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

Robert J. Hutchinson (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Politically Incorrect Guides | Publication Date: October 16, 2007

More a culture war book than a work of religious apologetics, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible" exposes the intellectual fraud, shoddy arguments, and totalitarian agenda of those who seek to further their political goals by mocking the authority of the Bible.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert J. Hutchinson, a veteran religion writer, studied philosophy as an undergraduate, moved to Israel to study Hebrew, and earned an M.A. in biblical studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. He writes frequently on the intersection of religion and popular culture. He lives in Southern California with his wife and five children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596985208
• ISBN-13: 978-1596985209
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 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: #69,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 132 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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Main focus of the book is the Hebrew Bible, and presents traditional defenses afresh, January 29, 2010

By 

Joel Barnes - See all my reviews

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

The popular book series by the name "Politically Incorrect Guide" (P.I.G.) is a collection of generally conservative defenses of traditional beliefs largely dismissed today because of their lack of resonance with politically correct values and beliefs.

For this reason, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the apologetic (interacting with arguments as opposed to saying "sorry") tone of Robert Hutchinson's, The P.I.G. to the Bible. Yet I am. I'm pleasantly surprised by the sustained apologetic nature of the book. From the outset, Hutchinson launches a counterattack against the atheist crusaders (Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris et al.) and liberal scholars of today; those who are in the business of disparaging the Bible as barbarous, unreliable, oppressive, suppressive, (insert negative descriptor of your choice here).

Just as most assaults on the Bible today are as old as Christianity (e.g., the Bible endorses slavery, totalitarianism, capital punishment for planting crops side-by-side, etc.), Hutchinson presents afresh the traditional defenses to these assaults.

It should be pointed out that the title to the book has the potential to mislead readers. Although Hutchinson does address the New Testament, the main focus in the book is the Hebrew Bible or what Christians call the Old Testament, given his advanced studies in Hebrew and Judaism. Very little time is spent on alternative Christianities in the New Testament as we're so accustomed to hearing from the likes of Dan Brown, Bart Ehrman et al.

As a conservative Christian, I find this focus on the Old Testament refreshing. Many Christians have ignored the Old Testament for years and have, consequently, fallen prey to the official view of the Old Testament as barbarous and cruel. Hutchinson demonstrates that nothing could be farther from the truth. He argues, in fact, that such things as inalienable human rights for everyone and liberal democracy have as their fountainhead the Hebrew Scriptures.

To Christians in search of answers to some of the toughest questions about the Bible, this book will provide a good many answers and bolster the faith. To those who are persuaded by the likes of Dawkins and Company, much could be learned about the arguments of the "other side."

As with other books in the P.I.G. series, this one is a pleasure to a read.

39 of 50 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.