The Bible, the Holy Word of God, is still the best- selling book of all time. With more than 5 billion copies sold according to Guinness World Records, no other body of work comes close.
As such, it is a book that should be commended even for secularists interested in Western history. For those in the Christian faith, it is also far more than a simple book. Instead, it’s a roadmap for a righteous life, and a way to hear directly from God.
However, according to a recent GQ Magazine article, it should be tossed to the side – and is highly overrated.
GQ’s complete list of books people needn’t bother reading included literary classics and others. The full list is outlined below (pay special attention to number 12):
- “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurty
- “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger
- “Goodbye to All That” by Robert Graves
- “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway
- “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho
- “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway
- “Blood Meridian” by Cormac McCarthy
- “John Adams” by David McCullough
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
- “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
- “The Ambassadors” by Henry James
- “The Bible”
- “Franny and Zooey” by J.D. Salinger
- “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien
- “Dracula” by Bram Stoker
- “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller
- “Life” by Keith Richards
- “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen
- “Gravity’s Rainbow” by Thomas Pynchon
- “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut
- “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift
Perhaps even worse than putting the Holy Word of God on an arbitrary list of “overrated books,” was what the editors said to justify its placement there.
“The Holy Bible is rated very highly by all people who supposedly live by it and who in actuality have not read it,” the article says. “Those who have read it know there are some good parts, but overall it is certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced. It is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish and even at times ill-intentioned.”
While GQ might label it as little more than rubbish, Christians believe that it is a God-breathed, divinely inspired Scripture. By saying “it’s certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced,” GQ tells on itself when it comes to their understanding of its power. Of course it’s not the finest thing man has ever produced, because man didn’t produce it – God did. Therefore, it is far superior to anything man could hope to create. To place it on a list with other regular books is offensive to those who believe in its worth.
Reverend Franklin Graham, son of famous evangelist Billy Graham and warrior of God in his own right, said the following after hearing about the Bible making this list:
“The Holy Bible is God-breathed, it is living and active, and it is sharper than a double-edged sword. There is nothing more powerful, and there’s nothing more needed by mankind than the Word of God. ”
President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Franklin Graham goes on to add, “And one day soon, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.”
On their list of books not to bother reading, GQ made suggestions next to each entry. This suggested book was one they considered a superior option to the listed book. The one they chose to replace the Bible was “The Notebook” by Agota Kirstof. They describe it as “a marvelous tale of two brothers who have to get along when things get rough. The subtlety and cruelty of this story is like the famous sword stroke (from below the boat) that plunged upward through the bowels, the lungs, and the throat and into the brain of the rower.”
How can that ever compare to the God-inspired Word of God much less be better? It can’t, and it isn’t!
The Bible does not belong on any secular list of mere tales woven by men. It is not a work of fiction. It was not thought up by the creativity bestowed upon some overly blessed wordsmith. It is the living, breathing, Word of God, and as such deserves far more respect than its getting from GQ Magazine.
~ 1776 Christian
