Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing

by Zach W. Lambert

Overview

Rediscover your love for the Bible

"A wide-ranging and cogent guide to seeing scripture in a new light. Disenchanted Christians will be energized."—Publishers Weekly

As a pastor for more than ten years, Zach Lambert has seen the Bible used countless times as something far from the "Good Book"—both in his own life and in the experiences of others. He has seen the Bible weaponized to subjugate women, justify racism, bash LGBTQ+ people, cover up abuse, and exclude people who speak out against these injustices.

If you've been hurt by harmful interpretations or feel disconnected from Scripture, this book offers a path forward to reclaim the Bible's life-giving message. This accessible resource will help you

· break free from harmful interpretations that distort Scripture's true message,
· develop Christ-centered reading practices,
· renew your relationship with Scripture,
· apply new frameworks to challenging Bible passages that have historically been misused to cause harm, and
· connect with Christians who embrace Scripture's call to abundant life for everyone

In this compassionate guide, Lambert dismantles four common lenses for reading the Bible that lead to harm, then offers four new lenses that promote healing and wholeness. This book welcomes all Christians—regardless of background, doubts, or wounds—to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587436680
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/12/2025
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Zach W. Lambert is the lead pastor and founder of Restore, a church in Austin, Texas. Under his leadership, Restore has grown from a launch team of five people in 2015 to more than one thousand members today. He holds a master of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is pursuing his doctorate at Duke Divinity School. Zach is the cofounder of the Post-Evangelical Collective and serves on the boards of the Austin Church Planting Network and the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network. Zach and his wife, Amy, met each other in the sixth grade, fell in love at seventeen, and got married at twenty-one. They love watching live music, discovering local Mexican food places, and playing with their two boys.

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword by Sarah Bessey
Introduction: How the Bible Beat Me Up
Part 1: We All Have Lenses
1. You're Reading It Wrong
2. Some Lenses Are Better Than Others
Part 2: Lenses That Inflict Harm
3. The Literalism Lens: "The Bible Says It, I Believe It, That Settles It"
4. The Apocalypse Lens: "It's All Gonna Burn Anyway"
5. The Moralism Lens: "Well, That's Not Biblical"
6. The Hierarchy Lens: "Submit to Authority as You Submit to God"
Part 3: Lenses That Promote Healing
7. The Jesus Lens: "The Scriptures Point to Me"
8. The Context Lens: "The One Who Seeks Will Find"
9. The Flourishing Lens: "I Have Come That They May Have Life Abundantly"
10. The Fruitfulness Lens: "By Their Fruit You Will Recognize Them"
Conclusion: A Restored Reading