Very logical, very adult. Very honest. [Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem by Luke T. Harrington]

This humorous book is also full of new insights into ways we’ve been missing the point of so many beloved Bible stories.

Approximately 80 percent of Americans admit they haven’t read the Bible. If they did, they’d be pleasantly surprised by its impressive quantity of sex and poop jokes.

David danced naked. Noah was basically a moonshining hillbilly. Ezekiel baked poop bread. Herod was eaten by worms. Jesus cursed a fig tree, just to prove he could. Mark went streaking. Hosea married a prostitute. Lot was date-raped by his own daughters.

It turns out, there’s a lot of weird stuff in the Bible. Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem is a funny look at some of the stranger tales in the Bible. From Elisha, who loosed homicidal bears on some kids because they called him bald (it’s a long story), to the story of Ehud, who gets away with assassinating a tyrannical king because his servants think said king is taking a dump (also a long story), this book examines and casts new light on some of the Bible’s stranger moments.

Organized by topic (poop, genitalia, weird violence, prostitution, gratuitous nudity, seemingly pointless miracles, and other fun stuff), Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem is a thoroughly researched (really!), reverent, and insightful look at the amazing book at the center of our fait 

Luke T. Harrington's Murder-Bears, Moonshine and Mayhem: Strange Stories from the Bible to Leave You Amused, Bemused, and (Hopefully) Informed ended up being a conversation starter. To be clear, I'm the only one in my household who read this book, but I spoke to my mother a lot about it. And it's mostly with my mother that I have theological discussions anyway, but I would tell her about viewpoints and interpretations I found refreshing. Generally, the writing style was funny, but it took me a until about chapter three to really feel that way.

For many reasons my understanding of the Bible, the way I've accepted and interpreted it (ever changing, ever evolving) has skewed towards progressive, especially with respect to female persons referenced. I've read the Bible at least three times in its entirety, first reading 20 chapters a day, then five chapters a day, and finally one chapter a day. Knowing I'm not of the people to whip out memorized verses, I could at least be content with that. Still, knowing myself, I'm also not the person to hold on to the super gritty and nitty details. Thereby, reading commentaries on the Bible and interpretations often feels like a fun refresher course. The subtext that previously escaped me will feel glaringly obvious and brilliantly new, all at once. 

Harrington's humorous dissection of many of the better known examples of human atrocity in the Bible was a point of discussion, when I mentioned certain parts I found interestingly worded, between my mother and I. She, being older, a bit more restrained with some of the comedic liberties and stylistic wordings I found hilarious. Maybe the sense of humor wasn't entirely, initially, up my alley, but once I got into it I sped through the book. I'd like to own a copy of this. A conversation starter for those unfamiliar with Bible in this context, but also a nice example on how to consider the good book as an adult, without subtext. 4 stars from me. 

Murder-Bears, Moonshine, and Mayhem was set for publication August 25, 2020.