The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible (Politically Incorrect Guides) [Audio CD]

Robert J. Hutchinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007 | Series: Politically Incorrect Guides

The Bible remains the bestselling book of all time, believed by nearly two billion people (Christians and Jews) to be divinely inspired. But in this hard-hitting new book, author Robert J. Hutchinson argues that it is actually much more than this. The ideas enshrined in the Bible, he says, triggered a revolution in human thought and established the moral and philosophical foundation for Western civilization, from the recognition of basic human rights and belief in limited government to authentic feminism and the development of empirical science. He shows that it is more a "culture-war" book than a work of religious apologetics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ROBERT J. HUTCHINSON is a religion and travel writer and the author of three previous books, including When in Rome about the year he spent covering the Vatican. He earned an M.A. in the New Testament from fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and studied modern Hebrew while living in Israel.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio Inc.; Unabridged edition (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433205246
• ISBN-13: 978-1433205248
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Books on CD > Religion & Spirituality > Bible
  • #45 in Books > Books on CD > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

115 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enlightening, March 1, 2008

By 

The Professor - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible (The Politically Incorrect Guides) (Paperback)

I bought this book solely because the adds for it said it covered how "the Bible made modern science possible (which is why it started in the middle ages)". I looked in the table of contents and could not find a chapter that was obviously on this topic, so started reading the book from page 1 and read until I finally came to it on page 137. This chapter was poorly documented, but this may be because the book is intended for laypersons. Nonetheless, the chapter (and the whole book) was well done and presented a good outline in support of the author's position. The book was so engaging that I finished it, and am glad I did, for I normally never would have read a book on the Bible. The chapter on slavery was especially useful, as I had assumed the common stereotype that many Christians were in bed with the slave holders because the Bible condones the modern Western slavery system, and the atheists and humanists were the main persons who opposed this slavery system. This common story, as this book documents (and as my outside reading, such as the book Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World by David Brion Davis (Oxford University Press) also documents, is inaccurate. I have concluded that Hutchinson's account is generally accurate, although incomplete. The section on the rights of women was especially interesting to me. Hutchinson writes that Christianity's stress on human equality (quoting the apostle Paul that there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor freeman, female nor male distinctions in Christianity, as well as historical writings) that "Christianity was undoubtedly the most pro-female religion in history" (page 191). He then discusses why this is true, noting that a large number of women became Christians partly because of how they were treated in the early church. An example is Christianity accorded women greater social status, even administrative positions in the church such as deacon. Hutchinson then lists numerous other reasons why the church was, in stark contrast to the other major religions and social systems of the time, very pro women. The author is clearly an ID supporter and may best be described as a long age creationist, and this shows in several chapters, such as in chapter 6, page 87. Highly recommended. My only concern is documentation is less than ideal, but I could not point to any major points that I found clearly inaccurate.

40 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and Compelling, October 31, 2007

By 

Elizabeth S. Smith (Santa Ana, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible (The Politically Incorrect Guides) (Paperback)

What a relief to find a well-informed, carefully crafted, sprightly written explanation of the place of religion in ethics, history, and moral action. Impressive statistics and data, convincing reasoning. I started out somewhat skeptical but found myself drawn in as Hutchison built his thesis step by step. So much of current writing, movies, news, political speak assumes that religion is harmful or irrelevant. Hutchison esposes the dangers of that lie with skill and humor and power.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read your scriptures - Read this book!, August 5, 2010

By 

C. Carlson (Arcadia, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible (The Politically Incorrect Guides) (Paperback)

There is nothing like reading the scriptures to be able to discern truth in these latter days, but with all the distortions in the world today, armor up with some of the material in this book too.
A must read for those who care about human freedom and progress, who are revolted by good being called bad and bad being called good.