How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian

The acclaimed Bible scholar and author of The Historical Jesus and God & Empire—"the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation" (John Shelby Spong) —grapples with Scripture’s two conflicting visions of Jesus and God, one of a loving God, and one of a vengeful God, and explains how Christians can better understand these passages in a way that enriches their faith.

Many portions of the New Testament, introduce a compassionate Jesus who turns the other cheek, loves his enemies, and shows grace to all. But the Jesus we find in Revelation and some portions of the Gospels leads an army of angels bent on earthly destruction. Which is the true revelation of the Messiah—and how can both be in the same Bible?

How to Read the Bible and Still be a Christian explores this question and offers guidance for the faithful conflicted over which version of the Lord to worship. John Dominic Crossan reconciles these contrasting views, revealing how different writers of the books of the Bible not only possessed different visions of God but also different purposes for writing. Often these books are explicitly competing against another, opposing vision of God from the Bible itself.

Crossan explains how to navigate this debate and offers what he believes is the best central thread to what the Bible is all about. He challenges Christians to fully participate in this dialogue, thereby shaping their faith by reading deeply, reflectively, and in community with others who share their uncertainty. Only then, he advises, will Christians be able to read and understand the Bible without losing their faith.

This essential guide to modern theology and biblical studies offers a path forward:
Biblical Contradictions: Reconcile the compassionate, loving God of the Gospels with the vengeful, warring God of Revelation without dismissing either text.The Historical Jesus: Go beyond dogma to understand the world Jesus lived in and the radical, nonviolent message he preached.Rival Visions in Scripture: Discover how different biblical authors wrote with competing purposes, creating an internal debate within the Bible itself.A Framework for Faith: Learn a method for reading scripture deeply and reflectively that strengthens, rather than shatters, your belief.Progressive Christianity: Engage with a scholarly yet accessible approach that has empowered countless modern Christians to tackle the Bible’s most difficult passages.