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I get it that the Bible can be intimidating, and maybe this book is a way to make the reader feel like they’re just reading a book of Bible stories and not the big ol’ Bible. The more I read this book, however, the more I question the value of investing this much time reading a book about stories of the Bible instead of just reading a highly readable, accurate Bible translation. As I read the Exodus story in Section IV, I noticed that when Moses headed back to Egypt from Midian, the author omitted that interesting scene in which God was going to kill Moses, but Zipporah did something that saved him. Granted, this is a hard scene to describe because there isn’t a lot to go on, but at least you have a question in your mind when you read this passage in the Bible. The author has done an awesome job on this book, and he clearly has been diligent in his work, but his opinions cannot help but influence his work both in what he decides to include and how he presents the stories.

This is based on authors personal faith. The author is very subjective in all his finding. As said in earlier comments. Holy Spirit guidance is necessary.

Mallory Whitaker wrote: ↑09 Aug 2019, 11:48 It seems like an opinionated translation. I sort of think of the Bible as the US Constitution. Many people can read the same original material, but everyone has different readings of it. When you choose to expound upon the original text and change the language, personal decisions have to be made. He did reference other materials outside of the Bible as well. That alone shows that it's not a direct translation. Also, like others have mentioned, to make decisions about what we should and shouldn't take literally in the Bible (such as the number of days of Creation), is clearly the author's interpretation. It's by no means the facts. He can't possibly know.

That is a terrific comparison. I kind of think back on these same stories told from the strict German Catholic perspective from my upbringing. Or focus on the morality plays of medieval Europe. There has been someone interpreting the Bible for as long as there have been people reading it.

I agree with Wambui-nj. It seems like it's the author's interpretation of the Bible, not a translation. Some of the stories aren't true to what I remember from my experience reading the Bible.

He has an interesting take on the Bible, but it's definitely his interpretation. Each person reads the Bible a bit differently, his is just very different.

I think there is a dose of the author's own interpretation here.

The book is written based on the author's personal faith. I mean it is opionated. The author has given different interpretations to the novel. Some of these are entirely different from what the Christian doctrine holds.

Even the title does not suggest anything about modern English. He only decided to retell the Bible stories in an easy to understand way. The book is more of an explanation of the Bible in the way he understands it and feels he can help others to understand it.

This text is overtly the author's own intepretation of the Bible. Moreover, I think his opinions were informed by factors which are not abstract enough to be merely regarded as theories.

Well, the author was highly opinionated in the book. And yes, everyone is allowed to see things in their own way

The author will definitely approach issues based on his personal understanding and experiences so the author's role in the book cannot be overemphasized.

I feel there is a mixture of the author's opinions in this book because the author would definitely have his own personal bias, except he was inspired by the Holy Spirit.