I’ve told more than one person that Christian Smith’s new book, The Bible Made Impossible, is doing a number on my head. I’m not finished with it yet but I am enjoying it a lot. The clips below are some brief interviews done by Steve Ayers, Sales Manager for Brazos Press and Baker Academic, with Christian Smith. I’ve written the question addressed to Christian above each clip.
Could you summarize briefly your thesis of this book and tell us what motivated you to write it?
Why are you the person to write this book?
Who do you hope will read your book and what would you like for them to get out of it?
Your book is not just a critique. Could you briefly describe how you put forward some constructive suggestions on how to read the Bible?
In your book you talk about evangelicals needing to read the Bible in a more evangelical way. What do you mean by that?
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Jeff Lash
July 30, 2011 at 12:17 am
Having not read the book, I could be completely off base here. But I get the impression from the videos that Smith is critiquing a certain segment of evangelicalism (or even certain figures within evangelicalism). I can think of several pastors/scholars who would say the same things that Smith says in the videos…particularly the last video. It sounds a lot like an elaboration on moralistic therapeutic deism. Is that the impression you get when reading the book?
Louis
August 7, 2011 at 11:05 am
Hi Jeff,
Sorry to get back to you so late. Smith is critiquing a certain segment of evangelicalism. I wish he had interacted more with writers like D. A. Carson, Carl Henry and John Woodbridge but that’s asking the author to write a different book which isn’t quite fair. Anyway, I’m not sure I would say it’s an elaboration of moralistic therapeutic deism. The two issues are very different. I’m almost finished the book so perhaps I’ll find a connection later but for now I don’t see one. Thanks for the comment.
jonahmb
August 2, 2011 at 11:10 am
Hey Louis, not sure if you are aware of Kevin DeYoung’s post on this book, but here is the link.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/08/02/christian-smith-makes-the-bible-impossible/
Mark
August 2, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Louis, I’ve also been wrapping my head around the book for a couple weeks and published my review last night: http://www.everygoodpath.net/Bible-Made-Impossible-Christian-Smith-Review