Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible

by Michael F. Bird

Answers to the most common questions and misconceptions about the Bible

Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew about the Bible is a short and readable introduction to the Bible--its origins, interpretation, truthfulness, and authority.

Bible scholar, prolific author, and Anglican minister Michael Bird helps Christians understand seven important things about this unique


how the Bible was put together;
what inspiration means;
how the Bible is true;
why the Bible needs to be rooted in history;
why literal interpretation is not always the best interpretation;
how the Bible gives us knowledge, faith, love, and hope; and
how Jesus Christ is the center of the Bible.
Seven Things presents a clear and understandable evangelical account of the Bible's inspiration, canonization, significance, and relevance in a way that is irenic and compelling. It is a must read for any serious Bible reader who desires an informed and mature view of the Bible that will enrich their faith.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Faith, Religion

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2021

About the author

Dr. Michael Bird (Ph.D University of Queensland) is Lecturer in Theology at Ridley Melbourne College of Mission and Ministry. He is the author of several books including Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission (2006), The Saving Righteousness of God (2007), A Bird’s-Eye View of Paul (2008), Colossians and Philemon (2009), Crossing Over Sea and Land: Jewish Missionary Activity in the Second Temple Period (2009), and Are You the One Who is to Come? The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question (2009).

Reviews

[Josh Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, I’ve longed for a text to use with high-schoolers to introduce them to the Bible. Even if you’ve read the Bible your whole life, or perhaps especially if you’ve read the Bible your whole life, there’s certain things that you should know that you probably don’t. Just things you’ve taken for granted. Where did the Bible come from? How was it translated? How do we know we got the right books? What makes for a good translation?

Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible answers all those questions and more, engaging readers in a fun, informative, fast-paced, introductory overview to basic biblical studies. The seven things are, as follows:

1. The Bible Didn’t Just Fall Out of the Sky
2. The Bible is Divinely Given and Humanly Composed
3. Scripture is Normative, Not Negotiable
4. The Bible is for Our Time, but Not about Our Time
5. We Should Take the Bible Seriously, but not Always Literally
6. The Purpose of Scripture is Knowledge, Faith, Love, and Hope
7. Christ is the Centre of the Christian Bible

(Dr. Bird spells center as centre because he’s Australian and odd like that.) This is a palm-sized, 200-page book that manages to be both concise and thorough. Bird challenges evangelical/fundamentalist assumptions with grace and wit, leading readers into a contextually-informed reading of Scripture. My favorite chapter is the one on taking the Bible seriously, but not always literally. Wooden literalism can be a problem in evangelicalism. Bird pushes gently against that, reminding readers that if a text was meant to be symbolic, then the way to read it literally it to interpret it as symbolism.

Bird doesn’t dumb it down for his audience. He understands that this is an introductory text and so carefully defines and explains everything. The book never assumes the reader has established background knowledge in certain areas, but neither does it shy away from explaining things like the Apocrypha and critical texts. Seven Things respects the reader’s ability to learn and their capability take in new information, but is carefully to not be overwhelming.

Michael Bird’s wit and easy-going manner keep the material from coming across as dry academic musings. In a relevant and conversational tone, Bird shows how Scripture itself isn’t dry and outdated, but relevant and living. Important sentences and terms are bolded and italicized throughout, giving readers a visual cue of when something is especially important. Each chapter also ends with recommended reading of a more academic nature for those that really want to do a deep dive.

Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible is one of the most important and useful books I’ve seen in a long time. Buy it by the carton and hand it out to your church. Do a small group study over it. It’ll revolutionize the way you see Scripture and how you approach reading the Bible.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5☆) As the title suggests, Mike divides this book into seven chapters (plus an awesome appendix!), each giving an overview of a field of bible-related study that he wishes all Christians were at least basically acquainted with so that we would be better equipped to understand and responsibly use/apply our bibles. (p. xviii).

(The following titles are my own to clearly outline what each chapter is about. Mike's titles are more humorous and colloquial.)

1. The origin of the Bible.

Your Bible came from a publisher. The publisher printed a particular English translation. That translation was based on the efforts of a group of translators who worked with critical editions of the New Testament in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew and Aramaic. These critical editions are publications of the text of the Old and New Testament in their original languages using fonts and paragraphing to make them readable. Note "critical" here means "scholarly"; it is a scholarly effort to establish the Hebrew and Greek texts based on a study of the manuscripts and sources available. (p. 1-2).

In this chapter, Mike gives an overview of the content of both testaments (Torah, Prophets, Writings for OT; Gospels + Acts, Paul's letters and Catholic epistles + Revelation for NT). He also quickly surveys important forms of the OT (Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, Samaritan Pentateuch & Masoretic Text), discusses the issue of canon, the Apocrypha (both testaments), basic principles of textual criticism, important NT manuscripts and a brief history of the English bible. This chapter is probably the most overview-like as it aims to cover much ground in just 35 pages, so expect some loss of nuance.

2. Inspiration and Inerrancy

Mike's view on inspiration is "Inspiration as Conceptual Guidance", which basically means that God directs the personal thinking of the authors so that each thought in Scripture is inspired, not every syllable. Mike provides a short rebuttal of other prevailing views of inspiration, i.e. Inspiration as Divine Dictation, Inspiration as the Incarnation of Divine Ideas in Human Words, etc.

When discussing Inerrancy, Mike quickly distances himself from certain American evangelicals that elevate Inerrancy (often of a severely wooden kind) to the pinnacle of all conservative Christian litmus tests. Mike takes the time to nuance the discussion of inerrancy and claims that to not do so, "risk[s] making indefensible claims about Scripture". (p. 61). His primary point of nuance is that "God's revelation in Scripture is accommodated to the worldview and expectations of its original audience in matters of the way the physical world works, the understanding of history, notions of literary genres, and standards of truth telling." (p. 61).


3. Biblical Authority

This chapter discusses what precisely we mean when we say that the bible is our authority. For example, are the civic commands in the Torah still binding to Christians today?

Mike's basic contention is that of progressive revelation culminating in the teaching of the NT as inaugurated by Jesus. That God's divine words made things better in the OT, but that he was dealing with a messed up situation where the problems could not all be fixed instantaneously. This means that the Bible's mandates were not always working within an ideal situation, nor is every mandate itself universally ideal, but rather, situationally ideal. The Law is to be understood as scaffolding that is necessary to keep things temporarily in order, upright, and stable, pointing ahead to a future world. But when the future came, the scaffolding was no longer required. This is not to say that the Law is entirely redundant now (the analogy isn't perfect), but that it serves a different role. One of wisdom for Christian living, a prophetic witness to Christ, a consultant of sorts for ethics rather than a code per se.

4. Historical Background

Basically the importance of historical background knowledge. "Better knowledge of background makes for better application".

Mike applies this maxim to a concept and passage in the Bible: The Image of God and Paying Taxes to Caesar.

5. Basics of Hermeneutics

Always take the bible seriously, not literally! This is Mike's anthem throughout this chapter.

By seriously, Mike means with reference to: its language, historical contexts, genre, complexities, beauty, historical distance, cultural weirdness, storyline, how the NT uses the OT, historical church understanding, how to live obediently to it. This doesn't mean that the Bible should never be taken literally, but that biblical literalism shouldn't be the gold standard of biblical interpretation.

Perhaps my favourite quote in the book is found on pages 131 - 132:

Where does meaning reside: author, text, or reader? In my mind, interpretation-accessing what we call "meaning"-is about the fusion of all three horizons together. We take into account the intention of authors, the dynamics within texts, and the understanding of readers, and what we call "meaning" occurs in the fusion of all three. Ultimately, meaning is the web of connections we make with the world behind the text (the author's horizon), the world inside the text (the literary horizon), and the world we inhabit in front of the text (the reader's horizon). The more connections we make and the thicker those connections appear to be, the more preferable a particular meaning ascribed to the text becomes because it explains more of the features that surround our reading experience." (p. 131-132).

This has given me what seems to be a very clear and concrete way to think about the validity of an interpretation. It seems that we all do this intuitively when we seriously study a literary work (to the dismay of postmodernists). But it is great to have a concise description of an intuitive mental process that takes place when weighing the validity of an interpretation.

6. Purpose of Scripture

Mike titles this chapter: "Scripture is Knowledge, Faith, Love, and Hope".

The chapter is an overview of the Bible's teaching on its own purpose.

Mike quotes McKnight as follows, "Whereas the Pharisees taught a love for Torah, Jesus taught a Torah of love." (p. 162). This is a great way to think about Jesus' answer to the question, what is the greatest commandment? This same answer is echoed by all biblical authors.

As Mike approaches the close of this short book, he drops this line of wisdom and truth:

In my experience, people are less likely to remember your exegesis, your sermon, or your Bible study that they are to remember your love for them or lack of love toward them. Your demonstration of love is the greatest sermon you will ever preach and the most lasting sermon anyone will ever remember. (p. 164).

Mike's concluding discussion on hope was inspiring, and a fitting way to finish this penultimate chapter.

7. Christotelic Reading

The bible is about Jesus! Mike nuances this statement, but this review is already far too long, so I'll let you read the book to find out how.

Appendix: 5 most common OT texts quoted in the NT

A superb idea to end this book this way! Mike quickly interprets the most common OT texts that the NT authors quote and allude to. As he mentions, the early Christians preached the good news of Jesus the Messiah from the OT, not the new. This selection of texts demonstrate where the early Christians looked for prophetic proof of their message.

Minor (and perhaps pedantic) quibbles with the book:

Some nuances are flattened out and tensions are left unresolved (particularly in chapters 1 and 3). I guess this can't be totally avoided when a book functions as an overview.

[Kim Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, Mike Bird, I wish Christians knew these seven things as well.

This is great, accessible introduction to the Bible. Bird discusses how the Bible was put together, its context, and its purpose. He is a very well-read scholar as well as being witty and astute.

My favourite part of this book was his exhortation to avoid an over literal interpretation of the Bible, like The Left Behind books, for example. I also appreciated his reminder that the Bible is not supposed to be a science textbook or legal textbook, but is instead for the purpose of giving us knowledge about God.

I think this would be an excellent book for a Bible college or seminary introduction to the Bible. He also ends each chapter with recommended reading for the student who wants to dig deeper. It's clear that Bird is at heart, a preacher and teacher, and I appreciated this about him.

[Ricky Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this guy

[Kyle Tomlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Bird has given the Christian Church a real treasure in this book! It's a relatively short and succinct exposition on how to approach the Scriptures, which manages to combine a good measure of humor mixed with solid biblical scholarship in an easy-to-read style. In the book, Bird addresses seven main points:
1. How the Bible was put together
2. What "inspiration" means
3. How the Bible is true
4. Why the Bible needs to be rooted in history
5. Why literal interpretation is not always the best interpretation
6. How the Bible gives us knowledge, faith, love, and hope
7. How Jesus Christ is the center of the Bible.
There is also an Appendix which takes several OT passages commonly cited in the NT and shows how they point to Christ. Finally, there are some great recommended reading lists at the end of each chapter, as well as the books cited in the footnotes. I will definitely be recommending this book to many people who want to know how to better read and understand the Bible.

[Norman Falk · Rating 5 out of 5]

As expected from a popular-level book by Mike Bird, this was much fun to read/listen to. Its entertaining as well as informative. An excellent starting point for the uninitiated and very timely for certain sectors of evangelicalism. I think of how Bird addresses the dangers and ironies of a hyper-literal reading of Scripture, for example. But even as someone who is largely familiar with the topics Bird talks about, I learned a great deal about how to frame and relate them to larger discussions about the Bible.

The book is helpful in giving a quick overview of what someone like Mike Bird thinks about big topics like the theological interpretation of Scripture, inspiration and inherency, how the Bible can be authoritative and normative, where meaning is located, the place for feminist and post-colonial readings.

[Natalie Judson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad someone wrote this book. Bird wonderfully expounds this super important topic and breaks down complicated ideas into understandable formats. I learned a lot and I especially enjoyed the chapter 6 treatment of hope that endures. It was interesting to see the names of scholars that I have read in seminary come up again and again throughout the chapters. I look forward to reading more by Michael Bird in the future.

[Nathan Bozeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are 7 things I now wish Christians knew about the Bible. If this book were a required reading at every church, I truly believe we would see significantly less deconversions and people leaving the faith. We need a robust theology of Scripture as well as a non-simplistic view of its historical assembly, how to interpret it, and/or how to apply it to modern contexts. Highly recommend this one!

[Sarah Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved his take on inerrancy and sufficiency.

[Declan Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, funny and intelligent. This canvasses a lot of Bird's positions well and I would definitely recommend it as an introduction to Biblical Studies.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was keen to read this recent book from Michael Bird, not only because he is a fellow Aussie but I have enjoyed the previous books he has written. I was not disappointed. Whilst, for me, there was nothing new in this book, I did appreciate the way the Author presented the material and I will be “borrowing” some of his illustrations and arguments :)

This is an excellent book for someone who is serious about their Bible Reading, and give a good introduction to Interpretation (Hermeneutics) - thus I would think it is good read for all Christians, especially those who do not know what Hermeneutics is ;-)

Now as a Lutheran Pastor, there are several aspects within this book that I disagree with (the Author is Anglican) but I still appreciate the Author’s view - and it is always good to have your own views challenged.

Looking forward to whatever he writes next!

[Justin Nuzum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good! I’m somewhat weary of titles that start with an enumerated list (e.g. “5 secrets to transform your marriage!”). Sometimes what follows is content that was either bloated to reach that number, or hollowed out making each point thin.

However! This book was really good 😄 It’s brevity is a real selling point. Its doctrine of scripture is sound, and the framework for reading the bible is immensely helpful.

I especially appreciated the point of reading the bible christotelically, not christomonically (I’m certain I spelt those words wrong 😂). There’s much to be uniquely gleaned from each passage, not only as it points to Christ but also as it teaches us of the triune God, and his moral imperatives.

I’d definitely recommend this to someone looking for a succinct doctrine of scripture, and a broad paradigm for its study.

[Sue Fellows · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who is a student of the Bible, I feel it is important to have a good approach to the Bible, in your reading of it and incorporating it into your life. I recently studied the first 5 books of the Bible and was overwhelmed with how it pointed to Jesus. I fear for many Christians the Old Testament is considered “old” and not applicable to living post Christ. I read this book, looking forward to it showing how the Old Testament directly points to the Christ of the New Testament and I was overjoyed to see that the author and I agree. As he points out in his book, to read just one or the other and expecting to understand Christianity is like going to a play and only seeing 1 of the 2 acts! After finishing the book I feel Michael F Bird carefully addressed this in the 7 chapters of the book. Choosing 7 was probably not a mistake either, on his part. His writing is detailed but easy to follow. His use of other authors ideas helps get his points across. I would love to hand this book out to every Christian. The whole of the Bible points to Jesus – if you do not think so, then read this book to find out why.

[David Rawls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bird does a great job of covering the basics for those interested in good study and practice of the Bible. In an age where very few Christians understand how to read and put in practice what they read, this work is very helpful. The last chapter alone on seeing Christ as the center of Christian Scripture is worth the whole book. Both the Apostles and early Church Fathers looked at the Old Testament through the life,death and resurrection of Jesus. If we could recover this one practice it could clean up a lot of poor Bible understanding and practice.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Must read. Incredibly helpful final chapter on uniting Christ with all scripture and I appreciated the distinction of a Christotelic approach and the emphasis of a Theocentric approach.
The 4cs on interpreting scripture are a fantastic framework for studious readers of scripture.
Bird also does something I loooooove (if not a little humbling), where he points out some very flawed interpretations of contemporary evangelicals/pentecostals and places them in their proper context (he does this gracefully, I might add).

[Elizabeth F R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid starting point for understanding that we should read the Bible responsibly. While I'm not sure I agreed with all of the author's conclusions or examples on matters less data-driven, his presentation of various perspectives and approaches when outlining his own on these occasions provided helpful context. Maybe a 3.5 star for me personally, but would recommend as a very accessible starting point for anyone interested in understanding where the Bible comes from and think about in what manner it is the Word of God.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike is such a fun writer. I’m glad being smart hasn’t turned him boring. I thought he made many compelling arguments. It was fun to read his “layman’s arguments” of his position after reading his more scholarly contribution to the five views on biblical inerrancy. I’m grateful for this addition to Christian literature!

[Bob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot think of a Mike Bird book or article I have not found helpful. Everything he writes has merit. This book is especially useful.
I wish he would have expanded the final chapter on the citations from Tenach in the Newer Testament but otherwise a great read and well worth the investment of time.
Pass it on to others. They will be glad you did.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new here, but it's great to have all this information in one place. A solid and accessible introduction to what the Bible is and how we go about reading it.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, informative, and dense without being dry. Humorous at times. Lots of references to further books going into more detail.
I really liked the author‘s writing style.

[Alexandru Croitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introductory book. I enjoyed it.

[Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiquei meio cético no começo, mas depois senti mais firmeza e no geral gostei da abordagem.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great way to open your thinking as we examine what the Bible has to say. Definitely one to listen to/read again!

[Nate Offord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good thoughtful book written by someone with a deep love for the Bible and the God revealed within its pages.

Christians should read it.

[Luke Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful little book

Wonderful book with some great wisdom on how to get the best out of reading the Bible. I love that Mike is a theologian with a sense of humour that comes out in his writing. The principles laid out here are sensible and can help us avoid making basic interpretive mistakes. Worth grabbing a copy for sure!

[Alex Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a pastor who primarily works with students, it’s been interesting to see how many students know much of the stories contained in the Bible, but not much about how those stories came to be written down and preserved all these years. There’s also little understanding of what we mean when we say that God inspired Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). Further, there’s a tendency to read ourselves into every single biblical narrative, as if we were David and our present difficulty our Goliath. Student ministry certainly isn’t the only place such issues are found; indeed, I’d suggest this is commonplace is much of our churches these days.

Michael Bird has provided a welcome primer into these topics, among others. He does an impressive job in covering a broad amount of material without being too brief. He’s thorough, but not uncomfortably so. Readers are introduced to discussions surrounding the formation of the canon of Scripture, P52, and the metanarrative of the Bible which is the gospel itself. We read of the history of the Bible’s English translation and of some of the difficulties that come with a contemporary adherence to the KJV. We think through what it means to say that Scripture is inspired by God, and to say that Scripture is inerrant. Regarding this, Bird rightly notes that the main dividing line between traditional and liberal Christianity isn’t about inerrancy, strictly speaking, but about the role that the Bible plays in our lives and whether it has a fixed meaning (70).

Bird also spends time discussing the importance of remembering that the Bible wasn’t written in 21st century America. We need to keep in mind the historical gap that exists between the author of the text and the modern reader (Chapter 4).

All throughout the book, Bird engages with notable theologians that are clearly at odds with him on the topic at hand (no echo chamber here). But though the material could be seen as “scholarly” at times, Bird communicates in a way that’s incredibly easy to understand. At times, he inserts helpful anecdotes to drive home his point (see his preaching story on 145-146 – yikes). He also finds ways to incorporate numerous pop culture references. But then he also elucidates the concept of hope in 169-170 that’s quite poetic in tone. Read over that section a few times – and then rejoice.

I think this book would pair well with Anders’ “30 Days to Understanding the Bible.” Those who are looking to understand more about the Bible and the God who wrote it are highly encouraged to pick up a copy. I know I’ll be recommending this to my students.

*Note: I received an advance copy of the text in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

[Douglas Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What exactly is the Bible and how are we to read it when it was written in a culture and time radically different to our own? Michael Bird answers this question with great clarity, accuracy, wisdom and humour. Many readers are caught in a false choice of "literalist" or "liberal" approaches to reading the Bible. Bird disarms this fallacious dichotomy by arguing that "the big issue is not whether one takes the Bible “literally” or “symbolically,” but whether one chooses to take the Bible seriously at all." He goes further to show the reader how to read the Bible in a way that is sensible and faithful. The book does not hide from the obvious challenges of Scripture but addresses them head-on and provides a context that makes sense of the difficulties but still retains a high view of Scripture.

I love the way the author emphasises obedience and transformation throughout the book. The Bible is not a book to be dissected, labelled, catalogued and dispassionately walked away from - it is communication from God that challenges, grows and transforms us.

I have seen people walk away from faith in Christ because they approached, or were taught, Scripture in a wacky way that violated its purpose and intent. I hope that anyone struggling with how to read and understand the Bible will read this book before they walk away.

I am really enthusiastic about "Seven things" and will be wholeheartedly recommending it. It would be fantastic for a small group seven-week discussion series for both believers and seekers.

Get it, read it, and buy copies for your friends!

#SevenThingsIWishChristiansKnewabouttheBible #NetGalley

[David J. Kleinhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bird has produced here a very helpful and accessible little book on important aspects of how the Bible came to be, how it works, and how to be a responsible reader of it. I will definitely recommend and use it in my own ministry.

[Greg Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good introduction to the Bible (from a Christian point of view) written by Australian New Testament scholar, Michael Bird. It covers what the Bible actually is, why Christians accept it as the inspired Word of God, why Christians believe it is authoritative, how to approach it when you read it, and what its purpose is.

Many Christians approach the Bible with a "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it!" attitude. But this author argues that this is too simplistic to deal with many of the problem passages and goes on to show why a more nuanced approach is required. The Bible is a library of books that "was written for us but not to us." Because of this, when we read the Bible, we need to "distinguish between what is prescriptive and what is descriptive".

While the Bible is indeed authoritative, not everything in the Bible is authoritative for us.

For example, "some parts of the Bible were dealing with a specific problem and therefore not directly applicable to our situation." He provides extensive examples from the Bible where things happened in less than ideal circumstances (e.g. the harsh realities of the ancient Near East) and were not meant to be something we should repeat.

I found the chapter on inspiration to be helpful, since this is often where you end up with circular arguments when trying to argue for or defend the divine inspiration of the Bible. He details the different understandings of divine inspiration throughout history and argues for his view that "inspiration is principally God's guiding and leading human minds at the conceptual level". Which means that "God's word is translatable." Which is good news for all the people that don't know Biblical Greek and Hebrew.

This book also hits the doctrine of inerrancy head on and doesn't shy away from asking hard questions.

A healthy doctrine of Scripture, with a cogent and careful definition of inerrancy, should not deny apparent ambiguities nor mute anyone's gnawing questions.
. . .
Inerrancy can be retained as long as it has certain qualifications, nuances, and thick explanations. In those explanations we affirm the phenomenon of Scripture, the divine and human elements of Scripture, the progressive nature of revelation where the new supersedes the old, and God's accommodation to the ancient worldview in Scripture.

When it comes to interpreting the Bible, the author argues that "no one can offer a consistently literal interpretation of the Bible." He writes: "The real issue is not whether we take the Bible literally, but whether we take the Bible seriously." He goes on to describe different ways of interpreting the Bible and provides some tips to be mindful of as you read the Bible.

The final chapters talk about the purpose of the Bible ("that God's people would attain the knowledge of God, deepen their faith, abound in love for God and love for others, and enjoy the assurance of hope") and the centrality of Jesus Christ in the Christian Bible (which "either points ahead to Jesus as its fulfillment or looks back to Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith").

All in all, this is a well-written introduction to the Christian Bible. I think it is also pretty accessible to the average reader (i.e. not written with scholarly language). One of the things I liked most about it is that the author did not shy away from difficult questions that often lead to doubts. While his answers may not be satisfying to everyone, he provides a well-reasoned argument for why we should take the Bible seriously as the inspired word of God. I also liked the way the author ended this book discussing why any of this matters and why we should care.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian who is struggling with doubts about the Bible or who wants to know more about what the Bible is and where it came from.

[Clem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Dylan once stated that the Bible was both the most overrated book and the most underrated book in the history of mankind. I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that, but I can speculate. I would speculate that his thoughts and feelings were that the Bible is a truly wonderfully work that is the word of God, and used correctly, it can serve as a reflection into the nature and character of God and how one is to live. However, it has also been misused and misunderstood throughout history, and in many cases, has managed to cause more harm than good.

Michael F. Bird discusses seven areas of the Bible and expounds on the importance of each, and how Christians should learn and apply what is here. This is good, and I found all of his points in this rather short compendium to be worthwhile reading. I have to honestly say, though, that I wished this book was a bit more focused, and a bit more black-and-white. The author may purposely not want to go there, but the overall issues I have is that even though most Christians would “agree” with Bird, you’re still going to have an awfully hard time coming to any sorts of consensus with the many different churches and branches of the one true faith. So I can imagine many Christians reading this book and saying “Yep. He’s right.” But at the end of the day, I can’t honestly say if anyone can look in the mirror and admit that maybe they’re guilty of not doing what the author states they should be doing, practicing, and believing.

I would prefer if this author would have given more concrete examples of what HE thinks should be correct ideas and interpretations. There are a few times when he’ll pull out selected passages and pontificate of how many Christians misuse the passage. He’ll then give (what he thinks is) the correct interpretation along with well-thought out explanations. I wish he would have done more of this.

He seems to want to stay in safe territory and not upset too many people. That’s very easy to do when talking faith; especially amongst the many branches of Christianity. He’s clear that the Bible is the Word of God and he himself is definitely a Christian, but I didn’t really walk away with any great insights. Yes, everything he says either rings true or convinces me that he truly is correct in his assumptions, but overall the feeling I came away with wasn’t convicting enough to make me raise my eyebrows while having some sort of shattering revelation.

What I have discovered throughout my history as a Christian, is that it’s too easy for the masses to follow conventional wisdom. If the majority of reformed Christian churches in North America all hold to basically the same positions, well, then they obviously have to be correct. Right? I wish the author would have spent more energy shaking up such assumptions. Again, though, maybe he’s trying to tread lightly.

What I wish this author would have done here, is maybe find the most egregious example of how churches don’t follow the seven things he mentions, and spent a lot of page space devoted to those examples. This, I think, would have much better shock value and maybe change some of the hearts and thoughts of his readers. True, it would anger a lot of obdurate readers, but with a title that includes “I Wish Christians Knew”, the thought picking up this book is that they DON’T know the things here, but I wasn’t really convinced of that, nor that the seven things were necessarily earth shattering.

I thought this was a well written book, and the author is very gifted in explaining his points (along with well-placed humor along the way), I just wish he would have hit his readers over the head with a metaphorical hammer a bit harder. At the very least, this is a good book to read with a group of Christian friends and have some good discussions. It may not provide answers, but it will allow for a lot questions to be asked that might normally not have been asked without a book such as this.