Customer Reviews

Making Wise the Simple: The Torah in Christian Faith and Practice

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I give this book four stars for these two reasons: 1) The writing is accesible and clear. 2) The author persuasively makes this case that Christians should pay more attention to the Torah. She also highlights an important thread in the Torah: God's call to care for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. I do not always agree with the author's conclusions but gladly echo her sentiments and appreciate her insights. For anyone who is repelled by the Old Testament's picture of God or offended by Israel's election or the presence of violence in the Old Testament, this book is an necessary read. The author is a "Reformed feminist" who is very aware of herself in her readings of the Torah texts.

At times, van Wijk-Bos' attention to the important and pervasive theme about care for the outsider seems to neglect other central elements. It is by no means exhaustive or complete, but successful in what it sets out to do: help Christians see the importance of Torah and correct misconceptions about Torah.