I really enjoy Dan McClellan, and his input. It definitely was an academic book, which I personally enjoyed. I think this will get mixed reviews simply because his approach is counter "christian culture," but that is a good thing for people who care about data and facts. I would recommend to anyone.

The author of this book, a biblical scholar, has a motto: data over dogma. That means looking at the Bible as its original readers would have seen it, rather than imposing his own religious and cultural ideas on it. This book explores some of the most common popular misinterpretations of Scripture, and the ways in which we err by approaching this complex historical document as a single, cohesive book.

You don’t need to be a Christian to enjoy this book, and in fact, you might have an easier time with it if you aren’t! As a progressive Christian, there were parts of this book that absolutely affirmed my prior ideas. The author’s most forceful argument is in favour of LGBTQ+ inclusion, and he notes that Biblical ideas of modest dress for women were about refraining from flaunting wealth more than refraining from showing skin. But there were parts of this book that also deeply challenged me, like the evidence that early Israelites likely believed God had a wife, or the idea that trinitarian theology is not necessarily clearly evident in the Gospels. This book is very deeply researched and uses additional sources like archaeological evidence, the Apocrypha, and documents from other ancient Southwest Asian cultures to inform the author’s ideas of how the Bible’s earliest readers would have seen things.

I wasn’t necessarily on board with all of the theological ideas in this book, but I am very much on board with the author’s key point: that the way the Bible is wielded in our culture, the verses that we choose to take literally and those we avoid (because let’s be real, even the biblical literalists are picking and choosing to some extent), are too often used as a tool of the powerful to keep others down. It’s my personal belief that the lens the author is advocating for, namely a deeper understanding of biblical history, and an openness to allowing Biblical norms to change with time (as with the abolition of slavery), can help our Christianity to look more like Christ.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an early copy of this book!

Pre-Read Notes

I grabbed this book because I don't get along with the Bible. Reading it never has made me feel closer to God or clearer about my faith. I'm always questioning the Bible. In fact I would say questioning--doubt--is my clearest connection to faith.

"... I have to try to understand the Bible on its own terms. What that means is I try to understand it as its authors, editors, and earliest audiences understood it. I recognize that to understand the Bible on its own terms, I need to be willing to allow for those terms to diverge from my own. I have to be willing to distinguish “the Bible” from “my interpretation of the Bible” or “what I want the Bible to be.” " p5

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) I really learned a lot about the Bible and how it can be misused or misinterpreted. I was engaged and interested the whole way through, but I won't lie, this is a bit of a slog. The authors understanding of Biblical verses is very layered-- what was going on at the time? what did the author's intend it to mean? how did early audiences interpret the Bible? He layers all these interests in his considerations of the Bible and discusses them in a clear way. But if I'm being real, this research is thick.

I think this is an important book that compares modern Christianity and ancient Christianity, a book that affects not just those who believe in God, but those on whom those believers set their gaze. I recommend this to anyone interested in an academic perspective on the Bible.

My 3 Favorite Things:

✔️ I always like books that inspire me to read further. As this is an analysis of the Bible written by a Mormon author, he thought it best to address that in the introduction. Because of this proposed conflict in ideologies, I was compelled to reap up on aspects of Mormonism with which I was unfamiliar. I just love learning new, weird stuff in books!

✔️ The provided comparisons of varying interpretations of different passages were a very intuitive way for me to learn.

✔️"Across the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, God frequently treats human life as negligible and in some circumstances even orders humans to treat it the same way." p87 This is exactly my issue with the Bible. I've never heard anyone write this in a book let alone suggest it out loud. And it's perfectly put, except I would add that God treats all life as negligible in the Bible..

Notes:

1. Content Notes: religion, Christianity, the Bible, slavery, gr*pe (off page), patriarchy, violence against women(off-page), violence against children (off-page), there are more of course, it's the Bible.

Thank you to the author Daniel McClellan, publishers St. Martin's Essentials, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE BIBLE SAYS SO. All views are mine.

A biblical scholar takes on issues that have been wrestled with for millennia. He makes the case that the Bible has been twisted every which way to argue both sides of issues rather than looked at for what it is: a collection of writings that weren’t written for application outside of the authors’ time or the context of which they were written. It’s an enlightening and humorous book sure to rub some the wrong way because certainty is the cozy blanket of Christianity.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Essentials and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I first found Dan in TikTok, and as an exmormon, I must say how incredibly refreshing his take on any type of organized religion is. I'm not one who is good at putting my thoughts together when it comes to speaking to others with opposing views as me, and the biggest thing that's helped me become more confident with this is Dan. I was SO excited when I saw this book available for request and immediately requested it as an ARC. And not surprisingly, it was 100% worth it. I have always preferred an educated but I biased opinion of any major debatable topic I study, and Dan is very obviously the perfect source for my research. Absolutely loved his deep doves but also his ability to explain his views in a way that helpse, a lay person, understand them as if I studied them all myself. Excellent book, and excellent author! Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to preview this digital ARC!

The author’s motto is data over dogma, but by the end of the book I struggled to find a message or conclusion. What was the overall point? The bible condones slavery, but he never explores how this means we shouldn’t obey the laws of the bible because slavery is wrong. The bible doesn’t mention abortion, bible verses used by anti-choicers are allegorical or poetic, but again, the author doesn’t then give an opinion on these facts. Data is useless without interpretation.

Dan is such a great thinker and source for thoughtful information about the Bible on the internet, so I was excited to see him bring that knowledge base into book form! Negative reviews seem to be coming primarily from people who disagree with his approach to the Bible, and/or his conclusions. I appreciate his ideas now that I am no longer a fundamentalist.

His tone feels a bit academic, but that’s consistent with how he presents online and I honestly find it refreshing. Dan encourages critical thinking and doesn’t whip anyone into an emotional frenzy with extreme rhetoric. This book is a great resource for anyone looking for a fresh perspective on the Bible and some of its “hot topics.”

This is an academic work that will probably not be of interest to most readers of the Bible. I appreciate his attention to detail in the meaning of many Hebrew and Greek words and their usage at the time of their being written.

It has been decades since I have read material on what was called then the “higher criticism” of the Bible. McClellen concludes, for example, the pastoral epistles were not written by Paul but were produced much later. While I don't like most of what he has written, I do appreciate his pointing out some of the strangest things people believe the Bible says and clarifying their error. It certainly gives one pause to think of beliefs, what is actually found in the text as opposed to what we've been told it says.

McClellen does identify himself early on as a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. I do think that may have influenced some of his conclusions, such as his discussion on God having a body, his understanding of Jesus' relationship to God (or being God) and the concept of hell. Nonetheless, this is a book where readers of the Bible can find out what modern scholarship is saying about it. It will also encourage readers to consider Bible passages in the greater context of the time and culture of that day.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Author Dan McClellan is a social media personality who bills himself as a scholar. He has credentials, but do they make him the authority on the points covered in this book. That I don’t know. But, after reading the book, I find it challenging to see him in that light. It could be bias: I prefer a more refined approach to scholarship when helping others pursue knowledge and understanding, especially when it comes to deeply held belief systems.
McClellan makes his living in this new world of anything-goes social media where monetization is the point. To get there, one must know how to trigger engagement, and McClellan seems to have refined that to an art. To give you an example, he describes bringing up a question that he knows will lead to specific answers that are perfectly aligned for the hellfire missile he’s about to launch.

I take no issue with the words quoted below unless one’s premise is based on the rigid, unwavering notion that data (fact) is king. Is the author stating fact when he includes words such as: “likely refers to,” “the most natural understanding,” or “it seems clear.” He says that God “intentionally” did something or made “rash” threats. I ask, how can he know the intent of mortals much less God or that God spoke without first considering what he was about to say? Does McClellan have a papyrus timeline he’s not sharing?

Funny thing is that I agree with McClellan’s approach to biblical text. Indeed, I find it more assuring to know that imperfect people wrote, edited, and controlled the content that would eventually become the Christian bible. That points of contact with other traditions that were built upon as metaphors in describing God’s power shouldn’t rattle anyone. It gives context within which to be understood.

McClellan’s arguments rattle on a bit and exasperation seeps through one extended argument. But, overall, he supports his arguments with cites, for whatever they are worth. I found the book on the tedious side but interesting at times. Would I follow him on social media and help him monetize his opinion. That’s a hard no.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC.

Refreshing to read a book that looks at the bible and what it has to say by looking at may aspects of its writing, including the culture, language, original meaning of words and other literature/texts from the same time. While it adrresses specific topics/questions and provides meaningful dialogue on each, at the end I am left with a question still...why does the bible really have to say?

I like to read books that critically look at the Bible and try to interpret it with an eye towards historical accuracy, however, I felt this was more surface level than I expected. I read about 75% of it deeply and then skimmed the rest to see if anything interesting caught my eye. Overall, not the best but definitely not the worst book on the Bible. I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was a journey.
A pilgrimage.
A TRIP.

Between history, language and general scholarship, this work often felt like a chest-deep slog through the Swamp of Sadness. Tough, but necessary because ‘You have to try! You have to care!” (Apologies to the creators of The Neverending Story)

Untangling data from dogmas always makes me rather uncomfortable.

No one likes being misinformed, but one hopes to like causing harm even less.

Luckily, there were plenty of pop culture references (Coolio, Dodgeball, AND Monster Squad?) and exquisitely crafted burns to distract me from my own errancy.

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” As Dan McClellan argues in The Bible Says So, that word is “literal” or “inerrant” or “biblical worldview.” Using his “data over doctrine” approach, McClellan looks at various statements that literalists insist are made by the Bible but often are informed more by cultural bias.

Because the author has built much of his audience on TikTok, the tone sometimes sounds a bit too much like angry internet “um actually” arguments (many chapters open with discussion of TikTok comments). In fairness, I shouldn’t judge since my own teaching has sometimes taken this tone, since ideas about the origin of Satan or when life begins are not as clear in scripture as many imagine. McClellan’s excellent scholarship shows these are more than just doctrinal opinions. The pop culture references are also appreciated.

What is most appreciated, though, is the acknowledgment in the opening and closing chapters that he is also interpreting and making meaning, no matter how much he is focused on the data alone. I certainly disagreed with some of his analysis, but he seems to welcome such discussion. This note of humility is essential if we are going to use scripture in a way that does not harm our most vulnerable neighbors.

4.5/5 ⭐️

If you are a fan of this author's podcast, you absolutely must read the book! Although he fleshes out his thoughts more (and even warns you he will do so in the beginning LOL), it is told in a similar format. As a fan of his podcast, I was thrilled to get this one early!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Dan McClellan for the ARC "The Bible Says So" is out NOW! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I am not a believer, but I am an amateur biblical scholar. It’s always fascinated me. I’ve even learned enough Hebrew and Greek where I can avail myself of the “originals “. As such, I knew full well that what most people say the Bible says is half wishful thinking and half maliciousness.

This book digs deep into most people’s favorite biblical dogmas and deconstructs them and it does so elegantly, by looking at our oldest copies of the books that became the Bible, plus great knowledge of both the original languages and the customs at the time they were written. It also digs into the many anachronisms that pop up when we try to ascribe newer creations to much older texts. Such as thinking the Bible supports the Trinity, when that concept wouldn’t exist for centuries after the Bible was written.

This book is not for the dogmatic faithful, but it’s a delightful read for anyone who loves history, religious studies, or how early myths evolve into religions.

The Bible Says So is an interesting book without a defined readership.
The author identifies himself up front as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (AKA Mormons) but he aims this book at a wider audience. Dan McClellan is a Bible scholar with the academic credentials to prove it and he uses his considerable erudition to prove that the book known as the Bible is not the unified Word of God cherished as divinely inspired by millions of fundamentalist Christians. It is actually a varied collection of many different books written by different authors at different times in different places and in several different languages, none of which were English. A detailed analysis of the biblical words for "inspired" and a comprehensive history of the formation of the modern canon(s) of scripture destroys the idea of the Bible as the unchanging guidebook for all people everywhere.
In different chapters, the author demolishes contemporary ideas of the Bible as a source of revealed truth about slavery, homosexuality, female modesty, and numerous other topics, including the actual nature of God.
Theat said, I had a couple of problems with this book.
Readers dedicated to a conservative "King James only" viewpoint will be horrified and condemn it as blasphemy. Almost everyone else already agrees with a more liberal interpretation and probably doesn't need such a detailed reminder.
The first few times I read an endnote "apologizing" to a pop music group for adapting one of their song titles to a chapter heading, I thought it was cute, but after awhile, I stopped bothering with the notes.
While I did learn a few things I did not know about the Bible, I began skimming towards the end as I really didn't need convincing. Perhaps a recent refugee from a fundamentalist background would find it more helpful.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for giving me access to a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a person of faith, I was drawn in but can't say that it kept my attention. It is interesting to hear a different perspective on some very common passages or beliefs, but still pretty dry and information quite dense so it took me a while to come back to it. It wasn't anything that was binge worthy for me, nor should it be one can argue, but an interesting read that I'll keep chugging through one chapter at a time.

A robust and dense exploration of different components of the Bible, this was a deeply interesting book to me on the academic principles of the history of the Bible and broader religious texts. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This was so good and very much needed especially during the times that we are living in.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy for my honest review!

Well-researched, in-depth look at what the Bible actually says. Super interesting to look at the text from the Bible through the lens of the time period from which it was written. It points out that people read whatever they want from the Bible currently - you can twist the words to say whatever you want, but that does not make it true. A historical look at the Bible is more interesting and more accurate.