Learning how to read again
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I read a heck of a lot of Christian books. Very rarely do I ever give a book 5 stars. Why is this book worthy of that honour? Two reasons: First, the content, it tackles a subject of primary importance - how to read the bible for 'formation' not 'information'. Peterson highlights that our basic tutoring in reading is with the aim of extracting information. That's not what the bible is for. It's a gift to us for the shaping of our daily lives. Second, the style, it is written by a master of words, someone at the peak of his craft. I found myself re-reading lines and phrases just for the sheer pleasure of letting the words dance again through my mind. The ultimate worth of the book though is that I found it worked. It taught me valuable lessons in how to read my bible again, afresh. My lazy habits have been corrected, I've received new techniques of engaging with the text, I'm a whole lot richer for spending an tenner on this book!
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A beautifully written book about spiritual reading
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Eugene Peterson, translator of "The Message", is a true wordsmith. Part of the pleasure in reading this book is the way in which he crafts his sentences, encouraging you think deeply and to read further. Subtitled "The Art of Spiritual Reading," this is no manual on Bible study approaches but it seeks to evoke a desire for us to delve into the Bible to search out God's voice - leaving our own selfishness and personalities behind. The metaphor of eating the book - really taking it within us and having it become part of us - was reinforced throughout the text.
The last two chapters sat slightly oddly in this book. They describe how Peterson began his "The Message" translation of the Bible and then discuss the important discoveries of ancient papyri at Oxyrhynchus and Ugarit and how they affected our understanding of the language of the New Testament. I loved these two chapters but I felt they were a slightly uneasy fit in the overall book - I would have preferred them to be the preface to another book entirely - one I sincerely hope that Peterson chooses to write!
Overall, this book is a pleasure to read, it spoke to me and convicted me about my approach to the Bible and the limits that we put on it through our superficial reading of these holy texts.
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