Blind Spots in the Bible (by Adrian Plass)

(Amazon UK link)

I like to re-read my Adrian Plass books regularly, both the fiction and the non-fiction ones. He’s quite a diverse writer, though with a somewhat distinct style that combines readability with wry humour and very interesting ways of expressing his thoughts. He is a Christian writer and that’s clear in all his books; some more overtly so. ‘Blind Spots in the Bible’, which I last read in 2012, is one that’s clearly intended for believers.

It’s an interesting idea for a book. Adrian Plass has chosen quite a number of diverse passages from Scripture, with the only link being that they tend to be ‘blind spots’. In some cases there are phrases or sentences that many of us seem to ignore, or skip over. In some cases they’re puzzling, and we might wonder why they’re in the Bible at all. In some they appear to make God look rather different from the loving father we know.

The passages - and the author’s commentary on each - are divided roughly into six sections. The first is labelled, ‘The real nature of Jesus’. It includes the well-known story of the woman at the well in Samaria, the questions John the Baptist asked from prison, and the woman caught in adultery - amongst others. Plass carefully draws our attention to individual points that he’s had to re-think, questions he wants to ask, and ideas to ponder.

As ever, Adrian Plass does not try to answer every question. It’s more like poking at the passage with a stick, stirring a little, peering more closely, suggesting a few ideas, and giving some examples, some from his own experience, that might shed a little light. Or maybe not. Perhaps we’re not meant to understand every aspect of the Bible stories.

Later sections including being followers, or things the church could do with learning. And there’s one section which even more random than the rest of the book: the author calls it ‘Strange but true: unclassifiable blind spots’. This miscellaneous collection includes Paul’s apparent disparagement of marriage, the instructions to stone a rebellious son, the bizarre story of Laban trying to make speckled flocks by an entirely non-scientific old wives’ tale (and succeeding!), and other rather bizarre encounters. I’ve sometimes wondered about one or two of them myself…

I don’t know that I learned anything new from reading this book, although I’d forgotten most of what was said (other than the final section, which I found both moving and encouraging). But I did appreciate this willingness to grapple with difficult or confusing Scripture passages and to acknowledge that faith is not always straightforward, and we humans are a long way from being able to understand God.

Recommended if you are interested in discussion of this kind of thing. It’s not a book to read straight through; more one to read a couple of sections at a time, and then ponder through the day.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews