MOVE BEYOND THE IDEA THAT “BEING RIGHT”
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEASURE OF FAITH
HOW THE BIBLE ACTUALLY WORKS
In Which I Explain How an Ancient, Ambiguous,
and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom,
Rather than Answers—
and Why that’s Great News
By Peter Enns
“Far from diminishing the value of the Bible…approachable and well-reasoned, Enns’s book will find an audience with Christians seeking a broader understanding of Scripture.” –Publishers Weekly
“Throughout, Enns is good company. Though his subject matter is serious, his writing is sprightly and cheerfully enlivened by his occasional snark and sarcasm. Consequently, the book will find a general readership intrigued by the insight and, yes, the wisdom he offers.”
–Booklist
PETER ENNS is beloved for his irreverent, progressive, andfaithful perspective on the Bible. In his previous books The Bible Tells Me So and The Sin of Certainty,the scholar, author, podcast host, and bloggerdebunked common beliefs that we project onto the Bible which steer us in the wrong direction and, he argues, cause all sorts of spiritual problems.
Now, at last, Enns explains how the Bible actuallyworks and why it speaks to us so powerfully even when it does not behave as we think it should. “The Bible becomes a confusing mess when we expect it to function as a rulebook for faith. But when we allow the Bible to determine our expectations, we see that Wisdom, not answers, is the Bible’s true subject matter.”
HOW THE BIBLE ACTUALLY WORKS (HarperOne; February 2019) outlines the three defining characteristics of the bible: that it is ancient, ambiguous, and diverse. These qualities, Enns maintains, demonstrate that humanity’s understanding of God is an ongoing process. Enns argues that the Bible itself invites readers to consider context and their own circumstances as they interpret and reinterpret scripture.
Rather than considering the Bible as an ancient book weighed down with problems, flaws, and contradictions that must be defended by modern readers, Enns offers a vision of the holy scriptures as an inspired and empowering resource to help us better understand how to live as a person of faith today.
HOW THE BIBLE ACTUALLY WORKS makes clear that there is no one right way to read the Bible. Moving us beyond the damaging idea that “being right” is the most important measure of faith, Enns’s freeing approach to Bible study helps us to instead focus on pursuing enlightenment and building our relationship with God—which is exactly what the Bible was designed to do.
Peter Enns is the Abram S. Clemens Professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University in St. David’s, Pennsylvania, and has taught at Harvard University, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the host of The Bible for Normal Peoplepodcast, is frequent contributor to journals and encyclopedias, and is the author of several books, including The Sin of Certainty, The Bible Tells Me So,and Inspiration and Incarnation.