The God You Thought You Knew

Etta Anderson has spent decades studying the Bible on her own and teaching it, mainly to adult groups. She is an educator by training with a Ph.D. in the field. She approaches her reading and teaching with the disciplines of her field. She lives in Allston, Massachusetts where she teaches English to adults from various parts of the world. The Brighton-Allston Adult Basic Education Coalition recently awarded her the Certificate of Recognition for her dedication and service to English Language Learners. She also holds awards from the Brighton-Allston Tab - People of the Year - and Allston-Brighton Healthy Boston Coalition - Unsung Hero.

Many people tend to read the Bible at the surface level and accept and obey what is there unquestioningly. This book takes an entirely different approach. It encourages readers to be honest and bold to acknowledge seeming shortcomings and question them. Who is bold enough to admit that the Genesis account of our origin is a weird story too difficult for an intelligent mind to accept and embrace? Even worse is the story of the "Fall" that sounds more like myth than fact. Why couldn't God forgive a mere peccadillo and let the couple continue living in paradise?The book is not a call to rebellion or irreverence. It appeals to intelligence, maturity and imagination to read between the lines, dig deep, connect the dots and uncover the rich treasures hidden there. It even veers into "hallowed" grounds and dares to question piously held views. How did Jesus, for example, end up with Judas in his camp of hand-picked disciples? What was he thinking? What a price he paid for what was clearly a bad choice!The book forges into areas where readers have been mum, bringing to the fore violence and brutality, and questions how they could be associated with God the Father of his gentle Son, Jesus. But the pauses are mere signposts of something rich hiding underneath.The God You Thought You Knew is a compendium of rich treasures gathered from a trip across the Scriptures that will generate a new excitement for God's holy word.