomascreedy.co.uk/book-r...
June 4, 2021
In this short book, Rohr succinctly outlines his approach to reading & interpreting the Bible - an approach that maintains both intellectual integrity and humility.
Among the numerous books and vast libraries of scholarship surrounding this central question, “What do we do with the Bible?” is a concise, digestible gem of a book. It’s a great guide and resource that I know I will reference for years to come.
Among the numerous books and vast libraries of scholarship surrounding this central question, “What do we do with the Bible?” is a concise, digestible gem of a book. It’s a great guide and resource that I know I will reference for years to come.
July 26, 2024
Picked up this little gem at a garage sale. Here are a few takeaways…
“Our bandwidth of spiritual access to the Bible was, consequently, severely narrowed, it seems to me - and, as many would say, to the least spiritually helpful level.” - speaking to Literalism
“We decided we could indeed serve both God and Mammon; never mind what Jesus said.”
T.S. Eliot - “The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
“Excessive God talk and quoting of Scripture are the best cover possible for a narcissistic personality. In fact, sometimes it seems to me that the churches that go on and on about “the greatness of God” - in both their sermons and their music- are often filled with the very groups and individuals that most want that greatness for themselves.”
“The corruption of the best is always the worst.
Only people who do not need to be powerful can handle spiritual power.
Only love can be entrusted with the truth.”
“Our bandwidth of spiritual access to the Bible was, consequently, severely narrowed, it seems to me - and, as many would say, to the least spiritually helpful level.” - speaking to Literalism
“We decided we could indeed serve both God and Mammon; never mind what Jesus said.”
T.S. Eliot - “The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”
“Excessive God talk and quoting of Scripture are the best cover possible for a narcissistic personality. In fact, sometimes it seems to me that the churches that go on and on about “the greatness of God” - in both their sermons and their music- are often filled with the very groups and individuals that most want that greatness for themselves.”
“The corruption of the best is always the worst.
Only people who do not need to be powerful can handle spiritual power.
Only love can be entrusted with the truth.”
December 20, 2021
Quick listen--nothing new if you've heard Rohr before, but a good reminder about not taking things literally.
March 18, 2019
This is a good and short book about how to handle scripture. Richard Rohr points to how scripture can and is used in an abusive way and challenges the reader with a new way to read the Bible.
May 29, 2023
Just a good help. I gonna read more from the autor.
January 28, 2025
I wish this book was longer!! (but also glad it wasn’t since I waited until the day-of to read for small group.) Religion is so darn complex!!!!
September 13, 2019
Short answer: Certainly not interpret it through the lens of Rohr.
Longer:
Rohr's mysticism influences his reasoning and communication, leading him to lean into the apophatic mystery of it all rather than clearly detailing what can be known about the divinely-inspired writing of the Bible. One thing that I did appreciate was his emphasis late in the book of the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide scriptural interpretation, approaching Bible-reading through prayer and submission to the Spirit, in order to mitigate personal bias from maligning the reading of the text. This is a valuable thing to keep in mind for spiritual reading. However, he fails to mention the importance of bringing that personal reading into the context of the church body of fellow believers, where the effect of numerous people sharing their interpretations has the quality of peer-review in dismantling any shallow, or incorrect reading of Scripture. Obviously this functional, oversimplified view does not fully convey the riches of corporate reading of the Word.
Rohr’s organization, as tends to be the case with writings of mysticism, relies more on a loose emotional relation between ideas than on a logically structured argument. The downside of this style is that he has a tendency to overgeneralize, often reducing the complexity of what he is discussing to such a degree that it fails grasp the true ramifications of the situation, undermining his capacity to critique it in any sort of meaningful way. Occasionally it causes him to entirely misrepresent the topic of discussion. A marked example of this is present in a statement he makes about the Gospels: “Literalism was discredited from the beginning of the New Testament through the inclusion of four Gospel accounts of the same Jesus event, which hardly ever totally agree“. Rather than recognizing that the overlap of four witness accounts lends validity to the historical life of Christ, he sidesteps the argument altogether with an offhanded statement that is never fleshed out.
The failure to support his claims with outside research and his proclivity toward overgeneralization leave his flow of argument deeply flawed. Worse ,several of the points he makes appear out of touch with Christian teaching. At one point, he says that to be completely whole is to be holy. Holiness has to do with being separate, usually from corrupting influences of sin or evil, but the basic idea has to do with separation, not completion.
In several other places, Rohr establishes that any reading that leaves the reader with a sense of exclusivity is incorrect. Yet, the Bible is far too rife with images of separation for this to be the case. Jehovah in the Old Testament makes several covenants with individuals, each of them clearly exclusive in nature. Noah and his family are called to be the sole survivors of a global disaster. Abraham (and his nephew Lot) are called to leave their people at the command of the LORD. The Hebrew nation is similarly told to be distinct from among the peoples, the physical mark of circumcision to be a lifetime reminder that they are different. Jesus himself is too complicated to fit within Rohr’s presentation of him, saying things like:
“No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, oft-quoted in christian circles, the fact that Rohr does not mention it is strange)
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Mathew 10:34-37)
Overall, I’m not sure whether Rohr is sincere in his argumentation. He very well may be and his muddled penchant for virtue-signaling and lack of strong argumentation may arise from a personal inability to communicate cogently. Or he may be intentionally sporadic to conceal the logical incongruities permeating his thought. Regardless the book bears deep flaws, in both structure and content - possibly the most deep-set of the lot being present in the statement that the Bible is not inspired differently than anything else, at odds with Scripture which consistently (especially in Isaiah and the other prophets) draws distinctions between the Word of God and lesser forms of revelation.
Longer:
Rohr's mysticism influences his reasoning and communication, leading him to lean into the apophatic mystery of it all rather than clearly detailing what can be known about the divinely-inspired writing of the Bible. One thing that I did appreciate was his emphasis late in the book of the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide scriptural interpretation, approaching Bible-reading through prayer and submission to the Spirit, in order to mitigate personal bias from maligning the reading of the text. This is a valuable thing to keep in mind for spiritual reading. However, he fails to mention the importance of bringing that personal reading into the context of the church body of fellow believers, where the effect of numerous people sharing their interpretations has the quality of peer-review in dismantling any shallow, or incorrect reading of Scripture. Obviously this functional, oversimplified view does not fully convey the riches of corporate reading of the Word.
Rohr’s organization, as tends to be the case with writings of mysticism, relies more on a loose emotional relation between ideas than on a logically structured argument. The downside of this style is that he has a tendency to overgeneralize, often reducing the complexity of what he is discussing to such a degree that it fails grasp the true ramifications of the situation, undermining his capacity to critique it in any sort of meaningful way. Occasionally it causes him to entirely misrepresent the topic of discussion. A marked example of this is present in a statement he makes about the Gospels: “Literalism was discredited from the beginning of the New Testament through the inclusion of four Gospel accounts of the same Jesus event, which hardly ever totally agree“. Rather than recognizing that the overlap of four witness accounts lends validity to the historical life of Christ, he sidesteps the argument altogether with an offhanded statement that is never fleshed out.
The failure to support his claims with outside research and his proclivity toward overgeneralization leave his flow of argument deeply flawed. Worse ,several of the points he makes appear out of touch with Christian teaching. At one point, he says that to be completely whole is to be holy. Holiness has to do with being separate, usually from corrupting influences of sin or evil, but the basic idea has to do with separation, not completion.
In several other places, Rohr establishes that any reading that leaves the reader with a sense of exclusivity is incorrect. Yet, the Bible is far too rife with images of separation for this to be the case. Jehovah in the Old Testament makes several covenants with individuals, each of them clearly exclusive in nature. Noah and his family are called to be the sole survivors of a global disaster. Abraham (and his nephew Lot) are called to leave their people at the command of the LORD. The Hebrew nation is similarly told to be distinct from among the peoples, the physical mark of circumcision to be a lifetime reminder that they are different. Jesus himself is too complicated to fit within Rohr’s presentation of him, saying things like:
“No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, oft-quoted in christian circles, the fact that Rohr does not mention it is strange)
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Mathew 10:34-37)
Overall, I’m not sure whether Rohr is sincere in his argumentation. He very well may be and his muddled penchant for virtue-signaling and lack of strong argumentation may arise from a personal inability to communicate cogently. Or he may be intentionally sporadic to conceal the logical incongruities permeating his thought. Regardless the book bears deep flaws, in both structure and content - possibly the most deep-set of the lot being present in the statement that the Bible is not inspired differently than anything else, at odds with Scripture which consistently (especially in Isaiah and the other prophets) draws distinctions between the Word of God and lesser forms of revelation.
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June 4, 2024I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK.
If anyone were to ask what my heart looks like when it comes to spirituality, Christianity, religion, and (interestingly and by extension) my native Mormonism, I’d direct them to this book. This is the kind of disciple I want to be, and the kind of Christianity and humanism I want to practice. God bless Richard Rohr. He addresses so much complexity and nuance with integrity and clarity. Bonus that it is also a really quick read.
If anyone were to ask what my heart looks like when it comes to spirituality, Christianity, religion, and (interestingly and by extension) my native Mormonism, I’d direct them to this book. This is the kind of disciple I want to be, and the kind of Christianity and humanism I want to practice. God bless Richard Rohr. He addresses so much complexity and nuance with integrity and clarity. Bonus that it is also a really quick read.
March 7, 2025
Short little treatise worth a read if you’re trying to sort out a biblical hermeneutical method. As usual, Richard Rohr writes in an accessible and friendly way, some might say somewhat casual. But his points are clear. This isn’t a scholarly work, it’s more pastoral in tone and purpose. The chapter on the “Jesus hermeneutic” is the meat here. An interpretation of the Bible that puts the Word of God (Jesus) as the arbiter of the “words of God” as written by various men over millennia is what Richard Rohr advocates for. He also encourages us to find where we are in the stories of the Bible, rather than reading it solely for literal and historical purposes. What matters isn’t so much whether we believe X happened in Y and Z ways at such and such time and place, but that the story speaks to us of some part of God’s unfolding story in the universe and throughout the ages. And interpreting those stories in a context that is based on how did Jesus use the scriptures and what did he do in his life is a more solid basis than proof texting our preconceived beliefs.
December 23, 2025
This is a very short, but very important book. Learning to read the Bible in the right way is rarely taught, especially in Church. As Richard Rohr clearly states, it is a mistake to read it as historically accurate facts or as God's unchanging word. He encourages us to read it in the way Jesus did too. Not using it to confirm our own preconceived ideas, but looking for the spiritual message underlying what is actually written. He encourages us first to pray or meditate, then to read the text, and then to sit quietly and meditate on it, listening for a deeper and truer voice than our own. We should then consider the fruit of the way in which we interpret what we have read. If that fruit is as listed in Galatians 5:22-23, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, truthfulness, gentleness and self-control" then we have interpreted it correctly.
November 3, 2023
A simple and quick read. I appreciate that Richard Rhor’s writing is accessible for most folks and that this book gets right to the point. It’s a simple construct of let’s change the way we read scripture. The Bible is a complex text which has been used in quite evil ways. I appreciate the conceptual framework he lays out in this book. These are idea encouraged by most higher education programs for theology that Richard makes into a short book for the average reader of the Bible.
October 25, 2020
“Let’s use the Bible the way Jesus did!” I think that might be my favorite line of this short but rich book. I’ve often struggled with understanding scripture and I think this book does a great job of helping understand why that is. Highly recommend this to shed light on how to develop your own hermeneutic.
November 5, 2020
Affirming and Eye Opening
I have said a lot of these things before and gotten absolutely roasted for them!! I was a comfort to the soul to read them and be assured that maybe im not so much of a heretic as I have been labelled!! The last chapter was particularly good.
If you feel tired of people weaponizing the Bible I would encourage you to read this 100%!!
I have said a lot of these things before and gotten absolutely roasted for them!! I was a comfort to the soul to read them and be assured that maybe im not so much of a heretic as I have been labelled!! The last chapter was particularly good.
If you feel tired of people weaponizing the Bible I would encourage you to read this 100%!!
January 4, 2021
Short and sweet. If you’re overly attached and preoccupied with rightness you’re probably not going to enjoy it or get much from it. If you’re open to being confronted with your own religious contradictions and being offended in order to take an honest look or even just a different perspective on your own heart you might like it.
January 20, 2022
A short, quick read that will challenge your preconceived ideas about Scripture and what it means to claim Jesus as the Christ. The section on understanding your assumptions and hermeneutic is worthwhile, and the section on how Christ interacted with Scripture is vital to think through even if you don’t agree with Rohr’s conclusions.
October 1, 2022
Rohr gibt in seinem kleinen Büchlein einige hilfreiche Ratschläge, wie die Bibel (nicht) zu lesen ist. Es geht weniger um exegetische Hinweise, die Bibel zu lesen. Vielmehr betont er eine spirituelle Lesart, die eine Veränderung zu mehr Gottesebenbildlichkeit im Fokus hat. Es ist ein inspirierendes kleines Buch.
December 15, 2023
I think that his theological explanations went waaaay over my head, because it often seemed as if he was contradicting himself (or the Bible). I did come away with a few interesting gems, but as a whole, I would need someone to explain the content to me, which surely, defeats the object of the text?
June 14, 2021
Concise, compassionate and insightful. The Jesus hermeneutic sounds so easy, but Rohr carefully points out all the possible pitfalls we must bear in mind. Especially appreciated the suggested steps for interpreting Scripture.
March 25, 2025
I purchased this book, not knowing exactly what I was getting. I found the title, interesting and compelling. As it turned out, this was a very, very interesting read I recommend it. The final chapter entitled Jesus Hermeneutic was outstanding.
January 18, 2019
A succinct introduction in how to properly treat the Bible by a pure spirit.
February 5, 2019
The insights on the Jesus Hermeneutic — using the Bible as Jesus did — was especially helpful! 😊
July 25, 2019
Already love Richard Rohr but there’s something especially great about how succinct this book is.
November 8, 2019
Concise and most perfect for the opening sessions for bible study opens us the questions of why we need to study scripture and understand what was going on at the time the scriptures were written
January 19, 2020
Outstanding, little book.
January 19, 2020
quick and thought-provoking
March 2, 2020
A curious take on the Bible that is a joy to read.
January 11, 2021
Loved this and love Richard Rohr. Such a great, succinct read on reading the Bible through a lens of wisdom, rather than literally.
January 16, 2021
A quick little read with Richard Rohr's take on how to use the bible to enhance your faith journey.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews