3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
For the many people who grew up hearing the story of Adam and Eve on a regular basis, I am sure they can relate when I say that it is easy to quickly skim over the story when I read it now. The story is simply read without much depth of thought because of hearing it so often. Thankfully, Who told you that you were naked? A refreshing reexamination of the garden of Eden has changed that for me.
The author begins the book by pulling the reader into a very captivating story from his childhood that serves as a leeway into the story of Adam and Eve. It is not simply a retelling of what is in the Bible, but the reader fully enters into the world of the first humans. Here we experience what it was like to be in the garden. The rest of the book then goes into how this story fits into the overarching biblical story of salvation.
I knew from the start of the book that it was going to be a book that I would enjoy. I appreciated that the author started the book with a story from his own life that grabbed my attention, instead of going straight into the story of Adam and Eve. This theme of using examples of his own life to bring a personal tone to the story was sprinkled throughout the rest of the book and I always enjoyed reading those excerpts. There are many books out there that will simply give you a study of a biblical text that is impersonal and you walk away not sure if this author actually applies the text to his own life or if he himself has been changed by it. This isn't one of those. This is personal. I also enjoyed his presentation of salvation and the gospel. In my opinion this book not only examines the story of Adam and Eve, but also examines salvation. It answers the question, "What is the gospel?" I highly enjoyed that aspect. As for the reexamination of Adam and Eve, I truly was refreshed to have the story brought to life. This was what I liked most about it. I thought about the story in ways that I have never thought about it before. I was constantly highlighting and thinking about the story's application to my own life. I feel that i have a much better understanding of the story now.
I loved almost every part of the book except the last chapter. I found it confusing and I wasn't sure what the author was trying to say. He insinuates multiple times that Eve was innocent and therefore she wasn't to blame for eating the fruit because she was merely tempted and the whole thing was completely the snakes fault. He also seems to mention that children aren't born into sin. I think this was the author's stance, but I am not entirely sure. I have personally never heard this interpretation before and would have appreciated more clarity and forthrightness as to what he believes. This confusion in the last chapter was what I liked least about the book as well as the only complaint I have.
I am giving this book a rating of 3 out of 4. I enjoyed the book immensely, but because of the confusion with the last chapter I couldn't give it a 4 out of 4. If changes were made to the last chapter, I would probably change my score to a 4. I didn't give it a 2 because it really was a very good book and would be one that I would recommend.
This book would appeal to those who have never gotten much out of the story of Adam and Eve and who don't know how it applies to them. This would also be a great book for those who are interested in hearing a full account of the gospel, beginning with Adam and Eve. This book takes a lot of liberties with the biblical story and because of that, those who don't agree with adding fiction to the story of Adam and Eve would not enjoy this book.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like StephanieCorinne22's review? Post a comment saying so!
