Bible Babel Making Sense of the Most Talked About Book of All Time [Paperback]

Why does the film Magnolia end in a downpour of frogs?

Is the serpent in the Garden of Eden the devil or just a snake?

How do people use the Bible to argue different sides of today's most controversial issues?

Why did Metallica's bass player name their song “Creeping Death” after watching The Ten Commandments?

Where does the fish symbol of the Christian faith come from?

Who is the lamb with seven horns and seven eyes who opens the seven seals of a cosmic scroll?

Without either promoting or undermining specific beliefs, religious studies professor Kristin Swenson offers an intelligent, humorous, highly accessible, engaging, and illuminating guide to the Bible—incorporating biblical scholarship with contemporary pop culture references to help readers better understand the most talked about book of all time.

Wide-ranging, objectively factual and written for the common reader. . . . Swensons book possesses a singularly breezy tone, a kind of Jesus Christ Superstar approach to the sacred. . . . A solid, readable work that doesnt shy away from the tough issues.Kristin Swenson offers a confident, well-paced, well-informed, and accessible guide to Bible basics and biblical literacy. The reader may expect some surprises, some confirmation of hunches, and some challengesexactly what ought to arise from serious, sustained treatment.Finally, a book on the Bible for the rest of us! . . . This broadside against our collective biblical illiteracy hits the sweetspot between blind belief and angry atheism. Who said a book on the Good Book cant be brave, smart, and fun?Bible Babel is a breath of fresh air. . . . Kristin Swensons writing is brisk and lively. She has an informed sense of everything relevant to the Bible. . . . She is an engaging corrector of misconceptions and a helpful guide to the common reader.Swenson successfully shows why, in spite of all its difficulties, the Bibls1