Review by E_Thompson7 -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?

[E_Thompson7]

[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 by William E. Combs delivers on its promise of being “refreshing”. Pastor Combs gives us a sermon using Scripture and his gift of storytelling to make the ancient story like new in this beautifully written Bible study book. First and foremost, I am not qualified to give an opinion on the theology of this study, but I can speak from the perspective of a young Christian who is hungry for God’s Word. This study was deeply satisfying.

Pastor Combs makes his introduction with a personal story from his childhood about living in the long, dark winters of Alaska. The 20-hour days of darkness require lanterns to go anywhere outside of your home. In this same way, we also walk in a type of darkness in this life; a spiritual darkness. What is the only lantern to illuminate our steps? The Holy Bible.

He then introduces us to Adam just after he had been created. God leads Adam into the Garden of Eden where He gives Adam the instructions “you may eat from any plant you see, except for one… the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Adam agrees. He then begins to name the animals and search for a companion to help him care for the Garden. Though he adopts an orphaned lamb as a pet, he is lonely for someone who shares his intelligence to live beside. God is moved to create Eve using Adams’ rib.

They live together in peace and happiness until the fateful day that Eve is gathering near the Forbidden Tree. A serpent gets Eve to reason-away Gods’ command to Adam when she plucks and eats its forbidden fruit. When she does not die, she goes to Adam where he now second guesses his own understanding of Gods’ command and chooses to eat first and ask God about it later.

Pastor Combs follows up his illustrations with some deep questions such as: If Adam had the intelligence to name all the animals and his wife according to their characteristics, how would you define “Original Sin” and “Knowledge of Good and Evil”? How do we truly live by faith? How do we cultivate our relationship with God the Father? What did God mean by “In that day you will die” since neither Adam nor Eve died the day they ate the fruit… or did they?

This was a thought-provoking book that challenged me to think outside of the box that I had been raised in, and it continues to marinate in my mind. Pastor Combs’ teaching style presents us with theology, stories, and testimonies. Then lists out some rather challenging discussion questions. He doesn’t ask those easy-to-answer questions… he makes you stop, think, and look for the answers.

There were so few errors that I wouldn’t even bring it up if it wasn’t such a glaring problem. One page was numbered correctly but was inexplicably blank, perhaps it could simply be added to the Notes Section. Other than that, I didn’t see any grammar mistakes.
Whether you’re searching for Christian truth or simply curious about Christianity, Who Told You That You Were Naked?: A refreshing reexamination of the Garden of Eden will be a wonderful asset to your bookshelves. I am rating this book a full 4 out of 4 stars for it’s imagination, comprehensible reading, and near-perfect editing.

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Who Told You That You Were Naked?
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