Customer Reviews

Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

John Coats is a damn good storyteller, and Original Sinners will help you examine what you know or think you know about both religion and the world. It matters not if you are versed in religion or just discovering how it fits your life - an entirely new understanding of these people, places, and times unfolds beautifully.

This is also not a book about religion - it is a book about life and all that it is and all that leads one through it. It is about Mom's favorite brother, Uncle Robert, and great-aunt Catherine. About Second Cousin (once removed) Larry and that woman what's-her-name he married. It about you, and me and us. It is about life.

- Michael Goins, professor of writing, University of Texas at San Antonio

"Prepare to be challenged, educated, intrigued and entertained...in Original Sinners, John Coats has expertly woven the past with the present, creating a fresh relevance that compels the reader to reflect and continue their page turning journey through Genesis. This inspiring read succeeds in separating spirituality and religion, applying an appropriate dose of reality, resulting in a newly realized understanding and appreciation of what may have previously been considered "known".

Congratulations, John...we're looking forward to the next one!"

I've known John Coats for a long time. When he told me he was writing a book on Genesis, I thought, "Well, that will be erudite and thoughtful". What i didn't realize was that it would also be engaging and poignant and really funny as well. It has given me fresh eyes to see Genesis as it truly is, and to appreciate my relationship to its mythologies. Its also given me a renewed appreciation for John. I'm grateful, and congratulations for writing a book that I had difficulty putting down.

I enjoyed John Coats' work and the voice of this book as it makes the biblical creation story more accessible through the lens of the humanity of the recorders, players, and interepreters in and of Genesis. Well done, well said. Believers and non believers can enjoy Coats' analysis and its' invitation to relate to the lives of the characters in the context of the time. He helps to enlighten many misconceptions heard over the years while giving the reader's common sense and own experiences weight and value in the matter of constructing belief, priming the pump with reflections of his journey as a man and priest. It's good fun as well.

I just recently finished reading Original Sinners, a 213 page book written by John Coats. As a lifelong student of theology, the Bible can be confusing and often contradictory. Many people complain about being able to relate to the characters, removed from us by thousands of miles and thousands of years. Empires come and go. Cultures rise, evolve, and fade. But the one thing that hasn't changed that much, and remains pretty much the same regardless of time or place is human nature. In that, we are pretty much the same. What motivated Eve, Jacob, Rebecca, or Joseph pretty much motivates us today. The other thing many people have difficulty with is the language. The Bible is very difficult to accurately translate. The words often don't have the same meaning to us as they did for their original audience thousands of years ago.

The beauty of this book is that Mr. Coats does a masterful job of "humanizing" the characters, from Adam to Joseph (did you know, for instance, that "adam" was actually a Hebraic word for "human being" and not a person's name? Just as Adam was, well, an "adam", so was Eve!). At the same time, the author takes the core of the story, such as Noah and Flood, and places it in a modern context by relating his personal experiences, and in doing so, offers the reader to do the same thing. Once you understand what the biblical author was trying to say, and thanks to Mr. Coats, place it into our world, the story comes alive and becomes more relevant. I strongly recommend you check out this book.

Mr. Coat's remarkable book spans at least two chasms; first, he brings background, tradition and historical correlation to each of the stories in the first book of the Bible. Secondly, he relates personal experiences and contemporary anecdotes that draw parallels and meaning between the ancient text and modern daily life.

The result is an enjoyable and entertaining read with real-world lessons in living. While the term "Living Bible" has been out there for a while, this book actually brings the traditional text to life for me in a way that allows the ancient stories to help me better understand and experience my daily life in the modern world.

All this "deep stuff", and an engaging read, too! I can't wait to see what he does with "Exodus"!

""Original Sinners", shook my heart and rattled my brain. Author John Coats is poking a badger with a spoon. Sure to enlighten readers with his mind expanding views on a journey through Genesis."

John Coats offers a thoughtful, humorous, and human commentary on the "characters" presented in The Book of Genesis. The discussions he presents include information from the most recent Biblical scholars and insight on how these stories apply to our lives. He is never preachy or insistent that his is the only correct interpretation. In fact he offers more than one possible explanation of what motivates some of the "characters" actions. Indeed he presents the patriarchs as true "characters" not necessarily pious or religious, but often humorous and flawed. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a more in depth understanding of Genesis, not the mainstream explanations, but a thoughtful look at the oldest stories in the epic of man's understanding and relationship with The Creator.

So, i began the book once prior but life got in the way, and i have begun anew. I havenot had so much fun in sometime. He makes me jump up and say...."That's what I thought", with a silly girlish grin...while other times I must stop and say..."hum!!!" Either way...thank John for the writes. I am truly glad I was able to have this opportunity, and hopefully will be able to share this along the way.

I have not had the opportunity to read at length, yet what I have read and learned, is quite interesting.