The Badly Behaved Bible

We''re told that the Bible is beautiful, uplifting and a joy to read - but, while we know this is how we''re supposed to feel about it, in reality many of us find the very opposite. On opening the Bible, we are faced with a multitude of problems; from its form and historical content to its sheer size and often distasteful stories, we can be left feeling overwhelmed and disheartened. But the problem is not with the Bible - and it''s not with us either.

The problem is we''ve been misinformed. And so, we end up believing things about the Bible that the Bible never claims for itself. But the Bible won''t politely sign up to the neat categories and terms we force on it. That''s why it''s badly behaved. We want to control the Bible and tame it so that we can ride it into battle; but the Bible bucks and rears and throws us off. We want to pin the Bible down so that it proves our theology; but the Bible evades capture and plays hide and seek. We want answers; but the Bible keeps firi