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

In Better Ways to Read the Bible, Lambert calls readers to a more Christlike interpretation of Scripture. Lambert has created this accessible guide to help readers dismantle four common lenses for reading Scripture that lead to harm--Literalism, Apocalypse, Moralism, and Hierarchy. Instead, he offers four new lenses--Jesus, Context, Flourishing, and Fruitfulness--that promote wholeness, inclusion, and flourishing for all people. This book transforms the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that helps and heals.

Better Ways to Read the Bible welcomes all Christians to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.
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Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing
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.

In Better Ways to Read the Bible, Lambert calls readers to a more Christlike interpretation of Scripture. Lambert has created this accessible guide to help readers dismantle four common lenses for reading Scripture that lead to harm--Literalism, Apocalypse, Moralism, and Hierarchy. Instead, he offers four new lenses--Jesus, Context, Flourishing, and Fruitfulness--that promote wholeness, inclusion, and flourishing for all people. This book transforms the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that helps and heals.

Better Ways to Read the Bible welcomes all Christians to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.
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Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing

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

by Zach W. Lambert
Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing

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

by Zach W. Lambert

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Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on August 12, 2025

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Overview

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.

In Better Ways to Read the Bible, Lambert calls readers to a more Christlike interpretation of Scripture. Lambert has created this accessible guide to help readers dismantle four common lenses for reading Scripture that lead to harm--Literalism, Apocalypse, Moralism, and Hierarchy. Instead, he offers four new lenses--Jesus, Context, Flourishing, and Fruitfulness--that promote wholeness, inclusion, and flourishing for all people. This book transforms the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that helps and heals.

Better Ways to Read the Bible welcomes all Christians to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781493450305
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Publication date: 08/12/2025
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 208

About the Author

Zach W. Lambert is the lead pastor and founder of Restore Austin, a church in Austin, Texas. Under his leadership, Restore has grown from a launch team of five people in 2015 to more than 1,000 members today. He has 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 Restore Houston, Hub Garage (a nonprofit for single moms), the Austin Church Planting Network, and the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network. He lives in Austin with his wife and their two sons.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction: How the Bible Beat Me Up
Section 1: We All Have Lenses
1. You're Reading It Wrong
2. We All Have Lenses
Section 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: "I'm Just Following God's Created Order"
Section 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"
A Restored Reading
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