Review by airwoman311 -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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airwoman311
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- Latest Review: Who Told You That You Were Naked? by William Combs
Review by airwoman311 -- 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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As Christians, we are repeatedly told the story of Adam and Eve as though they were disobedient and ungrateful to God, allowing them to easily be deceived by the serpent into eating fruit from the one forbidden tree in the Garden- giving them the knowledge of good and evil. Then of course God sees them covered, learns of their disobedience, then curses and expels them from the Garden forever. Is the God we worship only bent on punishment for disobedience, or is there something more to the story we aren’t seeing? William E. Combs’ Who Told You That You Were Naked reexamines the concept of original sin and the consequences that God laid upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Unlike the “fire and brimstone” God that we were taught to fear in Sunday school, Combs’ perspective of God is vastly different from what we (or at least I) had been led to believe about the story of original sin.
The concepts and perspectives provided by Combs in this book were very new, very refreshing, and in a lot of ways turned on a lightbulb (so to speak) for me. His viewpoint and the evidence used in his argument not only made sense but could be applicable to almost every other anecdote in the Bible- giving the reader a better sense of what God might have really been up to rather than just what we see on the surface as a severe “punishment”. It’s not a long book, is not overly articulated, and he makes his point early on. Because it’s a fresh perspective, you will find yourself adding his concepts to your repertoire of discussion material. You will be telling yourself “that makes so much sense, why didn’t I think of that!”
There were no errors found in this piece, so it’s safe to say that it was professionally published. It’s neatly put together, with different fonts for each section of the chapter so you can differentiate between narratives written to provide a visual for the reader, the evidence and argument, and personal testimony.
What bothered me the most about this piece wasn’t the message but the way it was presented. It’s hard to tell if Combs’ meant this to be a sermon, devotional, study guide, or textbook. There is a section regarding accepting Jesus as your savior, which was eerily like sermons I grew up hearing in church. The book is broken up into ten sections or chapters with each one discussing something different, making it feel like a devotional touching on various problems the reader may be facing. However, there are questions for discussion at the end of each chapter, making it seem like Combs intended the piece to be used in bible studies or classrooms. Each chapter almost has its own theme, with narratives written by the author followed by discussion of the topic presented. The author then gives the reader a personal testimony at the end of each chapter. It felt that the work lacked a solid identity; it’s as though Combs made his overarching point too early and then had to keep coming up with fillers to make it long enough to be a book. A lack of focus on what he wanted this book to be made it difficult for me to focus on the reading itself. This may not be a problem to other readers who might see it more as a multi-purpose book that could fill many roles for them.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Despite my personal annoyance with the manner of presentation and lack of focus, Combs’ ideas are fresh and uplifting, whether they coincide with each other or not. If readers are looking for something out of the norm, or just a fresh take on their walk with God, this book won’t disappoint. It will appeal to readers who want a more practical approach to understanding God and is written in a way that readers unfamiliar with Christianity- or new to it- will still be able to follow along. It’s worth taking the time to read this book.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like airwoman311's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
As Christians, we are repeatedly told the story of Adam and Eve as though they were disobedient and ungrateful to God, allowing them to easily be deceived by the serpent into eating fruit from the one forbidden tree in the Garden- giving them the knowledge of good and evil. Then of course God sees them covered, learns of their disobedience, then curses and expels them from the Garden forever. Is the God we worship only bent on punishment for disobedience, or is there something more to the story we aren’t seeing? William E. Combs’ Who Told You That You Were Naked reexamines the concept of original sin and the consequences that God laid upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Unlike the “fire and brimstone” God that we were taught to fear in Sunday school, Combs’ perspective of God is vastly different from what we (or at least I) had been led to believe about the story of original sin.
The concepts and perspectives provided by Combs in this book were very new, very refreshing, and in a lot of ways turned on a lightbulb (so to speak) for me. His viewpoint and the evidence used in his argument not only made sense but could be applicable to almost every other anecdote in the Bible- giving the reader a better sense of what God might have really been up to rather than just what we see on the surface as a severe “punishment”. It’s not a long book, is not overly articulated, and he makes his point early on. Because it’s a fresh perspective, you will find yourself adding his concepts to your repertoire of discussion material. You will be telling yourself “that makes so much sense, why didn’t I think of that!”
There were no errors found in this piece, so it’s safe to say that it was professionally published. It’s neatly put together, with different fonts for each section of the chapter so you can differentiate between narratives written to provide a visual for the reader, the evidence and argument, and personal testimony.
What bothered me the most about this piece wasn’t the message but the way it was presented. It’s hard to tell if Combs’ meant this to be a sermon, devotional, study guide, or textbook. There is a section regarding accepting Jesus as your savior, which was eerily like sermons I grew up hearing in church. The book is broken up into ten sections or chapters with each one discussing something different, making it feel like a devotional touching on various problems the reader may be facing. However, there are questions for discussion at the end of each chapter, making it seem like Combs intended the piece to be used in bible studies or classrooms. Each chapter almost has its own theme, with narratives written by the author followed by discussion of the topic presented. The author then gives the reader a personal testimony at the end of each chapter. It felt that the work lacked a solid identity; it’s as though Combs made his overarching point too early and then had to keep coming up with fillers to make it long enough to be a book. A lack of focus on what he wanted this book to be made it difficult for me to focus on the reading itself. This may not be a problem to other readers who might see it more as a multi-purpose book that could fill many roles for them.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Despite my personal annoyance with the manner of presentation and lack of focus, Combs’ ideas are fresh and uplifting, whether they coincide with each other or not. If readers are looking for something out of the norm, or just a fresh take on their walk with God, this book won’t disappoint. It will appeal to readers who want a more practical approach to understanding God and is written in a way that readers unfamiliar with Christianity- or new to it- will still be able to follow along. It’s worth taking the time to read this book.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like airwoman311's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Who Told You That You Were Naked? by William Combs
