Andrew Blauner’s ‘The Good Book’ gives celebrity, expert commentary on the Bible
In The Good Book author Andrew Blauner partners with 32 prominent writers and figures to insightful commentary about passages in the Bible that are most meaningful to them.
After an introduction by Adam Gopnik, fiction writers (Colm Tóibín, Edwidge Danticat, Tobias Wolff, Rick Moody) and bestselling nonfiction writers (A.J. Jacobs, Ian Frazier, Thomas Lynch) take turns with personal thoughts and evaluation on key stories from the holy word.
Moody, for example, dives into Jesus’ parables, the Q source document and then sends a very liberal perspective on Christ’s message: “I feel like it is the stories themselves, the reliance on storytelling, and performance, and improvisation, and language…I am not always so sure I care about the message, not as much as I want to live in the tradition of religious storytelling itself.”
Evangelicals looking for insight from a literal, “God-breathed” Bible may find issue with the thoughts and opinions of Blauner’s contributors.
Media figures like Charles McGrath, Cokie Roberts, Steven V. Roberts join liberals Rev. Al Sharpton and Kerry Kennedy to give their perspective on God’s word.
The most significant event in scripture, the resurrection, is glossed over by Kennedy as she discusses a trip to Haiti.
“Holy days, no matter the religion with which they are associated, contain lessons for all humanity,” she writes. “The lesson of Easter – the lesson that Jesus sought to teach – is that death is not final.”
Fans of coexist will enjoy the messages and thoughts on the Bible, because strict Christianity is not the agenda or the take home. This is an exercise in perspective with advice on tolerance and understanding not on Christ, the shedding of His blood or even salvation.
Humor, sadness, grief, anger and wit make The Good Book an easy read, but lacks the gravitas of literal Biblical analysis. Not for your Evangelical friend or pastor.
Follow Andrew Brauner on Twitter, his page on Simon & Schuster here