What Is the Bible?

I’ve been reading and studying and exploring and rereading and rethinking and giving sermons from the Bible for twenty-five years, and I find it more compelling and mysterious and interesting and dangerous and convicting and helpful and strange and personal and inspiring and divine and enjoyable than ever. Some people see the Bible as an outdated book of primitive, barbaric fairy tales that we have moved beyond. And then there are the folks who talk about how important and central and inspired the Bible is but then butcher it with their stilted literalism and stifling interpretations. But you, I want you to read the Bible in a whole new way.—from What Is the Bible?In Love Wins, New York Times bestselling author Rob Bell confronted the troubling questions that many people were afraid to ask about heaven, hell, fate, and faith. Using the same inspired, inquisitive approach, he now turns to the most widely read book of all time. What Is the Bible? provides surprising insights and answers about how the Bible actually works as a source of faith and guidance, showcasing a brand-new way of reading this sacred text.Bell takes us deep into actual passages, revealing not only the humanity behind the scriptures but the revelation that one cannot get to the holy without going through the human. When considering a passage, Bell explains the worst question we can ask of a text (“Why did God . . . ?”) and the best question to ask (“Why did people find this important to write down?”) to get at how scripture can best guide us today. In asking these questions, Bell goes beyond the one-dimensional question of “is it true?” to reveal the Bible’s surprisingly transformative power. What Is the Bible? recaptures this ancient library’s subversive energy and reaffirms its enduring ability to inspire and shape our lives today.