Customer Reviews

Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn from Them

5 star:		(74)
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3 star:		(10)
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1 star:		(8)

 

 

Just by reading the title and looking at the great cover photograph of Liz Curtis Higgs peering out from behind a black veil, I knew immediately this wasn't your average "Christian book." And you know what, I was right. But in my opinion, this book is more "Christian" than most other Christian books out there today. Why? Because it teaches forgiveness and redemption, no matter WHAT your background or experiences in life. After all, wasn't that Jesus' core message?

Liz Curtis Higgs isn't your average Christian author--she freely admits her sordid past filled with promiscuity, drug use, and abusive relationships. She frequently uses her own stories to illustrate the points made in her book. She used to be a radio jockey whose show was so racy it made Howard Stern tell her to "clean up her act." But then Liz found the healing and redemptive powers of God's love, and it's this message which drives "Bad Girls of the Bible." Her non-judgmental and forgiving attitude will make any "bad girl" feel welcome. Most Christian authors today often come off as "holier-than-thou" with no clue about anything outside their own Christian sphere of influence. No matter what you've done, Liz has probably been there and done that, too.

Liz uses examples of "bad girls" from the Old and New Testaments to show how bad actions can affect our lives, and how we can be healed and forgiven by God. The stories are told with Liz's trademark wit and humor, which makes the book a rather entertaining read. She breaks down the stories verse-by-verse and makes amusing and insightful commentary on each. You don't have to be a Bible scholar to enjoy the book--Liz breaks everything down into bit-sized, easy-to-swallow pieces for your reading enjoyment!

I would recommend this book to any woman out there, whether you're a "lapsed Christian" or just need a change of pace from the usual conservative Christian fodder that's out there. Liz calls herself an "encourager", and she really is.

I HAVE TAUGHT BIBLE STUDIES FOR 20 YEARS. RECENTLY WE HAVE BEGUN TO READ CERTAIN BIBLE BOOKS (SUCH AS AUTHOR ALICE MATTHEWS ON WOMEN OF THE BIBLE)..I JUST FINISHED READING "BAD GIRLS". I FOUND IT TO BE THE MOST CONVICTING AND ENJOYABLE BOOK I HAVE EVER READ ON THIS SUBJECT. HER WAY OF GIVING US A MODERN SITUATION..THEN GOING INTO THE BIBLE WOMAN IS SIMPLY OVERWHELMING..OVERWHELMING BECAUSE WE ARE SO LIKE THOSE WOMEN IN SOME WAYS..IN MY LIFE I REALATED TO LOTS WIFE..LOOKING BACK AT HER "STUFF" AND WITH DELILAH WHEN SHE TOOK AWAY SAMPSONS STRENGTH WHEN SHE CUT OFF HIS HAIR...YET TODAY WE CUT AWAY OUR MANS STRENGTH WITH OUR CUTTING WORDS...I LOVED THIS BOOK AND WILL BEGIN TEACHING IT SOON. I ANNOUNCED THIS TO MY CLASS RECENTLY AND SAID I HOPE THEY LET ME ADVETISE THIS IN THE BULLETIN..AND THEY LAUGHED..ONE WOMAN SAID "PUT IT IN THE CLASS SIZE WILL TRIPLE!". I WOULD LOVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE..REVEREND LOIS MCKOON, HUNTINGTON BEACH CALIFORNIA

I bought this book more than a year before I read it. It sat on my shelf gathering dust until I finally found the courage to actually read it. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I read it for two days straight, grabbing it every chance I could.

Liz has a wonderful, down-to-earth writing style which made the book very easy to read. She shares with her readers details of her own bad girl past without mincing words, as well as confessing how she still errs in her post-bad girl life. I personally enjoyed the way she opens each chapter with a modern-day tale based upon the Biblical bad girl she is about to dissect. Liz provides some excellent insight into these women, addressing many of the questions & issues I've had since I was young. She discusses the lives of these bad girls verse by verse, providing both fact & speculation (clearly defining which is which). No workbook is necessary (though one is available), as Liz includes activities & questions to consider at the end of each chapter. Don't worry about giving the "wrong" answer, b/c she includes verses in the back of the book to help with some of those questions (such as, "Find at least five verses that assure you His gifts of grace & forgiveness are the real thing").

The bad girls addressed in this book are: Eve, Potiphar's Wife, Lot's Wife, the Woman at the Well, Delilah, Sapphira, Rahab, Jezebel, Michal, & the Sinful Woman (who annointed Jesus' feet with perfume). I appreciated how she places each woman in one of three categories: Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Moment, & Bad for a Season but Not Forever (except Eve, who was the First Bad Girl).

Through it all, I was forced to re-evalute the excuses I've used so many times as a former bad girl & acknowledge the reality that, regardless of how others' choices impact me, I remain responsible for the decisions I make. This was the first of Liz's books that I've read, & it will not be the last. I have since purchased the workbook, as well as the follow-up book & workbook. As a former bad girl, with some traces still remaining, I found this book to be exactly what I was looking for. Convictions, insights, compassion, & encouragement abound. Don't miss this.

This is a must for every woman with or without a past. It allows one to look deep within and see the woman that was or is and the hope of a new life with and in Christ Jesus. It has wonderful insights into your relationships with others and more importantly with our husbands. How often we are quick to blame them when it just might be our problem and not their fault. I found this book spiritual, insightful and humorous. I encourage every woman to give it a look see.

When my husband saw me reading "Bad Girls of the Bible," he asked me why I wasn't reading about the good girls. The answer is simple; occasionally you learn more from the mistakes of some than from the perfection of others. Curtis-Higgs has written an excellent book. Combining fiction, research, and thought provoking questions, she's provided readers from all kinds of backgrounds, both christian and non-christian, points to ponder. I'm eagerly anticipating the second installment.

Liz's boooks only get better. This one seems so contemporary. Every word reminds of God's timelessness, and in this case, women's frailties that need compassion. This book has the depth, and still reads fast.

This is the first in what is now a collection of books by Liz Curtis Higgs having to do with women of the Bible. Not just any women of the Bible, but the ones who have come down through history with a bad reputation. This book has become so popular that it was an Evangelical Christian Publisher's Association Gold Medallion Finalist in 2000 and resulted in a sequel: Really Bad Girls of the Bible.

Reading the original book is a great way to flesh out some of those long ago ladies with their unusual Biblical names. Higgs, who has a long list of books to her name and who has since gone on to become an author of historical novels, presents each of the women in character sketches that highlight their flaws and foibles. And she does so by creating purely fictional modern day women who have similar stores to tell.

Imaginative? Of course it is! In a series of ten chapters, we begin by meeting modern day counterparts of familiar or not-so-familiar women of the Bible. These are women who have a past, or a problem or some scandalous secret.

Each chapter has a contemporary story and then retells the Biblical story, so that we can juxtapose the two, and find ways to apply what happened long ago to what happens in our own daily lives.

So, for instance, the story of Eve ("The First Bad Girl") is introduced through a debutante from Savannah named Evelyn Whitebloom. Her father had a beautiful, you guessed it, garden. Evie's memories of the garden are colored not only by long walks enjoying its beauty, but also of the mystery surrounding the garden's central feature: a gazebo into which she was told never to enter. If the tale sounds as enticing to you as does the gazebo to Evie, you are beginning to understand this book's widespread appeal.

We meet a modern day equivalent of Potiphar's wife, who is "bored to distraction". The modern version of Lot's wife, is, of course, called a "pillar of the community" and so forth.

In a chapter called "Generous to a Fault" we meet Sophie and her husband, who are shady real estate speculators in the leafy Pittsburgh suburb, Fox Chapel. Higgs has done her research; anyone who has lived there will feel right at home. The characters plot and scheme and end up meeting a sad, similar fate to that of Sapphira and Annanias from the Book of Acts. In a comparable fashion, the author presents contemporary counterparts to The Woman at the Well, Delilah, Rahab, Jezebel, Michal and more.

Many of these are cautionary tales; in other words, we study their lives to learn how not to live. Others show us that bad choices aren't necessarily forever, especially when the grace of God intervenes.

The key to appreciating this book is learning from others how to make good or bad choices. Some of these women never learn, never change, never live up to their full potential. Other bad girls are bad for a moment, but get beyond it. And there are other bad girls who are bad for a season but not forever. The book contains its own study guide, and has proven a popular resource for women's circles and Bible study groups. There are also corresponding VHS videos and companion workbooks. But even as a stand alone resource for your own enjoyment, this book is well worth your time and effort.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

Not only has Liz Curtis Higgs done her research, but she's a great storyteller, to boot. By first placing each featured woman's story in the appropriate historical setting, and then creating a similar story in current times, Curtis Higgs does as any good pastor would, giving the reader a sense of how lessons from the Bible can be helpful today.

Once you mix in Curtis Higgs' sense of humor, you have a great book of learning, laughter, and thought provoking moments. The humor allows the reader to lighten up on herself (or himself) about past transgressions, and to see that even those "Bad Girls of the Bible" were able to change and grow in positive ways -- most of them, anyway. "Bad Girls" brings a sense of hope, especially to those who may be struggling with issues of self-esteem and concern that they might not be "good enough" for God.

Curtis Higgs brings to light women that are often missed or have not received much attention compared with the men of the Bible --yet another great aspect of this book. I look forward to reading the next installment!

Liz Curtis Higgs juxtaposes fiction and nonfiction in the same book. Read the stories of modern "bad girls" while guessing what Bible character they represent. Then read the nonfiction essay on the Biblical "bad girl". Find out how they were bad, why they were bad, and what God did about it. Liz describes herself as a "former bad girl", so she really gets inside the skin of these women. This book is so good that I can't keep it on hand. I've lent out and given away multiple copies to women who never fail to enjoy the book and experience God in a meaningful way. Get one for yourself and one for your daughter/mother/best friend. (I'm a former bad girl myself.) Then go for Really Bad Girls of the Bible and Unveiling Mary Magdalene by the same author.

I read the manuscript of this book, and between laughing and crying, I learned so much! There's more to this book than Liz's delightful trademark humor--there is real spiritual meat and timeless truth. Perfect for an individual or group Bible study, BAD GIRLS will change your life! I highly recommend!