I don’t do many reviews of books. At least I haven’t up to this point. I may start. Mainly I don’t do it because every author and their sister would send me books (I already get quite a few) and I just don’t have time to read and write about what I just read.
But this book has been very interesting and I thought I would just make a few comments. I first heard about this book from my friend and web designer extraordinare Kelli Standish.
It’s taken me a couple of months to get through it, but there are some quite funny moments in this book. Basically, AJ Jacobs decides to see what it would be like to live biblically – to take literally pretty much everything in the Bible and do it. He grows out a beard, grows out his hair, wears the latest Biblical fashions (which makes him a little wierd looking in today’s modern society, but fits right in since he’s a New Yorker) and then proceeds to work on following every law to the letter.
One of the most funniest parts to me was one example he gave on being absolutely honest – he and his wife and child are out eating one night and they run into an old high school friend of his wife’s with her husband and family and after the customary greetings, the old friend says “we should get together.” AJ Jacobs answers honestly: No, we’re pretty busy and not really looking for new friends right now, but thanks for the thought – or something to that effect. His answer is actually quite refreshing I think.
The biggest thing I took away from this book was seeing Christianity through the eyes of a non-Christian. He doesn’t spend a whole lot of time with the New Testament because it makes him nervous. He does spend a whole lot of time with the rules and regulations of the Old Testament, acknowledging that evangelical Christians don’t believe that many of these rules are still in play today mainly because the gift of Christ dying on the cross and the resurrection thwarts a lot of those rules and regulations now.
Grace seems to be a topic he struggles with, but then again, don’t we all, even those of us who have committed our hearts and lives to Christ.
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