BREVARD, N.C., July 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- How did the Bible come to be? What were the politics, power struggles, and beliefs that shaped the contents of the Bible? What is the difference between being religious and being spiritual? Why is it important to understand the Bible? How a literal interpretation of the Bible can become dangerous? Donald L. O’Dell explains and expounds on the answers to these questions and more in his updated publication.
From an award-winning tome first published in 2007, O’Dell launches the second edition of “How the Bible became the Bible” (published by Balboa Press). Calling for honest spirituality rather than guilt-laced, dogmatic religion, this study examines how the religious and the spiritual have been at odds throughout the history of the Bible.
In the book, O’Dell explains in broad, but accurate, terms how the scrolls, fragments, oral history, poems, songs and letters were put together, called the Bible and declared sacred. While the author performs a scholarly work explaining facts, politics and beliefs that forged the evolution of the Bible, his experiential faith in the sacredness of the presence of Holy Spirit imbues this book with authentic humanness. Here, O’Dell uses incidents from his own personal experience and a down-to-earth approach to history to make the human oneness of characters such as the prophets and gospel writers “come alive.” By understanding the broad landscape from which the Old Testament sprang, he believes readers may develop their own meaningful interpretation of what the Bible truly is and is not.
“We are enduring a dangerous political/moral/cultural division in our country in terms of inclusion/exclusion of persons different from us,” O’Dell states, on the book’s relevance in today’s society. “Understanding what the Bible truly is and is not encourages the growth of the spiritual reality of human oneness — the antidote to self-righteous exclusiveness.”
“How the Bible became the Bible” is written for those who want to be true to the spirit of the Christ and want to use the Bible as a guide or resource for their spiritual growth rather than as a literal instruction manual for evaluating and judging external behavior, especially the behavior of others. To purchase a copy of the book, readers may visit https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/806317-how-the-bible-became-the-bible.
“How the Bible became the Bible”
By Donald L. O’Dell
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 346 pages | ISBN 9781982243067
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 346 pages | ISBN 9781982243081
E-Book | 346 pages | ISBN 9781982243074
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Donald L. O’Dell holds a master’s degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and an undergraduate degree in history. He was an active United Presbyterian minister, developing a “street-gang” ministry in Trenton, New Jersey, followed by pastoring two small congregations. He had a visceral spiritual experience during his recovery from alcoholism and came face-to-face with the difference between being religious and being spiritual. Semi-retired, he now lives in western North Carolina. He is active in New Thought groups and congregations and is a student of A Course In Miracles.
Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc. – a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 877-407-4847 today.
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