Rating: 
Summary: I'm reading the Bible in a new light
Review: This book opened my eyes and heart to the Bible again. I used to be very intimidated by it -- but after reading early on in the book that "you don't need to be a certified electrician to appreciate a light bulb" (loose quote there!) I am no longer intimidated by it. Thanks for a great book, Peter. You've warmed my heart.
Rating: 
Summary: You will appreciate Rev. Gomes' fresh new look at Scipture.
Review: This work by the preacher to Harvard University would have been unnecessary if he was not gay, black, and a Republican. These credentials alone suggest that he might have something different to say about how Americans interpret the Bible. And, in this regard, Rev. Gomes' book does not disappoint. Gomes' aim with this book seems to have been to help recover the original "voice" of the Bible. His concern, as has been the concern of many before him, is to let the Bible speak for itself rather than through the interlocutors of its many and varied readers. Reclaiming this more authentic voice, he contends, is necessary if we are to rescue the Bible from the hands of those who mistakenly use it to advance their own prejudices and agenda. His particular concern is with those who use the Bible to further circumscribe the freedoms of women, blacks, and homosexuals. But in the course of his defense, he also does a creditable job of rescuing the Bible from others who in one way or another have misunderstood its essential nature. You may not agree with his conclusions, but you will appreciate Rev. Gomes' fresh new look at some familiar passages of Scripture. Intended for the layman, The Good Book also is worthwhile reading for anyone interested in the Bible and its interpretation.
Rating: 
Summary: Imperfect, but how could it not be?
Review: Those who have never had the unique privilege of hearing Rev. Gomes preach will most enjoy and benefit from this book, for the book memorializes the singular virtues of his ministry: his delightful use of language, the great clarity of his thinking, the openness of his mind, and his general resistance to ideology and dogma. As a book targeted to a general audience, it is not as comprehensive nor as successful at handling intellectual complexities and contradictions as a more scholarly tome might be. Too often, Rev. Gomes makes interpretive leaps which are perhaps not supported adequately by his arguments and marshalling of evidence. However, it must be said that any book of this ilk would necessarily be guilty of similar "sins." In any event, Rev. Gomes does not intend for his book to be yet another addition to the library of general Biblical scholarship. Instead, he succeeds at his primary objective, which is to breathe life into the reader's relationship with the book and to rescue the Bible from individuals on points of the political spectrum who brazenly manipulate its complex and elusive message to support their own particular points of view. A thought-provoking and surprisingly easy read.
Rating: 
Summary: Usual Liberal Slant, disappointed.
Review: Too many "presummed" and "one can gather"after citing examples. His spiritual gift must be mercy. Fails tounderstand the basic truth of the bible that God inspired the Word/Bible to help man live well. To interpert and renegotiate truths so as to make life comfortable to man
now is a slap in the face of God.
| 
