In “Godbreathed”, Zack Hunt has done Christians, non-Christians, and questioners a tremendous service. He describes the history of how fundamentalism “evolved”, as did the relatively recent notion of Biblical literal inerrancy, only in the last 10% of the centuries since Christ walked the earth.

But even more than what he says the Bible is NOT, is what the Bible IS.

The real question is not “is the Bible the literal word of God, which you must believe in order to avoid hell?” but “is the Bible God-inspired? Spirit-filled? Godbreathed? And can anyone, Christian or non-Christian alike, derive inspiration and meaning from its pages?” Zack Hunt has shown abundantly that the second question is the one that is true.

Hunt has done his due diligence, and then some. With copious references and footnotes, he exposes the fact that the books of the Bible changed and evolved over the centuries; there is not and never has been one settled version. He also raises the possibility that errors may have been intentionally left in order for readers to dig for the deeper messages within.

Most importantly, Hunt’s book illustrates that the overarching theme and highest priority of the Scriptures is love of God and neighbor. If something in the Bible contradicts Love, then that thing is errant.

Godbreathed makes me want to re-read the Bible with new eyes, and hunt for the love Easter eggs which are hidden in plain sight. Thank you, Zack, for this breath of fresh air.

I didn't really have any expectations when I picked up Hunt's book and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I think of Godbreathed having finished it. But it's definitely a book I'm going to be thinking about for quite a while.

One of the Best Books of 2023:

Zach Hunt's amazing book, Godbreathed, presents a refreshing perspective on the inspiration of Scripture, which challenges the problematic, harmful, and loveless understanding of Biblical Inerrancy. The book draws upon the insights of early Christian theologians (Origen and Augustine), offering a hermeneutical approach to Scripture that prioritizes love over legalism, providing a way to read the challenging passages in the Bible. Hunt's explanation of the meaning of "godbreathed", connecting it to the stories in scripture where God breathes life into humanity is particularly helpful. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Bible and how to embody the Story of God in our own lives.

Godbreathed: A Book Review
In his latest book, Godbreathed: What it Really Means for the Bible to be Inspired Zack Hunt takes us on a journey to understand the meaning and purpose of the inspiration of scripture. This journey is firmly planted within both orthodox Christianity and the Wesleyan-Holiness context Zack Hunt has been within. But it will challenge those who have heard scripture described and taught from a more fundamentalist or Reformed perspective; all within a lighthearted and accessible narrative.
Do not skip the early front matter “A Word About Words” as it helps to understand terminology and choices that Hunt makes throughout the book. This gives a solid foundation for engaging the text as we are led through the journey.
We are given stories and anecdotes to explain the complex ideas and doctrines that Hunt is dealing with in Godbreathed and those help to make the shock some may feel more palatable. Of course, many have already trod this same path and will find comfort that Hunt’s description of scripture is the majority understanding of Christianity throughout its history. In discussing how the Bible becomes an idol to Christians, Hunt deals with what he calls the “problematic assumption that the Bible and God are interchangeable.” We are then introduced to the concept of inspiration being more important than the printed words in the Bible. As we are reminded that John 1:1–4 is describing the Logos of God (Word of God) as Jesus and not the scriptures which point to the Trinitarian God. Placing the importance upon the written word obscures the truth of the living Word in Jesus. the former leads to us calcifying our interpretations over the power of the Spirit of God to guide us into interpretation and truth.
Hunt relies heavily on the historical understandings of scripture within the Church catholic as he invites us into an understanding of scripture which allows it to be the invitation into relationship with God rather than a propositional set of truths to be obeyed outside of relationship. It is a significant change for many that will free them to experience scripture in its true power and beauty. As the historic is weaved throughout Hunt’s excellent narrative, we are experiencing a journey of creating a hermeneutic (interpretive lens) based upon the nature and purpose of scripture rather than a rigid framework of propositions.
We are eventually led through a discussion of a hermeneutical approach to subjects, and Hunt does a good job of connecting the concepts of the book with that discussion. We may not all agree with his conclusions in the interpretive section, but it is cogent and well thought and presented.
Ultimately, Hunt asks if we can make something we treat with certitude and closed understandings and allow metaphorical dry bones to live. Pick this book up and allow it to challenge and confront your ideas of scripture. I guarantee if you approach it openly, it can free scripture from a valley of dry bones into a story of a living and active God of relationship.

I love the spirit of curiosity in this book. Zack Hunt does a good job of posing questions that call the reader to dig deep. I don’t love the conversational tone of the book—the author seamlessly presents both fact and opinion as if they are equal, which is a struggle for me when it comes to this subject.

Hunt’s writing style is easygoing and entertaining, but this book isn’t something you just pick up for a light read. He poses the question: What if Scripture can be true without being perfect? And he lays out his thoughts in a way that feels accessible.

I needed more sources. Appealing to my curiosity is wonderful, and I think that we should approach the Bible with curiosity. But a lot of the material was dripping with negative sentiment and the same overconfidence that the author condemns in the fundamentalist movement. Of course, my issue isn’t that he has those feelings, it’s that an emotional argument doesn’t seem (to me) to be the right way to approach the intended audience—people who came from conservative fundamentalist backgrounds.

Ultimately, I have mixed feelings. This book made me think a lot. I appreciated a lot of what Hunt had to say. But I can’t take his word for it, and I think that’s why I wish the book was more source-heavy. I would like to dig in for myself. And maybe that’s the point?

The principle concept presented by Godbreathed is the idea that the literal interpretation of the Bible, largely attributed to fundamentalists, has been toxic to the christian faith and the author is calling for a return to complex and rich exegesis that mines the spiritual truth of the stories that doesn’t depend on the inerrant historical facts there in. This is pitched as a return to Hebrew scriptural tradition … presumable something like a midrash … and may make the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura problematic. If the reader subscribes to a tradition that mandates a literal reading of an inerrant Holy Bible, this book is not for you and is unlikely to change your mind. However, if the reading is struggling with resolving all of the apparent discrepancies and contradictions that a literal interpretation creates, this book provides some cover for the idea that such is actually okay and perhaps even intentional.

The first chapter advances that idea of treating the Bible and God as interchangeable (bible idolatry) and why that is dangerous to the inspired interpretation that comes from “wrestling” with the scripture. The next chapter covers how and when the Bible actually became canon and points to the fact that tradition actually came first. While there was an interesting hint about the conflation of masoretic disciple and the Christian belief of inerrancy, but I think much of that was poorly supported. That said, I thought the problem of using prooftext to weaponize scripture and such being counter productive was a solid observation in the next chapter. Chapter 4 highlights some of the common objections to literal exegesis and how such became the norm (faith vs science). While the title for chapter 5 was wierdly provocative, it also covers the unfortunately need for certitude that warps a lot of biblical interpretation (instead of allowing for the possibility of admitting that we don’t know). Finally the last three (3) chapters harken back to two early church fathers (Origen and Augustine) to examine their approach to scripture to eventually come up with a simple heuristic for Biblical interpretation … if your interpretation doesn’t not end with love … you got it wrong. Ultimately that is a sentiment I can get behind.

A Word About Words
1. Stop Worshiping This Book!
2. Richard Kiley Wrote The Bible
3. Born Again On The Boardwalk
4. Icarus
5. Cussin’ For Jesus
6. What If The Bible Is Wrong
7. The Bull Stamp
8. Can These Bones Live?
Acknowledgement

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Godbreathed #NetGalley

4.5 stars Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a beautiful ebenezer, a stone of remembrance, to the holy scriptures. It's a rallying cry to relinquish the hold of what is perceived untouchable pureness of the Bible in so many minds. The Bible itself has become an idol in many evangelical churches/parachurch organizations today.

Zack addresses the problem/fairly recent history of inerrancy and literalist interpretations of scripture, when first of all, that's likely not what the church has always believed, and secondly, the fact that the Bible was written and recorded by humans is in itself an interpretation of what happened, who G-d is, and what G-d is like. Yet, we do have a book of truth at our fingertips because of the Spirit which indwelt not only the storytellers, but us today.

The truth of the divinely inspired scriptures is not, in the modernist thought, necessarily always truth as fact (literal), rather truth as meaning and wisdom. In spite of the biases we all bring when we open this book, an app, or play a recording, there's still wisdom for us today to discern and lead our lives in accordance with how the Spirit leads. The Bible is not the ultimate authority fundamentalism made it out to be, /G-d/ was, and is.

I will admit I am removing half a star because there are instances where the author, who talks a great deal about the mystery of G-d, speaks in absolutes (think terms like "all" "every" "always" which is frustrating to me in non-fiction literature) and comes off as condescending/leaves no room for error (ironic, huh?). Also, his anecdote about Paul cussing in Philippians is somewhat false and misleading in the sense that the word used, while it means "sh!+" today, wouldn't have been perceived as a swear word back then. It shows how interpreters have cleaned up/purposely chosen other words for English translations, but it's misleading to allow the audience to believe that it would've had the same shameful offensiveness to the sensibilities of the church in Philippi (Now, on the other hand, there's other examples of Paul making snotty comments to the churches that doesn't rankle American sensibilities). Bible interpretation for other cultures/languages works similarly.

While I should have stopped at the end of page one, I made it 63% before calling it quits. Unfortunately, there were too many strawman arguments and false statements for me to believe anything else written in this book, so I put it down.

The page-one showstopper was of course when he mentioned his intent to use she/her pronouns for the Holy Spirit. The pronouns for each member of the Trinity are not debatable, no matter what kind of "long tradition" Mr. Hunt would like to cite. The Bible says (something I'll continue to say even though the author thinks this is a problematic phrase) what God's pronouns are, and it's clear they're masculine.

After that, it was one false argument after another. The author would build up a case against something that wasn't even what "fundamentalists" claim (and it's clear he thinks they're some kind of enemy, which was made even more evident when I read reviews of his other book). I truly went into this openminded, earnestly hoping to learn more about the word of God. And while some things were actually interesting and I did find a couple of points I could agree with, most of it reeked of "progressive" Christianity, which is hardly Christianity at all.

Mr. Hunt argues in this book that biblical inerrancy is anti-Christ. That we aren't meant to take everything the Bible says literally, that the truths of the myths and their morals should be sufficient. But why believe in a book as your roadmap if you can't believe what's in it? Why believe in a God who'd allow His word to be full of errors? Why even push for this kind of thinking if you care about Jesus and His people?

This whole thing was an absolute no for me. Perhaps one day I will attempt to finish this one. But honestly, all it did was feel harmful to the faith. I'd like to take some of these ideas to my pastor and see what he thinks, but I already know I don't agree with most of what I read on a factual, provable basis, so I'll probably disregard the rest of this. There are much better books out there to grow stronger in the faith, when this one makes our faith look weak and irrelevant.