From Stone to Living Word

October 15, 2007
To many readers, “bibliolatry” is a new and frightening word. It describes the phenomenon of the Bible itself, rather than the God of the Bible, becoming an object of worship. Blue, a pastor, author and teacher who is part of the ministry team at the House of Mercy in St. Paul, Minn., believes that such a worshipful attitude toward the Bible is a form of idolatry, and that the sacred volume needs to be freed from the clutches of biblical literalists. In this rich and satisfying study, she draws from both her own life’s journey and from the stories of those to whom she ministers, to explore some of the better-known biblical accounts in a new way, enabling the casual reader to find value in a book that some consider filled with fables and morality tales. Indeed, Blue displays not just knowledge of the book but an intimacy with its underlying meaning. Her prose is clear and precise, written for the lay reader who is interested in many of the questions raised by the emerging church movement. Faith itself, she insists, becomes “a freaking crazy and beautiful thing” when the Bible can be liberated from the literalists.

March 1, 2008
Blue, part of a ministry team at the House of Mercy in St. Paul, MN, affiliated with the Baptist Church, takes well-known biblical passages from both testaments, such as the temptation of Adam and Eve, the healing of Naaman the Syrian, and the choice of Barabbas over Jesus as the prisoner to be released for the festival, and offers lively and perceptive commentaries that appeal to the modern believer. Using examples from her personal life, her relationship to the members of her church, and other everyday occurrences, she relates the Gospel message to contemporary life, coming across as one who is open to continually discovering new ways of seeing the Scriptures and of sharing her enthusiasm for them. Blue prefers the bread metaphorsomething living and organicto the rock metaphor. Not afraid to use surprising images to get her point across, Blue wants the Scriptures to speak to people afresh, and in this she succeeds admirably. Highly recommended for all religion collections.Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ

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