18 books like Reading the Bible Again For the First Time

What to read after Reading the Bible Again For the First Time — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

The Sins of Scripture John Shelby Spong · 2005 · ★ 3.5 · 325p · ≈ 10h · Moderate In the history of the Western World, the Bible has been a perpetual source of inspiration and guidance for countless Christians. However, this Bible has also left a trail of pain. It is undeniable that the Bible is not always used for good. Sometimes the Bible can seem overtly evil. Sometimes its texts are terrible. Bishop John Shelby Spong boldly approaches those texts that have been used… Shares: Religion & Spirituality, Criticism, Bible

God's Problem Bart D. Ehrman · 2008 · ★ 4.2 · 441p · ≈ 14h · Moderate In times of questioning and despair, people often quote the Bible to provide answers. Surprisingly, though, the Bible does not have one answer but many "answers" that often contradict one another. Consider these competing explanations for suffering put forth by various biblical writers: The prophets: suffering is a punishment for sinThe book of Job, which offers two different answers: suffering… Shares: Religion & Spirituality, Bible

The Jefferson Bible Thomas Jefferson · 1902 · 276p · ≈ 9h · Challenging This edition of The Jefferson Bible includes Jefferson's original Letter to the Danbury Baptists about the separation of church and state. The Jefferson Bible, or The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, as it is properly titled was Thomas Jefferson's version of the New Testament. Jefferson adapted the teachings of Jesus by removing sections of the New Testament containing supernatural… Shares: Criticism, Bible

Bible myths and their parallels in other religions Thomas William Doane · 1800 · 636p · ≈ 21h · Demanding 1910 Being a comparison of the Old & New Testament myths & miracles with those of heathen nations of antiquity. Considering also their origin & meaning with numerous illustrations. Some of the contents: the Creation & Fall of Man; the Deluge; Tower. Shares: Criticism, Bible

How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian John Dominic Crossan · 2015 · ★ 4.0 · 263p · ≈ 8h · Moderate The acclaimed Bible scholar and author of The Historical Jesus and God & Empire -- "the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation" (John Shelby Spong) -- grapples with Scripture's two conflicting visions of Jesus and God, one of a loving God, and one of a vengeful God, and explains how Christians can better understand these passages in a way that enriches their faith. Many portions of the… Shares: Criticism, Bible

Evolution of the Word Marcus J. Borg · 2012 · 593p · ≈ 19h · Moderate Analyzes the New Testament chronologically through each book of the Bible, detailing how the core values of Christianity took shape and developed over time. Shares: Criticism, Bible

Jesus, Interrupted Bart D. Ehrman · 2009 · ★ 4.3 · 292p · ≈ 9h · Moderate The problems with the Bible that New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman discussed in his bestseller Misquoting Jesus—and on The Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR, and Dateline NBC, among others—are expanded upon exponentially in his latest book: Jesus, Interrupted. This New York Times bestseller reveals how books in the Bible were actually forged by later authors, and that the New Testament itself is… Shares: Criticism, Bible

Reflections on the Psalms C. S. Lewis · 1958 · ★ 4.3 · 128p · ≈ 4h · Moderate "I write," the author says, "as one amateur to another, talking about the difficulties I have met, or lights I have gained, with the hope that this might at any rate interest, and sometimes even help, other inexpert readers." He relates the Psalms to their tripel background: to the ancient Judaic religion which produced them, to the age of Christ when they took on new meanings, and to our daily… Shares: Criticism, Bible

Answer to Job Carl Gustav Jung · 1952 · ★ 3.9 · 194p · ≈ 6h · Moderate Considered one of Jung's most controversial works, Answer to Job also stands as Jung's most extensive commentary on a biblical text. Here, he confronts the story of the man who challenged God, the man who experienced hell on earth and still did not reject his faith. Job's journey parallels Jung's own experience--as reported in The Red Book: Liber Novus--of descending into the depths of his own… Shares: Criticism, Bible

Frygt og Bæven Søren Kierkegaard · 1843 · ★ 4.0 · 114p · ≈ 3h · Challenging Frygt og Bæven er et filosofisk værk af Søren Kierkegaard, udgivet 16. oktober 1843 under pseudonymet Johannes de Silentio. Værket er en udvidet meditation over Mosebog 22, også kendt som Isaks binding. Kierkegaard forsøger at forstå Abrahams indre psykologiske tilstand under hans tre og en halv dag lange rejse til Moriah. Teksten forsøger at vise, hvordan det ikke er let at forstå Abrahams… Shares: Criticism, Bible

The life and epistles of St. Paul William John Conybeare · 1825 · 578p · ≈ 19h · Challenging Conybeare and Howson have written such a fascinating book about Paul's extensive travels that the reader is given the feeling of being a time-traveler. Their purpose in writing was "to give a living picture of St. Paul himself and of the circumstances by which he was surrounded." In this they have been most successful. They have also inserted their own translation of each of Paul's epistles, as… Shares: Criticism, Bible

The Origins of Biblical Monotheism Mark S Smith · 2001 · 348p · ≈ 11h · Moderate One of the leading scholars of ancient West Semitic religion discusses polytheism vs. monotheism by covering the fluidity of those categories in the ancient Near East. He argues that Israel's social history is key to the development of monotheism. Shares: Criticism, Bible

De jure belli ac pacis libri tres Hugo Grotius · 1625 · 619p · ≈ 20h · Demanding [book-club][1] [1]: http://book-club.tk Shares: Criticism, Bible

Supernatural religion Walter Richard Cassels · 1874 · 920p · ≈ 30h · Demanding In "Supernatural Religion," Walter Richard Cassels presents a meticulous and critical examination of the origins and historical context of Christianity, particularly focusing on the concept of the supernatural within religious narratives. His literary style is characterized by rigorous analysis and a systematic approach, drawing heavily from a scholarly tradition that seeks to demystify religious… Shares: Criticism, Bible

The Deserted Village Oliver Goldsmith · 1770 · 30p · ≈ 1h · Demanding This long poem by eighteenth-century Anglo-Irish poet Oliver Goldsmith about the destruction of an English village was published in New York in 1917, with 35 illustrations by the Etching Club. Shares: Criticism, Bible

The sacred mushroom and the cross John Marco Allegro · 1970 · ★ 4.2 · 349p · ≈ 11h · Moderate The book relates the development of language to the development of myths, religions, and cultic practices in world cultures. Allegro argues, through etymology, that the roots of Christianity, and many other religions, lay in fertility cults, and that cult practices, such as ingesting visionary plants to perceive the mind of God, persisted into the early Christian era, and to some unspecified… Shares: Criticism, Bible

Myth, Legend and Custom in the Old Testament Theodor Herzl Gaster · 1911 · 899p · ≈ 29h · Challenging Shares: Criticism, Bible

The land and the book, or, Biblical illustrations drawn from the manners and customs, the scenes and scenery of the Holy Land William M. Thomson · 1859 · 718p · ≈ 23h · Demanding Shares: Criticism, Bible

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