THE BIBLE
By Derek Tidball
Monarch. 281 pages
ISBN 1 85424 608 9
I approached this book with some caution; the only time I heard Derek Tidball speak I was not sure he was as orthodox on the Bible as he should be. I'm happy to say that this book dispels those doubts.
And it's a daft title; the publishers need to be rebuked. Surely they know that there is another, better known, book called just 'The Bible'? This book is in the 'Thinking clearly' series: 'Thinking clearly about the Bible' would be a better title and still fit on the spine.
In four sections, 'Where does the Bible come from?' 'What does the Bible say?' 'Why does the Bible matter?' and 'How should we read the Bible?' he covers a vast amount of ground. It is very readable, (many will find his summary of the Bible story in section 2 extremely helpful) and clearly the product of a man who knows and loves his Bible.
There are blemishes; he is pro-inclusive language in translation, speaks of 'artistic license' with regard to the time of the crucifixion, argues that the restrictions on women's ministry are cultural and thinks that science has 'disproved' the more literal understanding of Genesis 1-3. A bigger blemish still is that he sidesteps the question of the Bible's inerrancy - even though managing to give me the impression that he does believe the Bible to be inerrant! It would help to say so, with whatever caveats he needs about misunderstanding that word.
To be recommended? Oh yes, overwhelmingly. But I would want to point out the blemishes to younger Christians, and pray that they would come to know and love the Bible as well as Tidball does.
Gary Benfold,
Moordown Baptist Church, Bournemouth
