Review by Boydsfirst -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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Boydsfirst
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- Latest Review: Who Told You That You Were Naked? by William Combs
Review by Boydsfirst -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?
[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Who Told You That You Were Naked: A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden
It’s a story as old as the beginning of time, which is practically where the book begins – in the Garden of Eden with Adam, God, and, soon after, Eve. With a possible scenario of the conversations amongst the three – and The Serpent – to illustrate the awakening of Man and Woman to sin, the author opens us up to a study of what it is and means to be a Christian and the saving grace of God. The book is not so much a discovery as it is, in the author’s words, a chance to “rediscover….the glorious Light and Life available to us who believe.” There are no surprises to keep from the reader, nor spoilers that will ruin the story.
Although I am not clergy, I consider myself a fairly informed Christian with a lifetime of service in the church. With that said, I found this to be a well laid out and written guide to understanding the concept of original sin and our salvation from an eternity of damnation in Hell through the love of God in the personification of His son, the Christ Jesus. The author mentioned that he hoped to write the book from an exegesis perspective rather than from an eisegesis one. I felt this was the case, even with the personal vignettes on a few occasions and I found these more appealing, actually, than the scenarios he used to illustrate different possibilities. I will add, it is not a book for someone looking for light or easy reading.
The author begins the book with an introduction which deserves to be read. In it, the author lays out the general path he will take with the book. While I read it initially, it wasn’t until I re-read it the importance of the information being put out there. (A thought along this line – essentially why this reexamining is so important in the life of a Christian. A Christian is, for the most part, focused on the New Testament of the Bible. But the looking back at the beginnings of Man and sin allows for a fresh appreciation of the gift we have been given.) The book also includes study questions at the end of each chapter, making this a good possibility for a group Bible Study. Some of the questions, I thought, missed the mark a bit but still worked well with the material covered. It is footnoted extensively. Many of these are also very good sources and should not be passed over.
I suggest having a Bible at your elbow while reading this book, a note pad and pen, and maybe a dictionary. A pastor I once had said that to better understand a passage from the Bible, you should read some of the chapter before and the chapter after the passage. I found this to fit in well with my reading here, too. It was also such a joy to read a book that displayed practically flawless grammar and layout. I tend to use the semi-colon frequently and rather wished there had been a few more in some sentences, but only in a passing way.
Dr William Combs, the author, is a retired Presbyterian pastor. The inspiration, he said, for the book came from one of his sermons in the hopes of helping readers change the way they view sin and salvation. To better understand what it means to be saved by the grace of God.
I liked this book. It is not light reading and requires focus. As I have mentioned above, the possible scenarios used to illustrate concepts were less than what I could have hoped for. I suppose I might have wanted to know what the follow up might have been for some of them. As with the wish for more semi-colons, I think this is just a personal preference. For the thoroughness and depth of the subject, and the flawless grammar and spelling; I’m giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Who Told You That You Were Naked: A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden
It’s a story as old as the beginning of time, which is practically where the book begins – in the Garden of Eden with Adam, God, and, soon after, Eve. With a possible scenario of the conversations amongst the three – and The Serpent – to illustrate the awakening of Man and Woman to sin, the author opens us up to a study of what it is and means to be a Christian and the saving grace of God. The book is not so much a discovery as it is, in the author’s words, a chance to “rediscover….the glorious Light and Life available to us who believe.” There are no surprises to keep from the reader, nor spoilers that will ruin the story.
Although I am not clergy, I consider myself a fairly informed Christian with a lifetime of service in the church. With that said, I found this to be a well laid out and written guide to understanding the concept of original sin and our salvation from an eternity of damnation in Hell through the love of God in the personification of His son, the Christ Jesus. The author mentioned that he hoped to write the book from an exegesis perspective rather than from an eisegesis one. I felt this was the case, even with the personal vignettes on a few occasions and I found these more appealing, actually, than the scenarios he used to illustrate different possibilities. I will add, it is not a book for someone looking for light or easy reading.
The author begins the book with an introduction which deserves to be read. In it, the author lays out the general path he will take with the book. While I read it initially, it wasn’t until I re-read it the importance of the information being put out there. (A thought along this line – essentially why this reexamining is so important in the life of a Christian. A Christian is, for the most part, focused on the New Testament of the Bible. But the looking back at the beginnings of Man and sin allows for a fresh appreciation of the gift we have been given.) The book also includes study questions at the end of each chapter, making this a good possibility for a group Bible Study. Some of the questions, I thought, missed the mark a bit but still worked well with the material covered. It is footnoted extensively. Many of these are also very good sources and should not be passed over.
I suggest having a Bible at your elbow while reading this book, a note pad and pen, and maybe a dictionary. A pastor I once had said that to better understand a passage from the Bible, you should read some of the chapter before and the chapter after the passage. I found this to fit in well with my reading here, too. It was also such a joy to read a book that displayed practically flawless grammar and layout. I tend to use the semi-colon frequently and rather wished there had been a few more in some sentences, but only in a passing way.
Dr William Combs, the author, is a retired Presbyterian pastor. The inspiration, he said, for the book came from one of his sermons in the hopes of helping readers change the way they view sin and salvation. To better understand what it means to be saved by the grace of God.
I liked this book. It is not light reading and requires focus. As I have mentioned above, the possible scenarios used to illustrate concepts were less than what I could have hoped for. I suppose I might have wanted to know what the follow up might have been for some of them. As with the wish for more semi-colons, I think this is just a personal preference. For the thoroughness and depth of the subject, and the flawless grammar and spelling; I’m giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Boydsfirst's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Who Told You That You Were Naked? by William Combs
