The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood
BY: Eric J. Bargerhuff
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First Person • Nonfiction • 159 Pages
About the Book (Backcover Blurb):
Are You Sure You Know What Your Favorite Bible Stories Mean?
A surprising number of popular Bible stories are commonly misused or misunderstood, even by well-intentioned Christians. In this concise yet thorough book, Eric J. Bargerhuff helps you fully understand the meaning of David and Goliath, Jonah and the Big Fish, the Woman Caught in Adultery, and other well-known Bible stories.
Providing fascinating historical and scriptural insights, Bargerhuff helps you sort through modern-day distortions of fourteen well-known Bible stories and grasp their original meaning and purpose for us today.
Why I Choose this Book:
The title intrigued me, and the conversation drew me in. I’m always eager to understand the Bible better, so this book was a natural one to gravitate toward.
What I Thought about this Book:
The title felt a little off to me – maybe like it was “click bate” (if such a thing is possible with a book…). The tagline about the popular way the stories are misunderstood seems a lot more on point, but I guess that doesn’t flow as smoothly.
A lot of good points were made in this book. I like the balance the author has with how much time to spend on each chapter – it didn’t feel overwhelming with a deluge of information, but neither did the pace feel rushed. He also did a good job of incorporating some personal facts and stories that made the book feel a lot more relatable.
He hit fourteen “major” accounts or discussions from the Bible, and then at the end of the book he gave a brief “conclusion” section where he gives a quick outline of various ways where even well-meaning Christians often trip up. I appreciated the attitude that the author portrays in the book – instead of making it sound like he was judging or looking down on Christians who misunderstand the biblical accounts that he discusses in the book, he points out how confusing things can be at times, and why it’s so important to search out the scriptures.
Overall the book didn’t meet my expectations. It might be because I’d already heard a lot of the information that he presents us in the book, but I didn’t have a lot of lightbulb or “ah-ha” moments. I did enjoy the deeper look into the Bible though, because no matter how many times I’ve read biblical accounts, I can still learn more.
Conclusion:
There were several different theological differences I have with the author, but I still enjoyed learning from his well-researched book.
Rating:
I’m giving The Most Misused Stories in the Bible 3 out of 5 stars
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