Serving Bread

Every several years, I feel like I need a primer on the validity of the Bible. Amy Orr-Ewing provided that primer for me this time around with her book, Is the Bible intolerant? Sexist? Oppressive? Homophobic? Outdated? Irrelevant? (Title is basically the book’s table of contents) There was nothing really new in this book that I had not read elsewhere. There are many good books on apologetics that cover a similar topic. The case for Christ, anything by Cliff Kenechtle, and Josh McDowell’s Evidence that demands a verdict. As a Christian, I need to revisit this topic every several years to be grounded better on the defense of the faith and its primary text.

Orr-Ewing offers convincing arguments for the validity and authority of the Bible, and she tries to do so within a post-modern context. She frames the book and her conclusions with the post-modern reader in mind. Her first chapter is a bit on the philosophy end (What is post-modernism?) but the rest of the book gets practical on the superior evidence available to prove the Bible’s truth.

Orr-Ewing also answers some of the more post-modern questions–the questions that were not as prominent 15 or 20 years ago such as, “Is the Bible homophobic or sexist?” She gives an excellent account of what the scriptures say, yet does so with a tone of compassion in her voice.

This book is a good read and a helpful resource to keep on the shelf whenever confronted with questions that undermine the validity and authority of scripture.