Kindle
$13.99
Available instantly
Hardcover
$12.50
Paperback
$16.57
Buy new:
-8% $16.57
FREE delivery Monday, June 10 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$16.57 with 8 percent savings
List Price: $18.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, June 10 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Arrives before Father's Day
In Stock
$$16.57 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.57
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
$9.36
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, June 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Arrives before Father's Day
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.57 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.57
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

John A. Buehrens
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals Paperback – June 15, 2004

by John A. Buehrens (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.57","priceAmount":16.57,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"57","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"tFkyRPJ%2Bbi0DQY8bv%2FRLi6Pr%2BMmhU%2FOKH0KZ5ASGfrdzhwcUrIdBhXL6S4Q8cG2tbTzjZ1isZNBrkL6Csz1CjzB3YclT7rSTUg3Wdkyku8PPxBLW4ueEdqtothnDPpgGbcLvFtETlO8%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.36","priceAmount":9.36,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"36","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"tFkyRPJ%2Bbi0DQY8bv%2FRLi6Pr%2BMmhU%2FOKDem6Y4U%2BrAabnhDL9i%2BjGB4LHJQ4Bdu%2FqOtcpVDZZKTt5F0cgKV%2FfpfKyCANdWUhBbJpNl95hxh2nycCweORbQAg2o7OT5MT63FSoh1CcImYx6TbnYey4RX0AfYB91wZj9xJgw9mpBuS%2FHlf8YeUBiIm4kM55Koa","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Beacon Press
  4. Publication date
    June 15, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.48 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807010537
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807010532
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals
$16.57
Get it as soon as Monday, Jun 10
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
$16.33
Get it as soon as Monday, Jun 10
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide: Sixth Edition
$9.00
Get it as soon as Sunday, Jun 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Control
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Biblical literacy is not just for Biblical literalists. To grasp the nuances of Western art and literature or the religious subtext of Western law and society requires a working knowledge of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Yet, to the uninitiated, the Bible is daunting. One opens its pages only to get lost in its maze. John Buehrens has performed a great service for the many religious liberals and seekers who would explore the Bible if only they could find a trusted guide. Addressed to thoughtful skeptics who know enough to be skeptical of their own ignorance, Understanding the Bible is an accessible, unpretentious introduction to the most influential writings of all time.' --Forrest Church, author of The American Creed and Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday

'Understanding the Bible is a thoughtful and honest introduction to the tragedy, compassion, mercy, justice, grief, and ecstasy that we share with the tellers of biblical stories and with the stories themselves. Read Buehren's enlightening as well as entertaining work and you almost certainly will find yourself learning, thinking, and laughing as you reach for a copy of the Bible to read it again or for the first time.' --C. Welton Gaddy, President, The Interfaith Alliance

'Spiritual seekers of a liberal persuasion have too often dismissed the Bible, perhaps because of unhappy childhood experiences with literal interpretations. The Bible is neither history nor science, but rather stories of human struggle and divine presence throughout that struggle. John Buehrens engages us in the powerful stories of the Judeo Christian scripture, returning to us a rich heritage without which we would be both culturally and spiritually impoverished.' --Marilyn Sewell, editor of Cries of the Spirit

'If with Saint Augustine, you 'believe in thinking and wish to think in believing,' John Buehrens' book is for you. He spells out clearly the historic importance and textual complexities of the Bible, which then enables you to stand face to face, soul to soul, with blazing biblical insights sorely needed in these dark days.' --William Sloane Coffin, author of A Passion for the Possible

About the Author

John Buehrens was president of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 1993 to 2001 and is now minister of the First Parish in Needham, Massachusetts, and special assistant to the secretary general of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. He is coauthor, with Forrest Church, of A Chosen Faith.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beacon Press (June 15, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807010537
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807010532
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.48 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
John A. Buehrens

John A. Buehrens

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

John Buehrens was the 6th President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993 to 2001. Married to the Rev. Gwen Langdoc Buehrens, a priest in the Episcopal Church, since 1973, he was national co-chair of Freedom to Marry from 2002 to 2012. He serve as Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco from 2014 to 2017. His most recent book is A Religious Center with a Civic Circumference: Unitarians in San Francisco Since 1850. He published Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender and Social Justice in 2020. Universalists and Unitarians in America: A People's History, was published in 2013. He is also the author of Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers and Religious Liberals. He is coauthor, with Forrest Church, of A Chosen Faith, and coauthor, with Rebecca Ann Parker, of A House for Hope. Now retired from full-time ministry, he continues to write, teach, preach and consult.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
51 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

LanceFR
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2005
Verified Purchase
32 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cactus Guy
4.0 out of 5 stars A SHORT WORK PACKED WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE BIBLE
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2017
Verified Purchase
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Interested Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Summary
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jacques Herman
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
Helpful
 Report
rev. Tina Geels
5.0 out of 5 stars You can find me on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter.
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
Helpful
 Report
Charlie Sharpe
4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable aid
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Raphael Venegas
5.0 out of 5 stars Still reading it. Impressive scholarship.
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2010
Verified Purchase
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

John Sproule
5.0 out of 5 stars Wysiwyg
Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Report