Rating: 
Summary: Empowering, insightful, and thought provoking
Review: Brother Gomes has created a book that will stand the test of time. As a woman and Episcopalian, I a constantly searching for ways to apply the Bible to my daily life. The Bible is a book of compassion, love and mercy, not condemnation and hate. May the peace of the Lord be always with you!
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful antidote to the Christian Right
Review: Dr. Gomes has done a great service for those of us who call ourselves Christians in publishing this book. He exemplifies several traits that are in short supply among self-acclaimed Christian leaders, such as humility, intelligence, wit, discernment, open-mindedness and grace.
It's a book about hermeneutics for the layperson, witty without being trite, intelligent without being pretentious. He tackles some of the most difficult elements of biblical interpretation without discrediting either the Bible or those who were guilty of egregious misreadings, such as the pro-slavery champions in the South after the Civil War. His gentleness is a joy to experience, and his book is a gift to the Church.
Rating: 
Summary: Dangerous for those seeking God's face
Review: First of all, understand that I have always been a fully-inclusive, spiritual Democrat. I have many friends of different races, of different sexual preferences and both genders. I love them all. As does God. I now attend a bible-believing, bible-preaching, pentecostal church that believes in and has females in leadership, and has a racially and ethnically mixed congregation. We as humans cannot condemn other humans for their sins, as we are all sinful. However, we ARE obligated to recognize a sin when we see it. I was saddened to learn that homosexuality was in fact an "abomination" to God, and that if my gay friends did not repent, they would not see God. This does NOT mean that I love them any less, as Jesus has commanded us to love each other as He loved us!Rev. Gomes refutes Leviticus 18:22 ("Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination") and Leviticus 20:13 ("If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.") (both KJV) as being outdated. He claims that these and the other laws in those chapters are meant for God's "frontier people", and are meant for the preservation of the people's purity, identity and indeed the propagation of the race. He then states that "[w]e have, however, long since ceased to live as God's frontier folk in the promised land." Therefore, according to Rev. Gomes, since there is no danger of God's people dying out, we are not obligated to obey these laws. By this argument, the following sins would also be permitted: adultery, incest, and bestiality, as these are all forbidden in the same passages. One of the reviews below stated "I feel that Gomes was showing through his writing how we can make the bible fit our lifestyles, no matter what it may be." That is frightening. The bible was not meant to "fit our lifestyles", it was meant to be the yardstick by which we are to judge ourselves (read "not others"). We all agree that theft is wrong, but if we as a society decided that it wasn't, would that mean that God says it's alright? Truth is truth, no matter what mankind says about it. Just because there are so-called "Christians" who torment sinners, that is not a reason to re-interpret the bible! These are Christians who do not understand the tenet of "love the sinner, hate the sin", and believe me, they do not represent the Body of Christ! Because I love the sinner, I am compelled to inform him/her that his/her lifestyle, be it homosexuality, theft, murder, adultery, is a sin according to God and unfortunately will be judged by Him. In conclusion, (I know, finally.. :) ) this book by Reverend Gomes is dangerous to those who are seeking to know God and seeking to be justified before Him. Rev. Gomes is leading sinners in the wrong direction.
Rating:
Summary: Balanced, thoughtful and eloquent
Review: For many people, the Bible can be complex, paradoxical and unapproachable. How the stories, messages are interpreted is critical to how one uses them in daily life. Peter Gomes has made the Bible approachable to everyone. He clearly identifies the uses and misuses of the Bible and then transforms them into a "living word" of God rather than just a historical text. Thank you Mr. Gomes.
Rating:
Summary: Gomes gives us God's Word for man
Review: Gomes takes the Bible off its pedestal and presents it to us as a tool for Christian living. This book is a must read for any Christian struggling to read and understand the Bible in modern terms. He explores many of the controversial topics of the Bible, including race, homosexuality, women's roles, anti-Semitism, wealth, and more. He challenges the reader to accept the Bible as an interpretation of fantastic religious events with historical and sociological significance. He teaches the reader to deal with contradictions within the Bible, even within individual books of the Bible. He helps the reader to discern for himself what facts are crucial to an individual's belief in Christianity and what facts enrich the stories of the Bible. This book challenged my beliefs in positive ways and taught me to never "idolize" the Bible again.
Rating:
Summary: A bridge is built from our Creator to our hearts!
Review: Having read the book, and listened to the audio tape in my car, I feel like I have been gifted with a clear and reasonable view of scripture that can fill the empty void in the soul of modern man. I have bought numerous copies for my church discussion group to read together. I heartily recommend this to other pastors!
Rating:
Summary: A Frightning Interpretation
Review: I am frightened of the PR this book is getting as some sort of welcomed watered-down version of God's word for modern man. Though society and it's mores and morals are broadening, the truth of God's word is everlasting and ever-applicable. There have been choices in my own life that have flown in the face of God's will as defined in the scriptures, and it was awefully convicting to me to read the passages that seemed to condem me in those choices, but my God is just, and He is perfect irregaurdless of my actions. When we as failable human beings fall short of the perfection of God, we should not be tempted to "lower the bar", especially in a way that puts words in God's mouth. This is slander. However, there is a way to reconcile the chasim between the perfection of God and our own feeble natures. His name is Jesus Christ, who says "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Light..." His life was an example of how to live a perfect and abundant human life, but God knows we can never achieve to duplicate it, so His death on the cross was a pentance paid for our failures, weaknesses, and sins. To approach holiness on earth we are taught to accept the grace of that sacrifice in such a way that it changes our hearts, and therefore changes our choices and the way we live our lives. Rewriting the Book and scripting it to suit ourselves will not bring us closer to God. I am "frightened" that those who are searching for a way to God will be blindly led astray by this book. God is approachable and accessible to us, but we can only become more like God by allowing Him to change our own character. We cannot change His. This is good news.
Rating:
Summary: The Bible - - No Longer an Weapon for Abuse
Review: I am respectful for the views of others who choose to hold Mythos to be Logical truth in their spiritual belief system. Though it does not make a lot of sense to me to hold one set of books as the be all and end all of all religious and spiritual beliefs, I understand that to some people it makes sense to do so as it did once for me a long, long time ago as well. Reading a document that has been used as an abusive weapon and holding it in high esteem just does not make any sense to me. Until recently I chose instead to avoid the Bible all together refusing to pay any mind to a book of 'fairy tales and fables'. I have been tolerant to others who feel differently and still continue to be. However I have to say that after reading Gomes's work I began to have a better appreciation for the biblical texts that I now understand to have some merit and wisdom when used in the syntax and era in which they were written. It is a darn shame that so many have died under the false and incorrect deductions of 'knowledge' from the Bible, which has been interpreted and reinterpreted in numerous languages. Did no one ever stop to realize that perhaps something got lost in the translation? HELLO?!? Peter Gnomes address's this expertly and professionally and brings to mind those very possibilities. Mythos, the style in which some of the Cannon's were written, seems to have been taken too seriously. For instance, there much merit in Leviticus and it makes much sense. However, one must place themselves in the context to which those rules for living were written. To use a line or two from this text to beat others down beneath oneself and then completely ignore the preceding and proceeding text is nothing short of ignorance. It is time to take an intellectual and truthful look at the Bible as truly what it is and this author describes it to be. It is simply a story of God's people the many things they tried to do to isolate themselves from the unconditional love of a Creator and the many extreme things the Creator did to lead the people back to the maker's arms. The Bible is a story of unconditional Love not of laws and edicts to follow as condition to be loved. Thank you Peter Gnomes for making that possible for me.
Rating:
Summary: If you read only one book...
Review: I have spent the last two years reading dozens of books on the Bible (and the Bible itself) and can say that Peter Gomes's "The Good Book" was the most fascinating, comprehensive, and thought-provoking. As he states in his intro: "The theme of this book is the risk and the joy of the Bible: risk in that we might get it wrong, and joy in the discovery of the living Word becoming flesh." Although a Republican and an ordained Baptist minister, Gomes spends the first part of the book debunking the damage done by conservative Protestants, who in their moral certainty have at times appeared to hijack the Bible as their own. Gomes effectively makes the case that conservative Christians are wrong in their estimation that the Bible is anti-Semitic, anti-gay, and anti-feminist. I haven't seen a more effective argument anywhere else, and this section will be soothing antidote to much of the misinformation that is pervasive in the media. (Where are the liberal Christian voices in the media?) Having solved that (although I'm sure not all readers were as satisfied as I was), Gomes turns to what the purpose of reading the Bible can be. Many people have turned away from the Bible out of fear, but others have turned away because much of the Bible seems irrelevant today. Drawing on his skills as a preacher, Gomes uses the second half of the book to talk about why the Bible is relevant to our lives, as long as it is read correctly. It is true that much of the Bible was relevant in and of its time only (which is why such archaic laws as administering the death penalty to children and adulterers have fallen away, and why the stident attitudes about animal sacficice, slavery and women's roles have fallen away) and that many myths and legends have been literalized by unintelligent people (which is why many of the myths and legends in the OT have been debunked by science.) But, even with those limitations, Gomes makes the case that Bible still has relevance to life today. His argument is intelligent and persuasive, and makes for a delightful read.
Rating:
Summary: Gentle walk through church sponsored hatred causes & cures
Review: I simply stumbled upon this book in a little book store in a town of less than 5,000 people on a Sunday when nothing in this town should be open. Imagine my surprise when reading each chapter and getting to know Brother Gomes through his words, ideas, and gentle manner. I had no idea that he was black or republican and am glad that my prejudices weren't activated. These prejudices are a part of my life through the teachings I received from the church during my early years. Now it is the members of the church to whom I look to relearn the TRUTH. The fact that Gomes is gay, as I am, adds a touch of irony and validity to his presentation and ideas. The only portion of the book I really felt was lacking was, in fact, the section on homosexuality. I didn't feel a great sense of relief at his alternative definitions and meanings of the scripture. Though I know in my heart of hearts my faith and salvation are not jeapordized by my sexuality, I did hope that some of t! ! hat old guilt and self-condemnation would be addressed. Alas, at least for me, it was not. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who are looking for a first step on the path back to Faith.
|
