Member Reviews
Reviewer 512884
Bibliographic Entry:
Robertson, Anne. New Vision for An Old Story: Why the Bible Might Not Be the Book You Think It Is. Eerdmans Publishing, 2018.
Author Bio:
Anne Robertson is an ordained United Methodist pastor, graduate of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, avid blogger, and the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bible Society.
Book Summary:
From the outset, Robertson seeks to help her reader understand God's Word in light of the overarching "story" of Scripture. She argues that the Bible is not a law book or a text book, but a storybook; albeit a true storybook. The Methodist minister claims that when one reads God's Word a a law book or a text book, he is "seeing through a dirty glass" because the Bible, according to Robertson, is meant to solely be read as a story.
In dealing with the question of whether or not the Scriptures are divinely inspired, Robertson asserts that whether or not the Bible is inerrant or infallible; inspired by God or not, does not matter when one simply views the Bible as a story. Furthermore, she declares that the concept of divine inspiration cannot be proven or disproven and neither can the existence of God.
As Robertson continues in her work, she discusses the action of "moving from fear to hope." The author goes on to prescribe how Christians ought not to live in fear but in hope, focused on the promises of God. Accordingly, she denotes that the "doctrine of hell present[s] us with a God who is nothing like Christians claim" because our sin "is limited. In what world is unlimited torment a fair punishment for a limited crime" (85). Instead, Robertson states people should emphasize hope.
On the subject of the Scriptures as a story of suffering, Robertson claims that one should read the Bible and focus on the experiences of life and the differing responses of biblical characters to those experiences to better respond to difficult situations in ways that ease suffering. Finally, she discusses how mystery and miracle are easily explained in the context of the Bible as a storybook and how the stories found in Scripture can either reveal toxic or fruitful ways for one to respond to the world around him.
Book Review/Critique:
Anytime I see titles such as the title of Robertson's work, I am always careful in my approach to reading. After researching the author and her previous works, I quickly realized she does not hold the same high view of Scripture as conservative evangelicals. Moreover, she denies the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. Therefore, her focus on the Scriptures as a "storybook" make absolute sense.
Sentimentally, I can agree with Robertson that God's Word is, in fact, a story. However, the Scripture is God's story. The overarching meta-narrative of Scripture is clear: God created all things which exist (including man, who He has had personal relationship with since creation), man sinned against God and brought condemnation upon himself and his descendants, God saw man in his sinful state and lovingly (graciously) sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to atone for the sins of man and rise again so that man could respond in repentance and faith to the gospel message, and one day God will call together all those who have trusted in Him for salvation and those in Christ will dwell eternally in perfect relationship with Him.
While the Bible in its entirety expresses an overarching meta-narrative, there are many genres of writing throughout the Scriptures. Robertson declares the Bible is not a law book; however, law is a genre contained in the Bible. We must read those genres and understand the author's original intent. In the case of Leviticus, the genre is law and the reader is intended to understand what God requires of His covenant people. Moreover, Robertson claims the Bible is not a textbook of facts. However, the Bible is full of factual evidences and historical data.
Whether or not the Bible is divinely inspired, inerrant or infallible, is monumentally important to how we view the Scriptures. If the Scriptures are not inerrant or infallible, how can Robertson make claims that she believes the Scripture is God-breathed and true? If one part of the Scripture is false, then the whole is false. The Bible is either true or false. From an evangelical standpoint, the Scriptures must be true. Furthermore, if one reads Romans 1, Paul writes that mankind has been able to understand and prove the existence of God through general revelation.
While I understand Robertson's point of view about condemning people and driving them to fear in preaching hell rather than pointing to Jesus, one cannot accept her statement about the doctrine of hell. I will be the first to say that many on the outside of Christianity know more about what we are against than what we are for. However, we cannot minimize the reality of hell. It is eternal condemnation and torment.
Do I recommend this book?
No.
