BookPleasures.com - http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher
Miracles, Messages & Metaphors: Unlocking the Wisdom of the Bible Reviewed By Mary Simmons of Bookpleasures.com
http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/articles/2352/1/Miracles-Messages-amp-Metaphors-Unlocking-the-Wisdom-of-the-Bible-Reviewed-By-Mary-Simmons--of-Bookpleasurescom/Page1.html
Mary Simmons
Reviewer Mary Simmons: Mary is an avid reader who is currently writing a family saga following three generations of women. She has worked as a reporter and is presently occupied with freelance writing and editing a doctoral thesis. Mary also reviews for other sites.


 
By Mary Simmons
Published on April 6, 2010
 

Author: Norm Carroll
Publisher: Synergy Books
ISBN: 0-9823140-1-9

Overall, I found Miracles, Messages & Metaphors to be a well-written, thought-provoking commentary on one of the most often-quoted and yet misunderstood books of all time, the Bible

Author: Norm Carroll
Publisher: Synergy Books
ISBN: 0-9823140-1-9

Click Here To Purchase Miracles, Messages and Metaphors: Unlocking the Wisdom of the Bible

In Miracles, Messages & Metaphors, author Norm Carroll covers much of the Bible – not an easy task by any means – from the beginning of time in Genesis to the eschatological text of Revelation. Obviously, one cannot cover the entire Bible and every piece of wisdom it contains in a book of 370 pages; therefore, Carroll has broken his text into seventy chapters on various biblical figures, events, and topics.

I took the author’s advice and read slowly, one chapter at a time, allowing myself to reflect and ponder on its elaboration of biblical passages. I often read with the Bible within reach to remind myself of the context. At times, I found Norm Carroll’s insights helpful and profound, while at others, I was in disagreement with his conclusions, which allowed me to articulate my own thoughts and beliefs. This process is aided by the prayers at the end of many chapters, which allows for a time of devotion and meditation.

Carroll presupposes a certain amount of biblical and theological scholarship in his reader. As a lifelong church-attending Christian who has very little formal religious training at an academic level, I found myself looking for attribution and endnotes for certain theological views the author must consider common knowledge; however, I have to admit ignorance on certain views presented in the text. I found this frustrating since I would have to do independent research in order to find out more, which could have been made easier if sources had been cited.

Although Carroll professes to be a proponent of unity and lack of discord within Christianity, and in fact all religions as well as those who claim no religious affiliation, he takes exception with religious fundamentalists, pointing out that their literal interpretations of religious texts are incredibly limiting. This is even more pronounced in the Point/Counterpoint section at the end of the book in which he sums up each chapter in a sentence from the point of view of a Fundamentalist, a Nonbeliever, and a Christian Scholar. Although this may be helpful to some, it seemed unnecessarily divisive to me.

Overall, I found Miracles, Messages & Metaphors to be a well-written, thought-provoking commentary on one of the most often-quoted and yet misunderstood books of all time, the Bible. In easily comprehensible language, it relays the deeper meanings of some of these incredible stories that have been passed down for generations. I would recommend it to anyone who is searching for the truth and wisdom contained in the Bible and yet is somewhat intimidated by the tome itself. It may also be a suitable text for a Bible study, although its vast scope may be a stumbling block for groups looking for a narrower focus or theme.

Click Here To Purchase Miracles, Messages and Metaphors: Unlocking the Wisdom of the Bible