The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood
Eric J. Bargerhuff
Bethany House Publishers, 2017
This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishers at no charge in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links. Read more about that here.
Preacher and teacher Eric J. Bargerhuff sets out to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding fourteen commonly taught Bible stories in his new book The Most Misused Stories in the Bible: Surprising Ways Popular Bible Stories Are Misunderstood.
He breaks down which parts of these stories are often misinterpreted, either intentionally or unintentionally, and gives a corrected understanding of the true message of each passage. Bargerhuff uses an honest, reverent tone and plenty of references to strengthen his assertions and bring clarity to debated issues.
Each chapter is fairly short, with the entire book only totaling 177 pages. I read it straight through over the course of a few days, but I think it would be great for a two week daily devotional or for a Bible study class to read and discuss together. I felt like the author did a good job explaining parts of each story that could be twisted or misconstrued and I also really liked the final chapter, which gives some advice for how we can avoid misunderstandings of the type he addresses as we study God’s word (like being mindful of context and cultural biases, for example). The individual studies were interesting, but that last chapter was the most educational for me personally.
I really liked this book and found it to be a thoughtful, edifying commentary. It seemed to be thoroughly researched and I appreciated the honest but at the same time nonjudgemental tone that Bargerhuff employs. I would recommend this book to anyone who asks without hesitation.
I hadn’t heard of this book but it’s now on my “to read” list. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy it.