2 out of 4 stars
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
In Who Told You That You Were Naked, Bill Combs reexamines the story of Adam and Eve. The book begins with the story of Adam finding a lamb that he names Lively after its mother protected Adam's life from a lioness. After cavorting with Lively, Adam is beckoned by God to a place that has been prepared especially for him. God shows Adam a botanical paradise called Eden and informs him of his new habitat. God tells Adam that he is allowed to eat the fruit of any tree expect from the knowledge of good and evil. Eating from that tree will result in death.
After realizing that Adam was lonely, God molded Adam's rib into a woman, who would become Adam's wife, Eve. When Eve is deceived into eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil by a serpent, she takes the fruit to Adam. Eve convinces Adam that the tree from the fruit is good, and he too will become like the Father if he consumes the fruit. When God finds out about their deed, he confronts them. Adam and Eve hide from the Lord as they fear the consequences.
From the several parables in the book, it is evident that William Combs is a pundit in biblical studies. The prologue is written in a novel style, which gives the reader the impression that the book will be narrated. As Combs delves further into the book, he includes numerous Scriptures from the bible and discards the novel style writing. The more this process is repeated throughout the book, I feel as if I have been lugged away from the novel and summoned to a sermon. What attracted me to keep reading further was the novel-style narration of the story of Adam and Eve, but what repelled me was the transition to the preaching.
Combs also includes questions at the end of a chapter, which gives me the perception that I am reading a textbook or a tutorial manual, as opposed to a book. Combs, also, includes several parables to demonstrate how sin came into the world and the power of faith in God. He relates the theory to his personal experiences, which invigorates me from the sermon style-writing. Unfortunately, his personal stories are brief, and I am teleported back to the church bench. I would have been more enthralled by the book had Combs persisted to tell a story throughout the book and preach briefly, instead of the converse.
After reading the book, I am more equipped with an in-depth knowledge of the story of Adam and Eve and its meaning, however, I am by no means entertained by Combs' choice of book structure. If you are studying to be a priest this book will educate you, but the average reader might be wishing for a story and not a lecture. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. It is not worthy of a 3 as I do not think that it will appeal to general readers, but it does not stoop as low as 1 since interesting stories have been incorporated into the preaching.
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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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