Rob Warner reviewed The year of living biblically by Jacobs, A. J.
Review of 'The year of living biblically' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This story illustrates how much we pick and choose among the Bible's teachings. Some of its dictates are enlightening, and some absurd. I think Jacobs does a good job of illustrating a spiritual quest, sprinkled with mild humor, through attempting to adopt the gamut of the Bible's teachings. His journey packs hijinks, reflection, exploration, reconciliation, and historical explanations. He draws on spiritual leaders from a smorgasbord of religions and works through both Bible testaments to achieve as full a picture and experience as one can in a year. His commitment and attention to detail are impressive, and his writing style keeps you entertained and informed.
My relationship with the Bible is somewhat complicated. I've read the Bible (KJV) cover-to-cover. Some parts were informative, some were boring, and Song of Solomon was weird to my 19 year-old mind. The Gospels were lovely, full of kindness and forgiveness. I've spent additional time …
This story illustrates how much we pick and choose among the Bible's teachings. Some of its dictates are enlightening, and some absurd. I think Jacobs does a good job of illustrating a spiritual quest, sprinkled with mild humor, through attempting to adopt the gamut of the Bible's teachings. His journey packs hijinks, reflection, exploration, reconciliation, and historical explanations. He draws on spiritual leaders from a smorgasbord of religions and works through both Bible testaments to achieve as full a picture and experience as one can in a year. His commitment and attention to detail are impressive, and his writing style keeps you entertained and informed.
My relationship with the Bible is somewhat complicated. I've read the Bible (KJV) cover-to-cover. Some parts were informative, some were boring, and Song of Solomon was weird to my 19 year-old mind. The Gospels were lovely, full of kindness and forgiveness. I've spent additional time in heaps of passages. There's lots I know about the Bible, but certainly learned a pile more from Jacobs. I've set Scriptures aside in the past few years, however, but I still cherish the Christ-like teachings of love, kindness, and forgiveness. Many, however, use the Bible to condemn other people -- people that include some of my children. Some act as if this book of dubious origin and purpose should supersede law and science for directing our lives, selectively reading certain passages and deciphering messages and mandates that the book as a whole doesn't definitely spell out. I appreciated that Jacobs covered a vast array of interpretations and dictates from the Bible, and I hope more people learn to focus on the messages of kindness over condemnation.
