Re: Official Review: Who Told You That You Were Naked?

[Chrys Brobbey]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William E. Combs.]

William E. Combs is a retired Presbyterian minister. He is the author of Who Told You That You Were Naked? - A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden. The purpose of the book, according to the author, is to evaluate how Adam’s disobedience turned the world into a landmine of sin, and how Jesus Christ’s obedience and self-sacrifice guaranteed redemption from sin. The book is based on the biblical account of creation in Genesis, and on other selected texts from the Bible. The main title is the question addressed to Adam and Eve by God, when the couple sought to hide from him because they realized they were naked after eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The first thing that drew me to the book is its attractive cover of a ripe apple nestled within a lush greenery of leaves. The author skillfully weaves fiction into the account, which makes the reading interesting. I got enmeshed into the landscape of the story, with Adam in the woods by the banks of the Euphrates River. It gets more intriguing and heartfelt with descriptive staging where a sea-eagle snatches fish from the river, and a lioness preys on other animals. Adam captures a scared lamb from the thicket to safeguard it from the lioness, later to realize that the lamb has become his closest companion. On a visit, God sympathizes with Adam on his seeking kinship with an animal, and creates for him a close replica of himself, whom Adam calls woman (Eve). The inclusion by the author of snapshots of his own life experiences into the book makes it all that relatable and exciting.

The author considers the title question as relevant to our present day perceptions. We think we are ‘naked’ when we needlessly compare our circumstances – appearance, work, paycheck, house, car etc. - to that of others, and hence our discontent. He cautions against temptations arising out of the desires of the flesh and of the eyes that lead to sin, just as Eve was seduced by the beauty of the fruit. He offers the panacea to overcoming such human weaknesses with texts from the Bible, and offers counsel from his perspective as a veteran minister of the gospel.

I have a few reservations about the book. The one-and-half line spacing format makes it to cover more pages than would have been the case using single-line spacing. A less voluminous appearance would show the book to be a quick-read. Numerous questions are given for discussion at the end of each chapter. This makes the book appear didactic, and as suited for Sunday school and not for individual reading. In the present days people still echo Eve’s excuse, “The devil (snake) made me do it”, for wrong doing. God did not buy it then, and no jury buys it now. The author could have used the platform of his book on the topic to debunk this claim, and to point out that our actions are of our own free-will and accountability. There is a typo on page 176, where the word ‘heal’ is used instead of ‘heel’ in the sentence: “… they shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise their heal.”

In a nutshell, I enjoyed reading the book, with the added bonus of gaining valuable information. It could merit a 4 star rating, but for the drawbacks noted above. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars, and recommend it as a good resource for Christians and secularists and everyone else. And, I would like to take the liberty to add that human misdeeds are not dictated by any Machiavellian devil.

[va2016]

That's a great detailed review. Thank you!

[Chrys Brobbey]

Thanks, va2016, for taking time to read. You might enjoy reading the book itself as well.

[Manang Muyang]

Thank you for the review.

I am Catholic and though I have not read the Bible in its entirety (always a goal), the title is a familiar line to me. Your review made me want to read the book as a way of strengthening my own faith.

[Flor26]

Since I am a Christian, this book sounds appealing to me. I agree with your recommendation to secular people to get acquainted with books like these - a lot of people so often close their mind to great work due to a preconceived notion that a book with a religious theme is boring and never take the time out to investigate.