Review by Angela Stripes -- Who Told You That You Were N...

[Angela Stripes]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden delves into the events involving the first man and woman that still impact creation today. In his work, William E. Combs redefines death through digging into actual historical context, the nature of the human heart, and the original Hebrew and Greek language of the Bible. He first explores the way God intended creation to exist, before devoting the remaining chapters to untangling sin, shame, relationship, and life.

Combs opens the discussion with sharing one of his own personal experiences with God. The introduction offers a sense of mystery, leading into the rest of the book with an open invitation to explore the results of his studies involving Adam, Eve, Paul, and other figures in history.

Throughout his presentation, Combs includes passages from the Bible that he has rewritten into narrative form. These illustrations are gently enlivened by characterization and realistic details. He acknowledges the liberties taken in order to create these micro-stories, yet holds fast to his overall argument. Each narrative serves to aid the reader in viewing familiar characters and names as relatable men and women.

This treatise also delves into some other finer points of theology, such as God’s will in relation to miraculous healings. Each reader—no matter their theological standing—will be challenged to accept or deny Combs’ interpretations of Scripture, and will benefit from remembering the possibilities of their own biases. The entire presentation of the book disrupts previous assumptions with a confident presentation of logic that cannot be ignored.

I’m giving this book 4 out of 4 stars for its intellectual value, richness in storytelling, and respectful presentation. Many of the ideas in this book will challenge traditional and modern thinking, yet Combs’ voice is neither condemning nor aggressive. While I struggled to grasp some of the concepts, or sit on the fence with others, I respect the foundation of his arguments and believe his intention is to share truth rather than confuse or twist it.

Any Christian willing to discuss well-known ideas in a new light would benefit from and enjoy this read, from the theologian to the less-than-scholarly. For a reader uncertain about the accuracy of some of Combs’ claims, I would only encourage them to read to the very end.

Concluding each chapter, Combs has generated a list of questions which would enhance the discussion within a study group or simply guide the individual reader to think deeper.

The language throughout the book, though mature and elevated, is without grammatical error. I found no glaring spelling mistakes, and all his sources are well—if not thoroughly—cited.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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Like Angela Stripes's review? Post a comment saying so!

[juliusotinyo]

Hi Angela,
I couldn't stand this book. I've also read and reviewed it. I felt as if he kept repeating the concept over and over. It was anything but refreshing. Your review was a delight to read. Thanks.

[Christina Rose]

I enjoyed your review, Angela Stripes! I read and reviewed this book as well, and found it very thought provoking. I, too, gave it 4 stars. Thank you for sharing!

-- 27 Aug 2017, 00:23 --

Hi Angela,
I couldn't stand this book. I've also read and reviewed it. I felt as if he kept repeating the concept over and over. It was anything but refreshing. Your review was a delight to read. Thanks.

Hi, juliusotinyo! I'm going to have to head over to your review page to get your take on this book. I enjoy reading opposing viewpoints, and am interested to find out exactly what you disliked in the book. I'm glad you shared your thoughts!

[Mallory Whitaker]

I really enjoyed reading your review. This sounds like a thought-provoking book. My husband tells me that the best way to read books like these are to accept what the author says from the beginning so that you can fully understand the argument and be able to see whether the logic adds up. This sounds like one of those books. I'm interested to read it.

[MsTri]

Great review! I too recently read and reviewed this book and pretty much agree with everything you said, especially about respecting the foundations for his arguments, even if not in agreement.

[Angela Stripes]

I enjoyed your review, Angela Stripes! I read and reviewed this book as well, and found it very thought provoking. I, too, gave it 4 stars. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you!

Hi Angela,
I couldn't stand this book. I've also read and reviewed it. I felt as if he kept repeating the concept over and over. It was anything but refreshing. Your review was a delight to read. Thanks.

Thank you, sir! I'm interested in reading your review, as well. Differing views are always the best places for learning.

I really enjoyed reading your review. This sounds like a thought-provoking book. My husband tells me that the best way to read books like these are to accept what the author says from the beginning so that you can fully understand the argument and be able to see whether the logic adds up. This sounds like one of those books. I'm interested to read it.

Yes, that's exactly the posture I had to adopt after over-analyzing the first few chapters. It helped a lot. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Great review! I too recently read and reviewed this book and pretty much agree with everything you said, especially about respecting the foundations for his arguments, even if not in agreement.

Thank you! One thing that helped my perspective as well, was acknowledging the author's age and wisdom, even if we don't agree perfectly on everything.

[readandsmile]

Nice review Angela. I also reviewed this book. i see that you learned a lot. good to know it.

[Angela Stripes]

Nice review Angela. I also reviewed this book. i see that you learned a lot. good to know it.

I did indeed.

[Kat Berg]

This is a really good review! I also reviewed the book. For me it was irritating that he put all the bible verses in the text as I felt it made the book choppy to read and disrupted his flow of thought making it harder to grasp his meaning. You do make very good points about reading a challenging theology. My main concern was that those who didn't know much of the bible would be confused by what he had to say, so between that and the choppy verses inserted all the time, I gave him a 3 out of 4. But I really appreciated his different way of thinking about the problem of sin. Again, really well thought out review!

[Shirazi Cat]

Thanks, this is an interesting presentation. I must have read about a dozen reviews of this book by now and what really surprises me is how nobody mentions any of the looney stuff in it - hands dropping from the ceiling of the author's bedroom in the middle of the night and the devil appearing at this front door disguised as a handsome young man in black are the obvious instances! Can I be the only one who finds such claims amusing, albeit in a disturbing sort of way?

[Astrophil]

Seriously, i was thinking about reviewing this book, but the more i read about it, the less likely it seems.