Many people tend to read the Bible at the surface level and accept and obey what is there unquestioningly. This book takes an entirely different approach. It encourages readers to be honest and bold to acknowledge seeming shortcomings and question them. Who is bold enough to admit that the Genesis account of our origin is a weird story too diffi cult for an intelligent mind to accept and embrace? Even worse is the story of the "Fall" that sounds more like myth than fact. Why couldn't God forgive a mere peccadillo and let the couple continue living in paradise? The book is not a call to rebellion or irreverence. It appeals to intelligence, maturity and imagination to read between the lines, dig deep, connect the dots and uncover the rich treasures hidden there. It even veers into "hallowed" grounds and dares to question piously held views. How did Jesus, for example, end up with Judas in his camp of hand-picked disciples? What was he thinking? What a price he paid for what was clearly a bad choice! The book forges into areas where readers have been mum, bringing to the fore violence and brutality, and questions how they could be associated with God the Father of his gentle Son, Jesus. But the pauses are mere signposts of something rich hiding underneath.

Author Biography

Etta Anderson carries an excitement for Bible reading that is contagious. She is an educator by training, with a Ph.D. in the field and she brings the discipline from that field into her own private reading and groups that she leads. Her style empowers participants to dig into the Scriptures for themselves and uncover the treasures that are hidden there. She is not afraid to question traditional and familiar positions on some selections that are difficult to understand or fit into what we would like to believe. She separates narrow and pre-mature views from the bigger picture of God's original purpose. Anderson is not an ideologue. Her writing is convincing but readers are left to draw their own conclusion. She lives in the Allston neighborhood of Boston where she teaches English to immigrants and is active in the area of affordable housing.