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How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Struggling with Divine Violence from Genesis Through Revelation Hardcover – March 3, 2015

by John Dominic Crossan (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 44 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: HarperOne; First Edition edition (March 3, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0062203592
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062203595
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsEnlightening, challenging
By Joseph F. Schmidt on April 14, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
In this book Crossan brings together years of research, writing, and meditation on the Christian Biblical text. The work a great achievement of synthesis, packed with seminal ideas, brief and well written. It is, however, not an easy read; probably requiring a reread to get all the nuances and implications. Some of Crossan’s more recent books have elaborated on many of the ideas he alludes to here.
Crossan, regarded as the preeminent Jesus scholar writing in English in our time, uses his considerable skills and learning in pastoral ministry, cultural anthropology, world literature, history, linguistics, archeology, and, of course, biblical studies to address the question, “What does the Christian Bible reveal about its own imagination of God’s character when we read it through as a complete unit and as an integrated whole?” In particular Crossan wishes to answer the questions, “Is the God of the Bible violent or nonviolent, and is Jesus as the image of God violent or nonviolent?”
Crossan proposes that the meaning of the Bible’s story is in the middle, in the story of Jesus in the Gospels and in the early writings of Paul.
He identifies Christians as people not of the book but of the person and with the book. Christians do not believe that God so loved the world that he gave his only Book, but rather his only Son (Jn 3:16). Crossan’s contention is that “The norm and criterion of the Christian bible is the biblical Christ and the norm and criterion of the biblical Christ is the historical Jesus.”
The Bible presents God as both violent and nonviolent; it also depicts Jesus as nonviolence in his life and then, in the book of Revelation, as the Christ of violence. How do we know which depiction of God and Jesus Christ is true.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsBeautifully and skillfully written.
By Debo on March 22, 2015
Format: Hardcover
John Dominic Crossan continues to reveal in the most exquisite and factual writing skill information that allures the reader to probe further in their quest for spiritual and biblical maturity. This newest book by Dr. Crossan exceeded my expectations. It's definitely worth a second or third reading. Beautifully and skillfully written.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe crucial point is that the Bible was written by men--some who did the best they could with data available
By Richard M. Jones on April 21, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Every Christian should read this book, with the understanding that many will vehemently disagree with many points. However, the research is sound, the presentation is fair, and the conclusions are consistent. The book will likely focus your faith, perhaps modify some of the beliefs you have held for many years. Certainly, every minister should study it carefully, though many, I fear, will reject it as heresy. The crucial point is that the Bible was written by men--some who did the best they could with data available, others with definite motives. This is a valuable book.
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5.0 out of 5 starsCrossan at his best.
By Prof Larry on April 14, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Some of Crossan's best work. This is an important book for anyone who wants a different perspective on violence in the Bible. The scholarship is excellent, and the writing clear and accessible. Highly Recommended.
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4.0 out of 5 stars“Justice is the body of love, and love is the soul of justice
By Robert G. Buice on May 11, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
John Dominic Crossan, a former Catholic priest, is an Irish-American New Testament scholar, and historian of early Christianity. He had authored both scholarly and popular works. His recent “How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian” is another impressive scholarly writing.

Crossan’s model describing the dynamics of the Christian Bible is highly though-provoking – The Radicality of God vs the Normalicy of Civilization – Nonviolent Power of Persuasion vs Violent Power of Force – Distributive Justice vs Retributive Justice.

His discussion of how the Apostle St. Paul was initially something of a radical but was de-radicalized through two stages is quite intriguing. In the New Testament epistles that were written by Paul (1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, Philemon, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans), the apostle is referred to as the “Real Paul” or the “Radical Paul”. In those whose authorship may be in question (2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians), the apostle is de-radicalized into a conservative “anti-Paul.” or “Post Paul”, and in those that were definitely not written by Paul (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus), the apostle is further de-radicalized into a reactionary “anti-Paul.” or “Pseudo Paul”. Differences between the three are somewhat surprising.

Crossan closes with the statements, “Justice is the body of love, and love is the soul of justice. Separate them and you do not get both— you get neither;
…” and, borrowing from poet John Keats, “Justice is love, love is justice. That is all we know on earth, and all we need to know.”

The book is a fascinating read and is very informative in selected areas of Christian history and scripture.
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5.0 out of 5 starsJustice v Judgement
By HT on January 20, 2016
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I am a Christian; however, I have struggled most of my adult life with the dichotomy of God as described in the Bible. On the one hand we have the loving creator God who gave us everything and whose son preached love and nonviolence. On the other hand we have the avenging God of the flood, periodic wrath against his people, and ultimately the sword wielding Jesus of death in Revelation. "Put bluntly, the nonviolent Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount seemed annulled and dismissed by the later Jesus in the book of Revelation." [p 9] John Dominic Crossan has done a masterful job showing how and why that dichotomy repeatedly exists in the Bible.

Crossan's compelling argument is that God provides us radical love and distribution of resources but civilization continually subverts His will into our quest for more, more, more. "[W]e see that as in the Old Testament so in the New, as with Torah so with Paul, a rhythm of assertion-and-subversion is emphatically present. A vision of the radicality of God is put forth, and then later, we see that vision domesticated and integrated into the normalcy of civilization so that the established order of life is maintained. Furthermore, both elements are cited from, in one case, the mouth of God and, in the other, the pen of Paul."[p 27]

God's will for us is a world of justice. "There are, however, two forms of justice - the justice of distribution and the justice of retribution; a distinction of supreme importance for both the Bible and this book. In fact, I will go a step farther and argue that distributive justice is the primary meaning of the word 'justice' and that retributive justice is secondary and derivative. In the bible, it is primarily about a fair distribution of God's world for all of God's people.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBEST YET!!!

I've enjoyed the scholarship and challenge of many of Crossan's books. For me this is the Best Yet! Read more

Published 8 days ago by Joan C Wrenn
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a wonderful new look at the violence represented in the Bible

Crosson Has done it again. This is a wonderful new look at the violence represented in the Bible; where it comes from, how we have interpreted it, and maybe not how it was meant to... Read more

Published 14 days ago by kathy
3.0 out of 5 starsGreat theological biblical analisys but not very helpful writing style

Great theological biblical analisys but not very helpful writing style. I enjoyed the themes but found it a difficult read.

Published 2 months ago by David Pearson
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Very good.

Published 2 months ago by Ian A. Feliciano
4.0 out of 5 starsViolence in the Bible

I do not feel that the author answered the question posed by the title. He did, however, compare opposing violence and non violence. It is an interesting study.

Published 3 months ago by N Goodyear
5.0 out of 5 starsErudite discussion of the seeming violence of God in the ...

Erudite discussion of the seeming violence of God in the Bible. Crossan shows how later editing changed much of the original writings to fit with the human concept of power and... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Patricia S. Snowden
5.0 out of 5 starsWill the Real Jesus Stand Up

I bought "How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian" because of the intriguing title and the author, John Dominic Crossan. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Ernest G. Barr
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent.

Excellent. The work challenges the reader's thinking in positive ways. You will grow spiritually and professionally.

Published 6 months ago by Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsAlthough a scholarly treatise laying out Crossan's theories of the ...

Although a scholarly treatise laying out Crossan's theories of the Biblical origins, especially as related to violence, this is not for the casual reader but more for the scholar... Read more

Published 7 months ago by James F. Ray
3.0 out of 5 starsThe point of the book was excellent, but it could have been shorter

The point of the book was excellent, but it could have been shorter. There was a lot of repetition.

Published 9 months ago by Clarence Hoop

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