The breath of fresh air needed in a world more focused on the bad than the good. An excellent way to put words to the deepest desires of our hearts to follow Jesus by being loving and affirming of everyone he has created and finding beauty in the diversity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zach Lambert for this galley. I'm using this and The Bible recap in my women's bible group and its helped me greatly!

Zach Lambert's book is a beautiful, welcome breath of fresh air. In very readable yet deeply insightful chapters we're led through understanding context and considering layers of meaning. Any reading of the Bible is done through lenses of bias, even if we don't know or acknowledge that fact. I think what Pastor Lambert has done so well is free up scripture and widen our perspectives, allowing the true depths of passages and stories to be plumbed, and the gift of the Living Word to be enlivened again. A wide range of other voices have been included, which I think enriches the journey. I believe Better Ways to Read the Bible is going to be very helpful to a lot of people.

Excelente. This book is a game changer for anyone questioning their faith after the rise of Christian Nationalism.

In Better Ways to Read the Bible, Zach Lambert does a great job in sharing his deep love for scripture and how he has seen it harm so many people by bias', negative interpretations, or viewpoints. Zach shares four lenses that scripture it typically viewed through: the literalism lens, the apocalypse lens, the moralism lens, and the hierarchy lens. He elaborates on how scripture is viewed by others through their own bias' and lenses, and how these views can somewhat be harmful and hurtful to others, as well as skew the actual meaning of the Word of God. In the last part of the book, Zach shares what he promotes as healing lenses: the Jesus lens, the context lens, the flourishing lens, and the fruitfulness lens. In each chapter, he pulls examples from the Bible of harmful lenses and then provides alternative examples of better ways to read those Scriptures. I found myself being encouraged as I read through this book, as I have personally seen many people harmed and hurt by patriarchal viewpoints, as well as other damaging views, which then leads to many falling away from the church and God. If our goal, as believers in Jesus Christ, is to bring others to know Him, wouldn't we want to espouse His teachings, love for others, and humble views for all? I highly recommend this book to read, as it will challenge your way of thinking, enlighten your views, and give you so much to think about on how you view the Bible and God's word. Thank you to NetGalley and Brazos Press for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

Outstanding read! Growing up in the evangelical Christian church, there are so many things I was taught to not question. Zach Lambert has done a great job of helping us rethink how we interpret the Bible and reminds us that God welcomes all our questions and doubts.

As a former pastor and someone well-acquainted with how the bible can be and has been used to cause harm and division, I absolutely loved how Zach Lambert introduced alternative ways to approach scripture. Many people feel like they have to choose between loving their neighbor and calling themselves Christian, but Lambert makes a clear biblical case for those two things to go hand in hand.

In his conclusion, Lambert writes: "I hope this book is a balm. I pray the stories and concepts found in these pages will help you read the Bible in ways that bring healing and wholeness to yourself and your neighbor. Transformation can happen. I've seen it and experienced it first-hand too many times for me to doubt it now. I know it might feel like your love of Scripture is dead or your faith is lifeless, but Jesus is in the business of resurrection."

This book is a balm, and it's helped me to again find comfort in the book that has been used to cause such harm to so many.

“Better Ways to Read the Bible” has been the most helpful tool for me during the reconstruction of my faith. I was fired from the church I had attended for 10 years for my support and identification of the LGBTQ+ community. Zach W. Lambert makes it more than clear that the hateful, sexist, homophobic, exclusionary ways that many churches present Jesus and the bible are so far from the reality of God’s love for us. It’s brought me so much peace to hear a pastor like Zach talk about verses that have brought me and others so much pain in a whole new light. I would recommend this book to anyone who has felt ostracized by the church, anyone who has felt hated or pushed away by someone claiming to be a follower of Jesus, and anyone made to feel like who God made them to be is gross, wrong, sinful, or something to be ashamed about. There are many ways to read the bible, but this book demonstrates healthy, ACTUALLY fruitful ways to read it that don’t involve the shaming, guilting, fear-based ways many of us grew up with.

There is so much to like about this book. Zach Lambert takes a common sense approach to reading the bible, illustrating the biases (or lenses) that we all filter our reading of the Bible. What is sad is there is nothing new here --- I learned all of this in my college Bible as Literature class 40 years ago, and certainly in my seminary Bible classes. Unfortunately, too many people today are not given the language to understand what they bring to their Bible reading (and hearing).

Lambert identifies four distinct negative ways of reading the Bible. He defines these negative ways by the harm that they have caused people over the years. While these are four lenses, they are not the only negative lenses that people read the Bible through (I wish he had traveled a little way down this path). The four negative ways of reading the Bible are: Literalism, Apocalypse, Moralism and Hierarchy. Like Lambert, I have seen the harm done with these lenses.

He then spends the second half of the book going over four lenses that he defines as helping to promote healing. I personally did not care for his descriptive word choice for theses positive lenses, but found that adequate. The four lenses that heal are: The Jesus lens, the Context lens, the Flourishing lens and the Fruitfulness lens.

My biggest complaint about the book is while he says he doesn't care which positive lens you read the Bible through that clearly isn't true. Lambert is convinced that the Fruitfulness lens is the end all be all of the four. My second complaint is that the book is too much about him. I know he wanted to make is simple and accessible to a wide range of readers, I personally started skimming through his continual stories that he used to prove how right he is.

My one question would be, why when he is talking in the Introduction about how the Bible beat him up, does he quote from a poor translation of 1 Cor 6? He will much later tell us why this is a poor translation, but not until near the end of the book. If I had experienced that "clobber passage", and read it here, I very well may have set the book and made some incorrect assumptions about where Lambert is trying to go.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! I doubt it is going to open anyone ones eyes who actively are using the four harmful lenses that he describes, but I do think that it can be a source of healing for those who have been beaten up by the institutional church in how they have chosen to interpret the scriptures.

I appreciate Zach Lambert, Baker Academic , Brazos Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

One of my favorite quotes sums up so much of the book.

“I started this journey because I came to believe that if our way of interpreting the Bible hurts people, then it must be reconsidered. The way of Jesus always leads to healing, not harm. Better ways to read the Bible exist, ways that lead to restoration, wholeness, and flourishing for all people. If you feel similarly and are ready to take a fresh look at the Scriptures, welcome to the journey. Let’s discover better ways of reading the Bible together.”

Throughout the book, Zach Lambert uses his story, the experiences of people he knows, history, subject-area experts, and his vast knowledge & wisdom to explain how we all come to the Bible with different biases and lenses and how this can impact our interpretation and understanding of Scripture.

As one of his professors at a conservative seminary in America succinctly stated, “every reading of the Scripture is an interpretation of the Scripture.”

This book adds to the conversation of how we should approach the Bible. Should we be literalists or should we view the Bible through a lense of is this Christlike, is this loving our neighbor, is this loving God? We should definitely be the latter. God's table is open to all and we should focus on building more tables and less walls. Zach helps give us tools to continue this vital and important work in this book. ♥️

I had come to a point in my journey that I wasn’t sure what to do with the Bible. I had seen it used for harm or control, this book was so timely. I love the way it is organized by looking at the harmful lenses then at more healthy lenses. I read it in two days and am reading it again. It will seriously be a highly used tool in my library.

From the very beginning of this book I was drawn in to the ideas and writing, and I kept picking it up!

Not just for current Christians. Also a good read for anyone who is Jesus-curious, a good starting point.

Let this author bring you up in how to approach knowing Jesus, and reading the bible. His foundation will help shape you into one of the good ones.

In this book, “better ways to read the bible” I found some solid ways to read and comprehend the goodness and love in the bible, and to speak in my own voice, opposed to those who “use the bible" to thump people over the head and don’t get the Jesus-part.

The book was a pleasure to read, and it’s possible to read quickly. I *also* happen to like to go s.l.o.w.l.y through sentences and soak them up, and that was possible with this book too because it is rich and thoughtful. Reading “better ways” provided air to some new-to-me ideas… for instance, who would have thought that someone who is already “a believer” would need to so-intentionally look through a “Jesus lens” as the author described in order to see how to be more like Christ. I have heard about rose-colored glasses and other lenses before, but Zach Lambert’s writing is so good and really sheds quality clear light on this idea, what did JESUS say, and what did JESUS do? BE like that, LOVE like that.

The whole discussion about what is “biblical” and what is “Christlike” was clear and helpful. Many good flashlights illuminating Loving in this book, I underlined quite a bit, and will refer back to it. Many authors I hadn’t heard of are quoted (refreshing and exciting) and I hope to make time to read their work too. The quotes are seamlessly woven in, and 100% relevant with value-added in the footnotes at the bottom of the pages if you feel like reading even more. Very well done. I am so glad I read this one. And I will definitely come back to it.

#BetterWaystoReadtheBible #NetGalley.

This is a book that will either garner very high or very low ratings, all depending on the reader’s theology. Because regardless of your theology, Better Ways to Read the Bible is well-written, well-researched, and well-organized. Author Zach Lambert is a clear and concise communicator and the personal stories he tells of his own evolving relationship with the Bible, and the stories of his friends and church congregants who have been hurt by Scripture, are compelling. He cites diverse authors and theologians and includes pages of footnotes. The book is a pleasant read and very digestible for the average reader without a seminary degree.

The book is organized in three parts: Part 1 explains that we all have lenses through which we read the Bible, for “Pure exegesis is impossible. Every reading of the Scripture is an interpretation of the Scripture.” Part 2 are lenses that inflict harm: the literalism lens, the apocalypse lens, the moralism lens, and the hierarchy lens. Part 3 are lenses that promote healing: the Jesus lens, the context lens, the flourishing lens, and the fruitfulness lens. In each chapter, he pulls examples from the Bible of harmful lenses and then provides alternative examples of better ways to read those Scriptures. Examples include the Creation story, the End Times, divorce, the Samaritan woman caught in adultery, the hierarchy of men over women, hell and sin, and LGBTQ+ affirming theology.

I learned a lot from Lambert’s book and was impressed with the depth of his research, his heart for people, and the compelling stories he shares. The examples given were helpful to illustrate each harmful lens and alternative ways to interpret them. I don’t agree with all his theology and conclusions, and I imagine that will be a sore point for other readers who don’t find themselves on the far progressive side. As I read, I imagined the objections from more conservative readers who won’t agree on the definitions of sin, or flourishing, or love, so it is hard to arrive at the same conclusions that Lambert does. Still, I believe in reading widely and learning from those with whom I may have some differences. It would be a shame for readers to pass up on this book because of some theological misalignments. Even if you don’t land on the same conclusions as the author, there is still so much to learn and gain from Better Ways to Read the Bible.

I have shared before that when I learned that there’s (currently) no archaeological evidence for the Biblical Exodus that I felt as if I needed to lie down on the floor to ground myself. I felt I had been lied to. And, in truth, I had. There are a lot of claims made about the stories in the Bible and about the construction of the Bible itself that are false and that are passed on because people feel the need to “protect” the Bible.

But that’s not the only way that the Bible is misunderstood. Those are historical concerns but there are also theological concerns that need to be addressed. For me, the unwinding of the historical component came first and then the unwinding of the theology. I had been told that women couldn’t lead, and that God loved me but also that I was disgusting to God because I was born sinful, and that what mattered in our lives was mostly what we needed to do to get into heaven. Those were lies told to me as well (except that God does love me), well-meaning, ill-informed, theologically devastating lies.

When we moved out of evangelical spaces, I learned from the people around me to look more at the context and time period in which the different parts of the Bible were written, and the genre of the particular text. I learned that there were different kinds of theology that came from different viewpoints, and the one that I had lived under (white male patriarchy) did not begin to tell the entire story of God’s presence with God’s people. I read liberal and liberation and feminist theologians and fell back in love with the Bible, and only then was I lucky enough to find a way to go to divinity school. (I was happy about that because I did occasionally see a classmate look like they needed to lie down on the floor when something was said, but I had done all of that in the privacy of my own home.)

Yesterday I finished Better Ways to Read the Bible. A book like this would have been helpful when I was doing all that unpacking 20 years ago (how is that possibly the correct number???). In it, Zach Lambert talks about the harmful lenses through which he was taught to read the Bible, which are similar to many of the ones I mentioned earlier, and then he offers better, healing lenses through which to look at the Bible: looking at the Bible through the lens of Jesus, and through the context in which the scripture was written, and with the idea that God wants us to flourish, and looking for the fruit of the theology.

I read this pastorally, wondering if perhaps one of our Sunday School classes might use it. And I think that could be appropriate in some places. I think that at the church where I work, many of our congregants who are willing to go to Sunday School have already done enough of this work that it would be preaching to the choir, but this is a helpful book for someone who is still mad at the Bible but is open to new interpretation. I couldn’t think of a group at my church that might study it, but I could think of some individuals who would benefit from it.

There are a few places I had some quibbles, although I was reading a pre-release copy, so perhaps some of this changed before its final form. I did not love the note at the beginning that he chose to use masculine language for God because the Biblical authors did (a theological concern and a choice I wouldn’t have made). I was disappointed that in the conversation about John 8 (the woman caught in adultery all by herself) that he didn’t mention that story is not in the earliest manuscripts (a historical concern). And while he does make it clear that you can find a lot of different things in the Bible depending on what you are looking for, near the end, he mentioned that throughout the Bible we see God’s people doing the work of liberation. On one hand, I agree. I believe we should read the Bible as a liberative text. I believe the Bible is a liberative text. I read it and teach and preach it as a liberative text. I also think we have to decide what to do with the stories that are flatly oppressive, like the book of Joshua. Hebrew Bible scholar Anna Sieges said on the podcast The Bible for Normal People, “[T]here’s some really horrifying stuff in the [scriptures - she was specifically talking about the prophets]. Don’t be afraid to wrestle back and be like, ‘Eww, I don’t like that depiction of God.’ And keep moving through until you find one that you like better.” I think it is okay to verbalize those concerns, and to admit that we do at times see God’s people in the text acting as oppressors, believing they are following what God wants. Perhaps that view helps us understand the people who, at best, misled us because they themselves were misled and, at worst, have chosen to read the Bible as an oppressive text so that they can continue to hold on to power.

I refuse to cede the Bible to those people. If you do, too, or you want to but you’re still a little wobbly about how that might work, this book can help. It appears that bookshop.org and my local indie have it backordered, but I still recommend you use those instead of Amazon! There’s a good deal to it from the publishers themselves. Thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read it and have it as a resource for my congregation.

Lambert's gracious, honest, and pastoral approach to what might be deemed "deconstructionist" reading practices of Scripture is refreshing and helpful.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves the Bible but struggles with it because at times it seems needlessly cruel or contradictory. You love Jesus, but don't love the way the scriptures have been weaponized against marginalized people, or you long for a deeper dive into the text, but don't know where to start.

Within these pages, Zach lays out the various ways we have been taught to read the Bible, and addresses the common pitfalls and tripping points many of us have come across in our earnest desire to understand scripture. He then presents alternative methods of interpretation that place the verses in context while maintaining the centrality of Jesus's teachings. And if you have questions about anything Zach mentions, he has meticulously cited his references, so you can look into his sources in more detail. Ten out of ten! I can't wait to get a paper copy of this book!

As someone who was raised in church, the very essence of who I was as a person had been shaped by the Bible - in some good ways and some not so good ways. Over the last several years my faith has been evolving and growing and it reached a point that it no longer fit neatly in the boxes it always had. The questions had no answers. The questions created even more questions. The Bible became sort of a scary thing because so many of the interpretations I’d been taught felt wrong, but even saying that out loud would have been a red letter I was terrified to wear. When others, including spiritual mentors, started using it in ways that were incredibly damaging to me, I felt like I didn’t have anywhere to turn. I existed solely in a space that idolized certain interpretations of the written words, and it became a kind of killing field. I began to turn so far inward so as to shield myself from all of it, and it has been challenging to read what should have been the ultimate love letter. Engaging with the Bible has been complicated to say the least. This book has been like the most gentle healing balm to deep wounds of my soul. It has made me fall in love with the Bible again, and has offered freedom I hope that others will also find in its pages. I know I’m not the only one who has walked this road of enduring spiritual abuse and church trauma and what I like to call ‘spiritual renovation,’ but I’m here to tell you that this is just the guidebook I was looking for. What an amazingly bright light in a landscape of darkness and turmoil Pastor Zach and Restore have been for me, and reading this book is like sitting down for a coffee chat with a good friend that heals you in a way not much else can. Buy a copy for yourself, and buy several extras for the people God will inevitably bring to your mind while you’re reading that also need its truths. As my friend Denise always says - may this book be a pebble that sends ripples of healing and restoration into not just our own faith but into our churches, families, our country, and our world. There truly are ‘better ways to read the Bible,’ and you’ll find the starting point in the journey to being able to do that right in this book!

As a lifelong Christian and pastor for two decades, I have seen the Bible used as a source of inspiration and a source of harm. Zach Lambert argues that the difference comes down to the lenses we read it through. Certain groups approach the Bible assuming they have no lenses and are not interpreting, and this is where harm most often occurs, as Lambert demonstrates through numerous heartbreaking stories from his own life and pastoral work. But when we read the Bible for human flourishing and fruitfulness, this sacred book has immense spiritual value.

How much you’ll appreciate this book depends on how much work you’ve already done in deconstructing fundamentalist readings of Scripture. I would highly recommend this book if you’ve only ever had the Bible used as a weapon. If you’ve done much reading in the deconstruction area, you won’t find a lot of new ideas here. And while I appreciate that Lambert addresses most current hot button biblical issues (gender, sexuality, the afterlife, etc.), these topics could all use more discussion. But since he aims to offer an introduction to a healing approach to Scripture, I would still recommend Better Ways to Read the Bible. 4.5/5

Some have described the Bible as something of an owner's manual for our daily lives as Christians, and maybe that’s a fair analogy. Throughout the Bible, the Word of God tells us what we need to know and do to live lives that glorify, honor, and follow the lead of Jesus Christ, who came to live among us as a human being. Along the way, by grace through faith in Christ, we can come to assurance of eternal life with our Lord and Savior. Why, then, do so many supposed “Christians” use the Bible as a weapon to direct and control people in ways that suggest they’ve never actually read or listened to the Word of God at all?

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this wonderfully readable and accessible book by Zach Lambert. In it, Lambert suggests—correctly, I believe—that the Bible isn’t a maze of esoteric scholarship, as some people claim. Nor is it a club to be used to bludgeon into submission anyone who dares to question or fails to conform to someone else’s personal theological philosophy. Instead, it is a valuable treasure that was written to be read through the right set of lenses to fully understand and appreciate what God inspired its authors to tell us in the first place.

In Better Ways to Read the Bible, which ought to be required reading for anyone who wants to learn and understand how God speaks to us through His written Word, Lambert gives us tools that each of us needs to understand and grow in the Christian faith. Lambert recognizes that Jesus was seen as a radical during His lifetime, and He would certainly be seen as one today, as well. With that in mind, Lambert keeps a calm and steady eye on explaining Biblical reading as a gateway to radical grace, radical forgiveness, radical love, and other radical qualities that Jesus shows us and urges us to show others every day.

God wants us to love reading the Bible as much as He loved inspiring its authors to write it for us. In Lambert’s Better Ways to Read the Bible, we have a heartfelt and Christ-centric approach to Biblical reading and interpretation that will likely kindle (and/or nurture) that love in each of us. We can all thank God for that!