How Not to Read the Bible: Making Sense of Hard Scriptures - w/ Dan Kimball

Mar 1, 2021

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Tackling some of the most confusing, disturbing, and often-misunderstood parts of Scripture, Mike and Tim welcome author Dan Kimball to discuss his new book, How Not to Read the Bible. This episode is an honest, insightful, and sometimes humorous deep dive into how we approach the Bible's “anti-science,” “anti-women,” “pro-slavery,” and violent passages—and how to keep our faith intact in a world full of catchy atheist memes and biblical misquotes.

Dan lays out four transformative principles to help listeners engage Scripture with greater wisdom and humility. By teaching us to treat the Bible as a diverse library written for us but not directly to us—and urging discernment over cherry-picking verses—Dan invites us into a deeper, more faithful way of reading that ultimately points to Jesus.

Key Takeaways: • Viewing Scripture as a Library, Not a Single Book – Understanding how genre, context, and audience radically influence meaning. • Written For Us, Not To Us – The importance of cultural and historical differences when interpreting ancient texts today. • Never Read a Bible Verse (Alone) – Why zooming out to listen contextually is key to preventing misinterpretation. • All Scripture Points to Jesus – How the full biblical narrative arcs toward the person and work of Christ—and why that matters.

Guest Highlight: Dan Kimball – Author, pastor, and longtime friend of the podcast, Dan brings decades of teaching experience and a passion for helping people explore and wrestle with the Bible honestly. His book, How Not to Read the Bible, is designed for skeptics, faithful Christians, and everyone in between.

Resources Mentioned: • Dan Kimball’s Book: How Not to Read the Bible – Link • BibleProject – bibleproject.com • Tim Mackie – Co-founder of the BibleProject • N.T. Wright’s “Five-Act Play” Analogy – Exploring how Scripture invites us into the ongoing narrative of God's redemption • Greg Koukl’s “Never Read a Bible Verse” – Stand to Reason

Learn how recovering context, asking better questions, and approaching Scripture humbly can breathe new life into your faith—even when you're struggling with the Bible’s most difficult passages.

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We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy