Skip to main content

Genesis for Normal People by Enns and Byas A Book Review

 Genesis for Normal People

A Guide to the Most Controversial,     

Misunderstood, and Abused

Book of the Bible

By

   Peter Enns &

   Jared Byas

    2019

 

Reviewed by

   Geoffrey W. Sutton

I agree with the authors that Genesis for Normal People is for those who want to a better understanding of Genesis without mastering Hebrew and attending seminary. I’ve thought about what I wish they had included but I’m neither a religious scholar nor a popular author so, I’ll offer a summary of the book and note some points worth considering. Depending on how much you have read about this old document called Genesis, you might learn a few things like I did or at least think about Genesis in a different way.

My plan is to present a summary of this easy-to-read introduction to Genesis by focusing on the authors’ key points.

1. Genesis is an ancient Israelite story. To understand that story requires an appreciation of the Israelites who likely received it after returning from exile in Babylon some 2,500 years ago.

2. Genesis is the first in a series of stories about the relationship between Israel and God. The sequence of ten sections tell the Israelites how their ancestors struggled with God before ending up in Egypt, which leads to the next set of stories in Exodus.

3. The creation story contrasts the work of the God of Israel to other extant stories. The creation story is about bringing order out of chaos.

4. The story of the first couple, their family, and their struggles is like the story of the nation of Israel, which will unfold in later stories. The Adam’s family plight includes recurrent themes of relationship, disobedience, and exile. Like Israel, the early family refused wisdom and thereby lost the blessings of life in the land God had prepared for them.

5. Cain’s story leads him further from God. So, the story of Israel continues down the line of Seth until the infamous flood.

6. Flood stories are found elsewhere in the area. The destruction is unbelievable and such events are seen as the consequences of disobedience.

7. The tower of Babel is a slam against their conqueror, the Babel-onians—those thorns in the side of the Israelites.

8. Abraham arrives on the scene. Like Israel after the exile, Abraham comes out of Babylon and enters Canaan. The struggle between Israel and God can be seen in the family struggle to find a way, outside the promise, to start a family. Like Adam following Eve, Abraham follows Sarah. And then there was trouble.

9. We meet Isaac the father of Israel.

10. We see another struggle between brothers. The younger one gets the name of Israel and, despite stories of deception, ends up creating the tribal leaders of this fledgling nation.

11. One of the young sons is a favorite and he suffers for it. In the end, this rejected and exiled Joseph ends up saving his family and in doing so, he saves Israel.

The book ends on page 152 following a short conclusion. After this, there is a leader’s guide to foster discussion of each chapter.

**********

I’ve been told by others that scholarly writers who are writing trade books like this one should focus on one overarching theme and not write as if they are dealing with the issues of concern to scholars. It seems to me that something like this sort of advice influenced this book.

For whatever reason, the authors avoid the seething cauldron of life evolving out of the primeval swamps rather than being made by God and having to marry their cousins. They skip the curious sexual misdeeds—including that strange scifi-like account of supernatural beings mating with women that can prod the curious to wonder what kind of book this is. And they skirt the tantalizing story of Sodom and Gomorrah often quoted in the current concerns about same sex-sex and the church.

What these authors might accomplish is the creation of a first set of lenses to wear when reading ancient texts to learn how ancient Jews learned about God and their relationship to God. And that without such lenses, the past is too far in the distance to be seen correctly. Surely the lenses of modern historians and scientists will not serve to understand a series of stories heard by the remnant returning to their homeland after years in a foreign land full of foreign stories populated with someone else’s gods.

Reference

Enns, P. & Byas, J. (2019). Genesis for normal people: A guide to the most controversial, misunderstood, and abused book of the Bible, Second Edition. thebiblefornormalpeople.com

 See related books Progressive Christianity

 

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X   @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

 

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Changing Our Mind by D. Gushee - Review

Changing Our Mind   by David P. Gushee    Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Changing Our Mind by David P. Gushee is a transformative book that explores the author's evolving views on LGBTQ inclusion within Christianity. Gushee, a prominent Christian ethicist, shares his journey from holding traditional evangelical views to advocating for full acceptance of LGBTQ Christians in the church. He examines biblical texts and theological positions, encouraging readers to reconsider their beliefs in light of new understandings and the lived experiences of LGBTQ individuals. The book is a call for empathy, inclusivity, and a more loving faith community. ***** I read the Kindle version of the third edition of Changing Our Mind as part of my research into Christian worldviews focused on Christian moral perspectives toward people who identify as LGBTQ. I had previously addressed the topic from the perspective of moral psychology in A House Divided (2016) and in a few research studies co...

Pentecostal & Charismatic Studies- Book List & Reviews

  I read a number of books reporting research with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians as a part of my own investigations and when writing Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians (2021). This book list with links to reviews or book summaries is the product of that research. I am using the concept, studies , to refer to scientific investigations that report quantitative or qualitative data. Some references refer to theorizing by scholars.  I do not include religious studies or theological sources because that is not my area of expertise, although I did read several of these works in preparing the aforementioned counselling book. Key Topics: Anthropology, Counselling, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Sociology, Integrating Christianity and Counseling or Psychotherapy   Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians by Geoffrey W. Sutton. A summary of research studies about beliefs, pract...

Elizabeth and Hazel Two Women of Little Rock

  Trauma, Hate, and Barriers to Reconciliation   Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock by David Margolick Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton Elizabeth Ann Eckford is 15 in the classic photo of her silently walking toward Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957. But she’s not alone. A loud white mob screams hate. With an unforgettable open mouth, Hazel Massey appears over Elizabeth’s right shoulder and comes to represent the hot white objection to desegregating the all-white High School.   The story of Elizabeth and Hazel is painful to read. David Margolick makes the black and white images come alive as much as possible for those of us at a distance in time and place from the lived events. In addition to the stories recalled by each woman, we gain additional insights from school records and the way various reporters retold the stories over several decades.   Margolick offers insight into human emotion and personality traits as well as the toll on m...