What Is the Bible?: How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything

Rob Bell

May 2017 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Instant New York Times Bestseller

Rob Bell, the beloved author of Love Wins and What We Talk About When We Talk About God, goes deep into the Bible to show how it is more revelatory, revolutionary, and relevant than we ever imagined—and offers a cogent argument for why we need to look at it in a fresh, new way.

In Love Wins, Rob Bell confronted the troubling questions that many people of faith were afraid to ask about heaven, hell, fate, and faith. Using the same inspired, inquisitive approach, he now turns to our most sacred book, the Bible. What Is the Bible? provides insights and answers that make clear why the Bible is so revered and what makes it truly inspiring and essential to our lives.

Rob takes us deep into actual passages to reveal the humanity behind the Scriptures. You cannot get to the holy without going through the human, Rob tells us. When considering a passage, we shouldn’t ask "Why did God say . . .?" To get to the heart of the Bible’s meaning, we should be asking: "What’s the story that’s unfolding here and why did people find it important to tell it? What was it that moved them to record these words? What was happening in the world at that time? What does this passage/story/poem/verse/book tell us about how people understood who they were and who God was at that time?" In asking these questions, Rob goes beyond the one-dimensional question of "is it true?" to reveal the Bible’s authentic transformative power.

Rob addresses the concerns of all those who see the Bible as God’s Word but are troubled by the ethical dilemmas, errors, and inconsistencies in Scripture. With What Is the Bible?, he recaptures the Good Book’s magic and reaffirms its power and inspiration to shape and inspire our lives today.

Ratings and reviews

I Don't agree with certain aspects of Rob Bell's worldview...but thats ok,I have always admired how he communicates and captures your attention, reading this book was a blessing, this man is gifted in communication, and I can honestly say that he is not trying to shove an agenda, or convince you to think like him, he truly speaks about the Bible as a book, as a story, and with these words he revitalizes you to be inspired, to view this Great ancient book through a different lense...I highly recommend it, when you read it set aside your denominational doctrine view and enjoy...and if there is something you don't like, it's all good that's the beauty of having an open mind and putting to practice what the Apostle Paul said "take the good, and set aside the bad" thank you Rob Bell

This book is a game changer. Easily accessible to believers, sceptics, non believers, recovering fundamentalists, etc. I am from the Bible belt and I would buy a copy for every person I know if I could. I am a former atheist who found faith in my 20's. My beliefs have been like unconnected puzzle pieces, because I couldn't reconcile what I knew to be true of God with a strictly literal reading of the Bible. After reading the thoughts in this book (when they were in the form of his Tumblr blog) all the puzzle pieces came together! This book could open the door to the Bible for so many people. And for those that use the Bible to take the world backwards instead of forwards, this book could help them to change directions and discover all sorts of new beauty!

About the author

Rob Bell is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and spiritual teacher. His books include Love Wins, How to Be Here, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, Velvet Elvis, The Zimzum of Love, Sex God, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, and Drops Like Stars. He hosts the weekly podcast The Robcast, which was named by iTunes as one of the best of 2015. He was profiled in The New Yorker and in TIME Magazine as one of 2011’s hundred most influential people. He and his wife, Kristen, have three children and live in Los Angeles.