The Bible Tells Me So: Uses and Abuses of Holy Scripture

This book isn't meant to be a scholarly, detailed account of all of the various ways the Bible has been "used and abused" to justify various activities. It's really not fair to criticize it for not being such. What this book is is a solid, well-researched basic overview of the most common ways the Bible has been used in various social causes. It's presented in a fun, easy-to-read layout, with some really great historical illustrations that help bring home the messages. Reading this relatively small book will give you as much "fuel" in arguing scripture as most fundamentalist Christians -- "The Bible Tells Me So" gives you all the various passages that these folks have conveniently forgotten or never been taught. It will probably whet your appetite for more detailed books (I know it did for me). But if you are a Christian, don't be intimidated by this book, don't think it's something you shouldn't read, and don't think it's an attack on Christianity. While this book will bring to your attention Bible passages that might make you very uncomfortable, and ways these passages have been used to oppress people, it will also bring to your attention many verses of the Bible that may give you a lot of comfort and increased strength in your faith, and some verses that may surprise you, such as the verses that support homosexual marriage (yes, that SUPPORT such).

"The Bible Tells Me So: Uses and Abuses of Holy Scripture," by Jim Hill and Rand Cheadle, is a compelling book. The co-authors have collected excerpts from a huge body of historical documents in order to show how the Judeo-Christian Bible has been used to support a variety of positions, many of them contradictory.As Hill and Cheadle show, verses from the Bible have been used to justify both slavery and its abolition, to promote persecution of the Jews, as tools in the deadly witch hunts in the 16th and 17th centuries, to both persecute and empower homosexuals, to support both Afrocentrism and white supremacy, to both justify and oppose war, to "prove" that the earth is the center of the universe, and more.The book includes numerous quotes, sidebars, and illustrations. There are extensive bibliographic notes on each topic for those interested in further research.This book should be required reading for all Christians (and for those non-Christians who may find themselves the targets of Bible-justified bigotry).Sadly, the narrow-minded ideological fundamentalists who use the Bible to justify their positions will probably not be moved by this book; they will probably write it off as a Satan-inspired deception. But for the rest of us, this is a fascinating resource. Next time you hear someone use the phrase "But the Bible says..." in an argument, whip out this book.

As the Foremost Authority On All Things Biblical, I find this little Biblical How-To a must-have for any Christian (Baptist) woman. This how-to guide is priceless when preparing Sunday School lessons, planning a post prayer meeting soiree, and perfect for rebuking in a pinch. It's compact size makes it easy to tuck into a full sized handbag or evening clutch. I keep at least two copies with me at all times; One for show and one to go. Makes a divine gift for the secret pal on your list or for the servant who has everything. I plan on buying them for all my friends for CHRISTmas.YIC,Sister Taffy

Want to encounter the Bible minus the funda-babble of televangelists (and the guy at work who thinks the Authorised Version was written by Saint James)? Here's a great place to start. Innoculate yourself against the wiles of biblical-literalists. Even better, lend a copy to a young person who might otherwise be easy prey to the siren call of the legions of self-proclaimed authorities who tout their wares in the media marketplace. You'll never see Oral Roberts or Benny Hinn in quite the same light again.This isn't a densely written scholarly work. In fact it's extremely readable. You can dip into it at your leisure and still learn a lot. Thoughtful Christians won't be offended by this book, but they may be challenged to think a little more deeply about the way they use the Bible, and the assumptions they've inherited.

The more I read about America's past history in dealing with social issues, the more convinced I become that what we are witnessing today (i.e. culture war) is not unusual and certainly not unique. For sure, the issues are different, but the type of argumentation used to defend and oppose various causes has not changed all that much. When I hear some of the rhetoric coming from the Religious Right, I can now say with certainty, that I have indeed read that in a history book somewhere. Those on the right need to know this and so I would encourage anyone of that political persuasion to do themselves and society a favor by examining the successes and failures of their bible-toting predecessors.