Review of:  How the Bible Actually Works

Peter Enns.  Zondervan, $26.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-0626-8674-9

From the author The Bible Tells Me So comes a thought-provoking work challenging Christians’ understanding of the true purpose of the Bible.  Enns describes three characteristics that he asserts make the Bible worth reading:  it’s ancientness, ambiguousness, and diversity [p. 6].  He indicates that the Bible does not actually tell us what to do [pp. 23-47], and that even Old Testament laws leave room for interpretation depending on context [pp. 51-71].  Enns argues that discrepancies in scripture point to differences in time and culture and illustrate humans’ re-imagining God [pp. 97 ff].  He analyzes multiple passages from both the Old and New Testaments in terms of historical context to illustrate the biblical writers’ changing interpretations of the nature of God and the problem of evil [pp. 163 ff].  Enns’ argues that the Bible contains these variations to make readers learn to reflect on their own situations considering connections between the past and present, which leads to wisdom [pp. 163 ff].  Enns writes with a conversational, self-effacing tone, yet seems aware that he gets bogged down in academic minutiae and loss of overall focus.  This book will appeal to Christians seeking a broader approach for understanding scripture and their faith.   4 stars.