Review by Bekahbuggs21 -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

[Bekahbuggs21]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In Who Told You That You Were Naked?, William E. Combs presents a fresh, alternative interpretation to Adam and Eve's experience in the Garden of Eden as described in Genesis 2-3. Combs begins by presenting his take on the first sin, highlighting the consequences of spiritual and relational death and knowledge of one's own nakedness. This nakedness, he explains, is the sense of shame when we compare ourselves to God or to one another. Throughout the rest of the book, Combs shares how this focus on nakedness and the knowledge of good and evil helps us more deeply understand our own sinful predicament as well as how God has made a way through Jesus Christ to free us from shame and guilt. Primarily he focuses on letting go of our own abilities, our own knowledge of good and evil, in order to fully trust in and depend on God.

Throughout the book, Combs uses multiple Scripture references, which I appreciate. I also liked that he includes hypothetical, story-like vignettes of Adam and Eve's experience to both help the story come alive, as well as to make his point, aiding the reader in seeing the viability of this refreshing look at the events in the first chapters of Genesis. He uses personal testimonies in story form, so as a lover of fiction I enjoyed those parts, too.

Perhaps I disliked most the organization and structure. At times it was hard to follow his argument from one point to the next. Other times I was left wanting a more detailed description or analysis of what he was saying. It felt rushed to get to the next point, so while I understood and agreed with what he was communicating, a more developed discussion would have been helpful at times. Additionally, chapter 7 on spiritual warfare seemed out of place in the whole context of the book.

At the end of each chapter of Who Told You That You Were Naked?, Combs includes a section of discussion/application questions about which I have mixed feelings. On one hand, when reading about theology and its implications in our lives, it's definitely helpful to have some questions to think through in order to fully synthesize the information and integrate it into our lives. In that sense Combs does a great job in helping the reader both understand and analyze the points covered in each chapter. On the other hand, however, the questions in general seemed to be either really obvious (ie. the answer found in the text verbatim) or too complicated to answer. For these latter questions, I often felt like I had a tentative answer, but was unsure if it was "correct." Perhaps that was the point of the questions I struggled with, purposely open-ended, but a happy medium between these two would have been more helpful in my opinion.

The book was quite well-edited, easy to read and yet thought-provoking. It even sparked some theological conversation between my husband and me as I was processing out loud with him what I was reading. Who Told You That You Were Naked? would be best suited for a Christian audience. However, for someone exploring or open to Christianity, this book could possibly be helpful for understanding the basics of the Christian faith, although it wouldn't be my first recommendation for that specific group of people. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, because I would definitely recommend it to others, but with the reservations mentioned in this review.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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