The Bible Tells Me So

Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It

By: Peter Enns

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Trained as an evangelical Bible scholar, Peter Enns loved the Scriptures and shared his devotion by teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary. But the further he studied the Bible, the more he found himself confronted by questions that could neither be answered within the rigid framework of his religious instruction nor be accepted among the conservative evangelical community.

Rejecting the increasingly complicated intellectual games used by conservative Christians to "protect" the Bible, Enns was conflicted. Is this what God really requires? How could God's plan for divine inspiration mean ignoring what is really written in the Bible? These questions eventually cost Enns his job - but they also opened a new spiritual path for him to follow.

The Bible Tells Me So chronicles Enns's spiritual odyssey, how he came to see beyond restrictive doctrine and learned to embrace God's Word as it is actually written. As he explores questions progressive evangelical readers of Scripture commonly face yet fear voicing, Enns reveals that they are the very questions that God wants us to consider - the essence of our spiritual study.

©2014 Peter Enns (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is not an academic book, instead, it's a popular, short treatment designed to provoke a reset of how we read the Bible." ( Library Journal)

Enlightening & Entertaining

Peter Enns is a PhD scholar with a sarcastic sense of humor who communicates deep truth in an approachable style. I have been a Christian for over 50 years and this book has helped me understand scripture in a whole new way.

If you are open to expanding your faith and grasp of the Bible, this book is for you.

Liberating

Wow! What an eye-opener! I loved this book from start to finish. The style with which Enns writes is engaging as it is informative. Joe Barret's narration is impeccable. I will be gifting this book for a long time!

Not as focused as it could be

Enns is a compelling author and I've been influenced by a number of his works. This book seems to suffer from a lack of focus. Perhaps this is because of his attempt to write for a popular audience instead of an academic one. The book is full of interesting examples but I kept finding myself asking, "so what?" It's an interesting book but Enns never really brought it home for me.

A new angle that is very important to hear

This is super thought-provoking and really helps me think of the Bible in a different way. I'm not sure where I fall on the belief spectrum of atheist8 and theism but Peter Enns helped me challenge the evangelical indoctrination I grew up with. I was taught to believe everything word for word and that the Bible was timeless and had all the answers. I always struggled with this view point and all of the biblical contradictions took away any credibility for me. And true to my upbringing any form a challenging the "Word of God" meant I didn't believe in God so I left the Church and Christianity altogether. This book has pushed me to look deeper into the cultural and historical contest of the Bible. It hasn't answered all my questions (no book ever will) but it has at least has given me another angle to look at things. I will definitely read more books by him.

The narrator was good though he worried me a bit at first. He has a slow and calming voice which I thought would make it hard for me to stay focused. We've all had one of those teachers that would put us to sleep during their lectures. But I was wrong and I found I adjusted quite well.

So helpful in grasping an alternative approach to reading the Bible and trusting God

I have been searching for a way to make sense of so many passages in the Bible that don’t seem to make sense given my time and place in history. Peter’s book went a long way in doing so and gave me hope to better understand and appreciate the scripture story.

A Challenging Book

If you consider yourself a student of the Bible this is the book for you. Thoughtful, Humorous and full of historical facts that frame the scriptures in an interesting way. I’ve always known that my own view of the Old Testament didn’t add up and now I know why.

Not just a catchy songs for little kids

Peter has a way of making you laugh and then sticking you with the heavy stuff. How do we read, interpret, and apply when it comes to reading the word of God? How did the Israelites read and interpret their Torah? Has our modern-day reading glasses gotten messy? Enjoy Peter as he takes us from antiquity to the modern-day delivering us a fresh look at the Bible.

I really enjoyed this book

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bible Tells Me So?

I enjoyed how he explained the parts of the bible that are so hard to stomach like the killing and the taking of women and children,. Made me think ina whole new way

Best Bible book I've read in years.

I truly am thankful for Peter Enns' approach to scripture and wish I had encountered him earlier.

Fantastic

This book changed my walk by allowing me to be less rigid and more loving toward my neighbor.