Book Review: Misquoted

Misquoted: Rethinking Commonly Misused Bible Verses.  This title grabbed my attention, and I was eager to read what Dan Suelzle had to share.  As a pastor's wife, a leader of ladies' Bible studies, and a student of the Bible, I have repeatedly been reminded of the importance of context, especially when it comes to Scripture.  To pull Scripture out of context can at best make us look silly or uneducated, and at worst, misrepresent God Himself.

I appreciate the layout of Suelzle's book.  He begins by reminding the reader that the Bible is about Jesus, not us.  All of Scripture points to Jesus, and in order to read the Bible in context, we must keep this in mind.

After laying this foundation, Suelzle continues on to address several often-misquoted passages of Scripture.  He asks his reader to first consider the claim that is being made when one quotes a verse.  What is that person actually claiming Scripture says?  Second, consider the true, actual context of that verse in order to determine if the claim being made is valid.  Finally, consider the comfort that comes with finding a right, contextual understanding of the verse.

While I appreciate this approach and completely agree with it, I was surprised to find that I disagreed with one of his interpretations.  In fact, the stance he takes on the passage in question is not even a common one.  Ironic, considering this book was written to clarify misquoted Scripture.

Suelzle's book holds a lot of value.  His process is a good one, and Christians would do well to learn from this.  Context must always be considered when reading Scripture, and this book is helpful for reminding Christians to slow down, consider what is being claimed, consider the context of the verse this claim is based on, and then take comfort in the right, contextual understanding of the verse.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★☆☆

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.