Better Ways to Read the Bible
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Discipleship & Christian Education
- Publisher: Brazos Press (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2025
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
How can we read the Bible in ways that lead to healing and wholeness?"A wide-ranging and cogent guide to seeing scripture in a new light. Disenchanted Christians will be energized."--Publishers WeeklyAs a pastor for more than ten years, Zach Lambert has seen the Bible used countless times as something far from the "Good Book"--both in his own life and in the experiences of others. He has seen the Bible weaponized to subjugate women, justify racism, bash LGBTQ+ people, cover up abuse, and exclude people who speak out against these injustices. If you've been hurt by harmful interpretations or feel disconnected from Scripture, this book offers a path forward to reclaim the Bible's life-giving message. This accessible resource will help you● break free from harmful interpretations that distort Scripture's true message,● develop Christ-centered reading practices,● renew your relationship with Scripture,● apply new frameworks to challenging Bible passages that have historically been misused to cause harm, and● connect with Christians who embrace Scripture's call to abundant life for everyone. In this compassionate guide, Lambert dismantles four common lenses for reading the Bible that lead to harm, then offers four new lenses that promote healing and wholeness. This book welcomes all Christians--regardless of background, doubts, or wounds--to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.
Endorsements (8)
“Lambert challenges the ways Scripture has been misused and invites readers into a more compassionate, justice-centered understanding of the Bible.”
“This fine debut book by leading post-evangelical pastor Zach Lambert is a profound combination of memoir, biblical storytelling, and scriptural interpretation. It will be a major resource for the rapidly growing community of post-evangelicals. I highly recommend this work!”
“In Better Ways to Read the Bible, Zach Lambert does what so many Christian leaders seem unwilling to do: he asks tough, important questions of the Bible and opens himself to unexpected responses. With a theologian’s mind and a pastor’s heart, Lambert shares his personal, often painful, stories from his journey of relearning Scripture. This book offers a fresh reading of the Bible that provides a counternarrative to white Christian nationalism and its rigid, exclusionary interpretations of the teachings of God. What emerges is a vision of the kind of Christianity most people imagine and hope for in the world. This book is for the faithful, the skeptic, and the inquirer. No matter who you are, this book will make you curious about another book: the Bible.”
“This book is for those who have been harmed by the church; it will bring healing. This book is for those who will not agree with it; it will bring understanding. This book is for those who can’t reconcile the words of Christ to love God and love others with the church they see today; it will bring clarity. With pastoral compassion and wit, Zach Lambert invites you into a conversation about how the Bible can be read differently. He will challenge you, encourage you, and show you how, even amid theological differences, Christians should be known first for our love.”
“This book is a must-read for anyone wrestling with faith after experiencing harmful Bible interpretations. Lambert offers a path forward, transforming Scripture from a weapon of harm into a healing tool. With clarity and compassion, he exposes problematic lenses and provides practical alternatives. Lambert’s unveiling offers hope for the marginalized and tools for healthy Bible reading. This book will empower readers to reclaim the Bible as a source of liberation and wholeness.”
“It’s been said that many Christians have a head full of Scripture but a heart full of hate. That is why I find Zach Lambert so refreshing. In this debut book, he answers bad theology with good theology. Zach is a pastor who loves people and a theologian who loves Scripture. He cares so much about Jesus and the Bible that he isn’t willing to concede his faith to those who distort Scripture in order to camouflage their bigotry. This is a book for people who love the Bible as much as it is a book for those who have been turned off by the Bible because of how it’s been weaponized. Let it cause you to lean in, stay curious, question the clichés, and take the Bible back as a love story.”
“Many are disturbed at the rapid rate at which the Bible, especially in the United States, is being used as a weapon. Rooted in his own personal experience, deep study, and pastoral ministry, Zach Lambert offers sage guidance for moving beyond the harmful lenses that obscure and distort the life-affirming words of Scripture. This book is a winsome and insightful aid for followers of Jesus.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem