John Dickson on the Bible

John Dickson, A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015).

Like many books published in recent years, this one provides a bird’s-eye view of the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But there is something distinctive and refreshing about this one. It’s brief and accessible. It’s also intelligent and tonally engaging. Reading it is like having a conversation with a smart friend, someone who not only tells the biblical story really well, but who responds helpfully to the questions you might have about the ‘controversial’ bits – Genesis 1, Adam and Eve, the land, the law, the violence, issues of archaeology and history. It would be a great book to give to friends who are exploring the Christian faith – the ‘doubters’ or ‘sceptics’ referred to in the title. But it would also serve as a valuable primer for those who’d like an opportunity to take in again the ‘story we recognise as true’, and the God who calls us to himself through it.