Better Ways to Read the Bible: A Book That Hit Me Where I Live

A Review of "Better Ways to Read the Bible" by Zach W. Lambert

“We’re reading it wrong.”

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve said that over nearly fifty years in evangelical Christian churches and ministries.

I remember the first time I said it.

I was a young, first-time pastor and was grappling with what was, at the time, a theoretical question: whether to remarry someone who had been divorced. In making my decision I came up with a thought experiment.

Suppose you have a young man who is a good, loving husband and father, but one day stumbles into a single act of sexual unfaithfulness. Wracked with guilt, he confesses his sin to his wife and sincerely repents.

According to some evangelical interpretations, his wife is free to divorce him because of his sexual immorality.

Now, suppose you have another young man who is a monster, a terrible, hateful man who abuses his wife and children physically and psychologically. But he has never been sexually unfaithful.

Even though he is a danger to her and the children, some interpretations of Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce won’t allow her to divorce him. She is expected to remain in an abusive marriage.

I told my wife, “We’re reading it wrong. We must be.”

The last time I said those words was in 2009—nearly thirty years later—when, convinced by the evidence, I accepted the science of evolution. That went contrary to everything I’d ever believed as an evangelical Christian.

This time, “We’re reading it wrong” launched me into a spiritual and emotional tailspin that lasted sixteen years, a journey to the edge of atheism and back.

So, when I opened Better Ways to Read the Bible and saw that the first chapter was titled, “You’re Reading it Wrong,” I knew I’d found a kindred spirit. As I read Zach Lambert’s opening chapters, I saw my own struggles reflected in his. His core point, that “no one just reads the Bible” because we all read it through different lenses, hit home.

I’ve worn glasses since I was ten and that metaphor connected instantly. A year ago I ordered glasses online. Something was wrong. Whether the prescription was faulty or I’d entered it incorrectly, the lenses distorted everything. I knew something wasn’t right, but it wasn’t until I put on the correct lenses that the world snapped back into focus.

Likewise with the Bible.

Four Harmful Lenses

Lambert identifies four lenses that distort our understanding of Scripture and inflict harm:

• The Literalism Lens: “God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It.”

• The Apocalypse Lens: “It’s All Gonna Burn Anyway.”

• The Moralism Lens: “Well, That’s Not Biblical.”

• The Hierarchy Lens: “Submit to Authority as You Submit to God.”

Reading these, I found myself nodding, not in judgment but in recognition. I’ve worn every one of those lenses at some point, often most or all of them at once.

I felt like I was watching a replay of my worst ministry moments.

One in particular still haunts me. A man called our church and asked if gay people could attend. I said something like, “Sure, everybody’s welcome here.” Then I added, “Of course you can’t be a practicing homosexual.”

He hung up. A few minutes later he called back to tell me that the problem with the church was that they hated homosexuals.

It was like a knife through my heart. And in nearly fifty years of ministry, if there’s one moment I wish I could redo, that’s it.

Four Healing Lenses

In Part 3, Lambert presents four lenses that promote healing and flourishing:

• The Jesus Lens: “The Scriptures Point to Me.”

• The Context Lens: “The One Who Seeks Will Find.”

• The Flourishing Lens: “I Have Come That They Might Have Life Abundantly.”

• The Fruitfulness Lens: “By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them.”

These lenses are what I wish I’d had those many times I said, “We’re reading it wrong.”

Reading these chapters was like finding fresh spring water after crossing a desert. They showed me the lenses I wish I’d had in those moments when I knew something was “off” in my understanding of scripture but couldn’t see the problem clearly. They show how the Bible can be a book of healing, not a club to clobber people.

I’ve said I wish I’d had this book about fifty years ago, but that’s not quite true. Back then I’d have tossed it without a second thought.

But sixteen years ago, when my faith was unraveling after accepting evolution, this book would have been a lifeline.

Final Thoughts

Depending on the lenses you currently wear, Better Ways to Read the Bible will impact you differently.

If you’re deconstructing, you’ll find this book immensely helpful. It will give you a framework for reconstructing your faith.

If you’ve been hurt by the church, it will show you how to seek healing. God wants you to flourish and find abundant life in Jesus, and you will recognize where to find it by looking at the fruit.

If you view the Bible through what Zach identifies as the harmful lenses, you may disagree or even reject the book entirely. My advice? Read it and then file it away. Put it on your shelf.

One day you might find that your glasses aren’t working and you need a new prescription.

It took me sixteen years to correct my lenses.

Better Ways to Read the Bible might help you do it sooner.