This Dangerous Book: How the Bible Has Shaped Our World and Why It Still Matters Today

by Steve Green, Jackie Green, Bill High (With), Rick Warren (Foreword by)

Overview

From Steve and Jackie Green, founders and curators of the Museum of the Bible—a fascinating exploration of the history, authenticity, and power of the Bible, the book that has changed people and nations throughout the centuries.

It is the top selling book in history. It brings social upheaval, international arguments, and political controversy. It has been used to justify both love and war. And for generations, it has found its way into the hearts of millions, offering comfort, direction, and life-changing truths.

How could one book have such power? In This Dangerous Book, Steve and Jackie Green explore the incredible history and impact of the Bible. As the founders and visionaries of the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C., the Greens have a unique perspective on the Bible's journey—from its ancient beginnings, to its effect on the moral fiber of nations, to its transformative influence in individual hearts.

The Greens share the challenges they have faced in acquiring biblical artifacts from around the world and why generations—in every time period and in every geographical location—have risked their lives to preserve this precious book.

Exploring ancient tablets, medieval commentaries, and modern translations, This Dangerous Book offers fascinating insight into the miracles and martyrdoms that have led to the Scriptures we read today. The Greens explore how cutting-edge technology gives new insight into the authenticity of the Bible, including the work of fifty scholars who recently uncovered hidden details about thirteen unpublished Dead Sea Scroll fragments. This Dangerous Book also looks at the link between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, what we can learn from how the Bible was passed down to us, and why God's Word is foundational to America's past and crucial for its future.

The Bible is a world-changer and a heart-changer. Whether you have read the Bible for years or are simply curious about its influence, This Dangerous Book could change your heart as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310367048
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.45(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Steve Green is the President of Hobby Lobby and along with his wife, Jackie, co-founders of the Museum of the Bible. He grew up in Oklahoma City. At age seven, he glued picture frames together for the family start-up business. With his father (David Green) as CEO, Steve became the President of that little start-up business which is now known as Hobby Lobby—the nation’s largest privately held arts and crafts retailer. Over the years, Steve’s been on a journey to experience the Bible as one story, one beautiful story.

Jackie Green is the co-founder of the Museum of the Bible, with her husband Steve. She has assisted in the launch of the Museum and its development efforts in various areas. She’s also a founder of Women of Legacy—an effort to help women discover and leave a legacy. She has co-authored two books: This Dangerous Book (with Steve Green) and Only One Life (with her daughter, Lauren Green Mc Afee). Jackie is actively involved in a variety of philanthropic endeavors, including distributing Bibles, helping children find their forever homes through adoption, and serving on the advisory board of a crisis pregnancy center, as well as serving on the board of a private Christian school. In 2013, she received the Eagle Forum Homemaker of the Year Award. She’s the mother of six children, and grandmother to four (so far!).

Bill High practiced law for twelve years before becoming the CEO of The Signatry. His mission is to help others live a life of significance through family, legacy, and generosity. He and his wife, Brooke, have four children, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. He can be found at billhigh.com and thesignatry.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword Rick Warren 9

Acknowledgments 13

Introduction 15

Part 1 The Story Begins

1 On a Plane to a Holy Grail 23

2 A Codex in a Cat Basket 31

3 The Journey beyond Istanbul 39

Part 2 The Book

4 Book of Wonder: The Story of the Bible 49

5 More Than a Book 61

6 A Good Book 71

7 A Most Dangerous Book 79

Part 3 Collecting Secrets

8 The Museum of the Bible 91

9 The Dead Sea and the First Scriptures 105

10 The New Scriptures 115

11 A Special Book 125

Part 4 Appeal to Heaven

12 Revolution: The Bible and America 143

13 Revolutionary: A Nation of the Book 155

14 The Adventure of the Bible 169

15 Godly Architecture: How the Bible Shaped Our World. 181

Part 5 To the Ends of the Earth

16 The Opposition 197

17 What Has Been Said about This Amazing Book 211

18 The Story That Never Ends 221

Notes 231

Photo Credits 239

Index 241

Editorial Reviews

10/23/2017
Timed to coincide with the November 2017 opening of their Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., this work by Hobby Lobby president Steve Green and his wife, Jackie, is a meandering narrative that makes a scattershot case for the historical significance and positive social power of Christian scripture. Arranged in five loosely thematic sections, the text is more a collection of personal anecdotes and reflections than a coherent argument. Readers seeking a history of the Bible will be disappointed; historical anecdotes are mainly used to impress upon readers the vast influence of Christian scriptures throughout the world. Stories about the Green family’s quest to collect rare Bible-related artifacts are mixed in with testimony about the place of Christianity in the Greens’ lives. Troublingly, the authors gloss over the controversy and legal actions regarding the artifacts, thousands of which were smuggled out of Iraq. While the Greens deny that they seek to convert readers, they assert that a society governed by “a Judeo-Christian ethic” (a term they fail to define) is universally desirable: “You can be a Hindu, a Muslim, an atheist, or even a communist, and still benefit from the Bible’s way to live.” This religious and cultural narrowmindedness limits the work’s appeal. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly