If I had to pick two words to sum up Zach Lambert's new book Better Ways to Read the Bible they would be hope and healing.
In this book, Zach takes four commonly used interpretive lenses in the Evangelical church: literalism, apocalypse, moralism, and hierarchy and uses a variety of resources to highlight the harm these lenses have caused over the past number of decades. He then contrasts them with four healthier options: Jesus, context, flourishing, and fruitfulness.
I found myself instantly drawn in by Zach's easy storytelling approach to writing as he effortlessly weaves personal experiences with scriptural evidence and peer reviewed references. Though the topic is a bit more academic in nature, this combination of writing elements makes the book accessible and enjoyable and I often caught myself responding out loud to different points (which is a bit more of an issue when the kids are asleep and it's midnight, grin).
However, my biggest takeaway, by far, was the sheer amount of hope I felt reading this book as someone who has lived through church trauma, deconstruction, and is trying to rebuild faith in a chaotic world. The graciousness with which Zach platforms other scholars is evident in every chapter. The commitment of inclusion and it's grounding in scripture is one of the best I've read in recent years. Best of all, for me, I now have a resource for the others in my circles who have been hurt by the church and need a safe place to start exploring faith again.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
