Try free for 30 days

  • What Is the Bible?

  • How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel About Everything
  • By: Rob Bell
  • Narrated by: Rob Bell
  • Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (123 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
What Is the Bible? cover art

What Is the Bible?

By: Rob Bell
Narrated by: Rob Bell
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.78

Buy Now for $22.78

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author Rob Bell, using his inspired and inquisitive approach, focuses on the most widely read book of all time. He provides surprising insights and answers about how the Bible actually works as a source of faith and guidance, showing a brand-new way of interpreting this sacred text.

Rob Bell, the beloved author of Love Wins and What We Talk About When We Talk About God, goes deep into the Bible to show how it is more revelatory, revolutionary, and relevant than we ever imagined - and offers a cogent argument for why we need to look at it in a fresh, new way.

In Love Wins, Rob Bell confronted the troubling questions that many people of faith were afraid to ask about heaven, hell, fate, and faith. Using the same inspired, inquisitive approach, he now turns to our most sacred book, the Bible. What Is the Bible? provides insights and answers that make clear why the Bible is so revered and what makes it truly inspiring and essential to our lives.

Rob takes us deep into actual passages to reveal the humanity behind the Scriptures. You cannot get to the holy without going through the human, Rob tells us. When considering a passage, we shouldn't ask, 'Why did God say...?' To get to the heart of the Bible's meaning, we should be asking, 'What's the story that's unfolding here, and why did people find it important to tell it? What was it that moved them to record these words? What was happening in the world at that time? What does this passage/story/poem/verse/book tell us about how people understood who they were and who God was at that time?' In asking these questions, Rob goes beyond the one-dimensional question of 'is it true?' to reveal the Bible's authentic transformative power.

Rob addresses the concerns of all those who see the Bible as God's word but are troubled by the ethical dilemmas, errors, and inconsistencies in Scripture. With What Is the Bible?, he recaptures the good book's magic and reaffirms its power and inspiration to shape and inspire our lives today.

©2017 WORB, Inc. (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

Praise for Rob Bell:
"Bell is at the forefront of a rethinking of Christianity." ( Time)
"One of the most influential evangelical pastors." ( The New York Times)
"Rob Bell is one of the hottest names." ( Boston Globe)
"Bell will be joined by the likes of Brian McLaren, James Martin, Diana Butler Bass and Carol Howard Merritt." ( Christianity Today)
"Forever grateful for the brilliant mind, boundless heart and fierce faith of Rob Bell. His work convinced me that it was possible - maybe necessary and thrilling - to be a person of both faith and intellect.... Please read everything Rob's ever written and then go see him live." (Glennon Doyle Melton, author of Carry On, Warrior)
"It isn't easy to develop a biblical imagination that takes in the comprehensive and eternal work of Christ.... Rob Bell goes a long way in helping us acquire just such an imagination - without a trace of soft sentimentality and without compromising an inch of evangelical conviction." (Eugene H. Peterson, professor emeritus of spiritual theology, Regent College, and author of The Message and The Pastor)

What listeners say about What Is the Bible?

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    98
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    88
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love it

I love listening to bell. It is always insightful easy to understand and entertaining. One of my favourite writers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

people need to read this

Rob Bell at his best. If you liked Nooma, this thinking and research is the powerhouse of his creativity. Solid reflective theology that is not undone by the ego self which dominates so much Christian teaching and preaching today.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fresh Perspective

An eye opening book. It expanded my perspective and has enhanced my appreciation of scripture. The questions I once asked and whose answers seemed somehow manufactured, have changed.
The context of the times and the exploration of cultures, and why people me the assumptions they did in biblical times helped explain why the writers wrote what they did, when we would find it strange. You may not agree with everything, but the author isn't asking you to.
I appreciated his coverage of tge women who walked with Jesus, tgeir support, how diverse they were and how they were connected.
Some generalisations could use some clarity, eg "everyone" discussed the scriptures in the synagogue, indicating how free they were to give their opinion, yet women are not mentioned. Standard teaching is that women were separated from men in the synagogue. We are left to assume either women were among them, or women didn't count as part of "everyone" and it was not as inclusive and free as indicated.
I wasn't aware of Bell's background and controversial faith position in the evangelical world, until I googled him. I took him for a "mainstreamer" so I wasn't bothered by his less than literal approach to some parts of scripture. I can see why ultra conservatives accuse him of heresy, but some of them have preached heresy and idolatry, themselves.
Be open and you'll find fascinating layers and insights to enrich your bible experiences.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

ESSENTIAL reading for everyone

what a fantastic book. Rob bell is not only educated but also easy to listen to and understand. he is bold and confident enough to tackle the questions others are afraid to face. well done, Rob. another fantastic book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rob Bell is insightful

Definitely gives you a more appreciative perspective and will help give those who have wrestled with God and life’s meaning a respite from doubt

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Easy to follow

This book is easy to follow and answered so many questions. The simplicity was powerful. Helped me reconnect with my faith.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An amazing overview of the Bible!

Rob Bell has done a wonderful job with this book. It’s easy to follow, great to listen to and I have learnt so much. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the message of the Bible. There is so much that has been misunderstood and misused throughout the centuries. This is a very refreshing take on the book of books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So Good.

Everybody say it with me.... So Good.
Best quote: Some atheists say some really good truths and some Christians are full of shit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Rob makes the Bible come alive with deeply insightful thoughts on these ancient texts that are both easy and enjoyable to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Deep diving at its most insightful!

I have always read the bible one dimensionally and it has left me with many more questions than answers but I’ve never found an engaging enough way to get answers other than loads of theological research by academic writers. (Which I have never pursued with any real vigour). This book is packed with insight and truths that are constantly blowing my my mind! I wish he would go from the start of the bible and work through every single line. I’d read that forever!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.