12 Biblical Passages: A Review of Joseph Bentz's New Book

As I read the introduction to Joseph Bentz's new book, 12 New Testament Passages That Changed the World, I was struck by the fact that for the first 1400 to 1500 years of the church, few Christians actually had Bibles in their own language or, for that matter, could read. Yet the Christian faith spread throughout the reaches of the old Roman Empire and beyond.

With this idea suggested by the introduction, I began to marvel at the wealth of the scriptures that Bentz provides a guide to. Moving through 12 of the most famous New Testament passages, passages known to people of all cultures, known to atheists as well as Christian believers, he documents just how far and wide these passages have influenced culture. From "fictional" characters like the prodigal son and the good Samaritan (interesting that Jesus' fictions have lasted two thousand years), to The Lord's Prayer and passages about judgment, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, Bentz makes a strong case for the world shaping and life changing qualities of these scriptures. He recounts the cultural influences of the passages, including in his reckoning countless movies, songs, books, and organizations that speak to these influences. Each chapter begins with a famous painting depicting the scene in question.

As he explains the relevance and import of each passage, a clear message of love, grace, and salvation emerges. A final chapter balances a concern he has expressed throughout the book, between noting the many martyrs, like Wycliff, Tyndale, and countless missionaries, who worked to get Bibles into the hands of people, and our own growing apathy about reading it. We are "drowning" in Bibles, he notes. We have apps for it; we have countless translations. But is this helping?

Comparing the contemporary situation to one of his literature classes, Bentz writes, "(t)he only force that can keep students away from this wealth of literature...is their own decision not to engage with it. A literary feast is laid before them, but some may simply choose to ignore it.

"The same is true," he writes, "of the Bible."

I once remember T.S. Eliot making a similar comment as 
he spoke of the literary influence of the King

James Bible--its beauty of expression and its influence on countless writers. But Eliot also voiced the concern that to speak of its literary influences might come at a time when its real spiritual influence was in decline. A similar note seems to be sounded here. For Bentz, our current apathy and lack of interest are of concern.

Certainly, the author is interested in more than the literary values in the Bible, and he makes a wonderful case for the spiritual gains to be made from deep and sustained reading of it.