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基督教書房，從上到下、從裡到外，屬靈書籍琳瑯滿目。這些書籍都有同一個目的──要解釋聖經裡面，許多古老過時、充滿矛盾的教導。《 聖經原文字彙彙編》是用來比較希伯來文與希臘原文字義；《 查經資料大全》幫你深入探討、了解聖經；《 每日靈修 》幫助你每天在靈修的時候，能夠得著更多屬靈的亮光。《 聖經》更是種類繁多：有專門為男人、女人、青少年、甚至兒童篡編的聖經。他們的註釋，還依照年齡層跟性別的需要分類。這些的屬靈書籍解剖、分析每字、每詞、每句。所有你能想到的問題，這些屬靈書籍都有答案，都是有利的工具。而這工具想說服你：聖經裡面很多字面上的用語，因為文化、語言、傳統及其它複雜的緣故，其實都不是我們原先所以爲的意思。每當專家們挖空心思、絞盡腦汁，再也想不出任何可以寫一些令人信服的字眼時，他們的最後通牒總是這幾句：「神以祂奇妙的方式做工，這個奧秘是人永遠無法揣測捉摸的」，或「雖然我們不明白，但神要我們對他有信心」, 或「在那榮耀之日，當我們與神面對面之時，所有的問題都會煙消雲散」。這些書的作者，嘗試幫讀者做許多的「澄清」的工作─如，聖經完全沒有意思要貶低女人的角色，也不會提倡奴役制（參部落格：奴隸制與歧視）和男權主義。
在歷史書籍區，我們可以找到猶太人歷史的資料。一本接一本，都在強調以色列的「牛奶與蜜之地」，就是神當年給以他們獨有的應許之地，高舉以色列人是亞伯拉罕的後裔。一切都是為了要指向這些作者想要表達的中心話題—-那就是神與猶太人立的約。祂會照著這個應許實現對人類救恩的計畫：既然彌賽亞（耶穌）是從猶太人而出，那麼福音勢必優先傳給神起初立約的選民。這個救恩計畫在新舊約有清楚的教導：「神不偏待人」（羅馬書2：11），因此猶太人既然得到了福音的特殊優先權，他們將來也會先受到審判；相對的，拒絕皈依的猶太人就變成了基督徒的威脅，因為猶太人之不信，會導致基督救贖與再來受到延遲，甚至無法實現，這嚴重的影響到基督徒對他們屬天榮耀日的盼望和時機（參部落格：披羊皮的狼）。在基督教書房裡極少看到這個框框主題之外，我們應有的關心，如：巴勒斯坦人與猶太人淒涼悲慘的百年恩怨，他們相嚴重地反映出，基督徒作家在他們討論的議題上是如何排列先後順序。為了避免不愉快的議論，他們用一個輝煌的托詞──我們不願意與世俗主義妥協，所以儘量把話題侷限在能「造就」讀者的範圍內。
教會講台上的講道內容，也從來不提及約書亞記裡面種族絕滅一事；士師記裡，妾的肢體如何被分屍、切成十二塊的故事；或摩西如何下令屠殺族外人之記載，更是隻字不提。聖經學者提醒我們，千萬不要斷章取義，把充滿暴力的經節，無上下文地拿出來用，如詩篇137：9「拿你的嬰孩摔在磐石上的，那人便為有福！」基督教書房過濾聖經殘暴記載的書，林林總總、目不暇接。
論及獻祭，舊約聖經將所有獻祭的資格跟規矩（參部落格：獻祭的意義），列得一清二楚，且有極詳細的敘述。舊約聖經嚴格禁止所有有瑕疵的祭物。聖經學者再次為聖經辯解，說，這不是對殘疾人士的歧視。雖然這些經文，對殘疾的定義有非常露骨的描繪：「... ...凡有殘疾的，無論是瞎眼的、瘸腿的、塌鼻子、的肢體有餘的、折腳折手的、駝背的、矮矬的、眼睛有毛病的、長癬的、長疥的、或是損害腎子的，都不可近前來獻神的食物。」(利未記21：18-21）聖經專家強調，最重要的是神的聖潔，不是偏見。
最受歡迎的閱讀區是婚姻刊物。譬如，一個女人如何成為男人的好幫手，如何為她的丈夫禱告、迎合他的需要... ...等等（參部落格：婚姻與性別角色）。當然，也有一些書，教導男人如何在家庭中扮演保護者和屬靈領袖的角色。 這些書的作者花了許多精力，爲的是要證明雖然聖經裡有許多看似男權至上的經節，但事實上，男女平等才是聖經的精髓。
期望更多作者願意提筆正視聖經裡令人不解、不安的記載，觸及一些較不容易消化的話題。有時，我們所需要的不是答案，而是面對問題，讓我們勇於挑戰與思考。如果聖經真的是一本無懈可擊、上帝所啟示的書，為何如此多人勤於為它辯護，為它包裝呢？基督徒擔心他們維護的見證形象會受到損傷嗎？還是怕如果他們提出質疑會“絆倒”外邦人，影響到“領人歸主”的人數和策略嗎？無論原因何在，基督徒的信仰話題反應出他們對願意涉及的範圍、彈性與尺度。
Reference Books
Christian bookstores, from top to bottom, inside and out, are filled with a diverse range of spiritual books. These books all share a common purpose—to explain the many ancient, outdated, and often contradictory teachings found in the Bible. For example, "The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance" is used to compare Hebrew and Greek original meanings; "Bible Commentaries" help you delve deeper into understanding the Bible; "Daily Devotionals" help you in receiving more spiritual insight during your daily devotions. There's a wide variety of Bibles as well: ones that are tailored specifically for men, women, teenagers, and even children. These Biblical commentaries are categorized based on age groups and gender needs as well.
These spiritual books dissect and analyze every word, phrase, and sentence. They provide answers to every imaginable question and serve as useful tools. These tools seek to persuade you that many literal terms in the Bible don't actually mean what we think they mean, because there are possible cultural, linguistic, traditional, and other complex factors. Whenever experts exhaust all their efforts and can't come up with any more convincing words to write, their ultimatum is often a few phrases: "God works in mysterious ways, and this mystery is something humans can never fathom," or "Though we don't understand, God requires us to have faith in Him," or "On that glorious day when we stand face to face with God, all questions will vanish into thin air." The authors of these books attempt to do a lot of "clarifying" for readers—such as emphasizing that the Bible does not intend to diminish the roles of women or advocate for slavery and male dominance ( Please refer to my blog post: Slavery and Discrimination) .
In the historical section, while there's abundant information on Jewish history, many emphasize Israel as the "land of milk and honey." This distinction marks the unique promise God made to the Israelites, emphasizing their lineage as descendants of Abraham. The core message these authors convey revolves around the covenant God established with the Jews, that He will fulfill the plan of salvation for mankind through His promise: Since the Messiah (Jesus) comes from the Jews, the gospel must be preached to God's chosen people first. This salvation plan is clearly taught in both the Old and New Testaments: "God does not show favoritism" (Romans 2:11). Therefore, since the Jews have a special priority to receive the gospel, they will also be judged first in the future. Conversely, Jews who refuse to convert become a threat to Christians because the Jews' unbelief might delay or even prevent the redemption and return of Christ, which severely affects Christians' hope and timing for their heavenly glory ( Please refer to my blog post: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing). Unfortunately, there's rarely any concern beyond this narrative, such as the tragic century-long disputes between the Palestinians and the Jews. These books seriously reflect how Christian authors prioritize their discussion topics. To avoid unpleasant debates, they use a brilliant pretext—we do not want to compromise with secularism, so we try to limit the topic to what "edifies" the reader.
Even from the church pulpit, sermons never mention the instances in the Bible where ethnic cleansing is depicted, such as in Joshua, the story of the concubine's dismemberment in Judges, or how Moses ordered the slaughter of foreigners. These topics are rarely mentioned. Biblical scholars remind us not to take verses out of context and use violent passages without any context, such as Psalm 137:9, "Blessed is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." With a vast array of books, Christian bookstores carefully filter out books with violent biblical accounts, leaving them unexplained.
Regarding sacrifices (Please refer to my blog post: The Meaning of Sacrifice), the Bible clearly outlines the criteria and rules for all sacrifices in the Old Testament in great detail. It strictly forbids the offering of animals with any defects or blemishes. Experts emphasize that this does not equate to discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Although these verses provide detailed definitions of what is considered a disability, such as "blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles" (Leviticus 21:18-21), biblical scholars emphasize that the primary concern here is the holiness of God, not prejudice.
The most popular reading section appears to be marriage publications. For example, books on how a woman can become a good helper to her husband, how to pray for him, cater to his needs, and so on (Please refer to my blog post: Marriage and Gender Roles) . Of course, there are also books teaching men how to play the roles of protector and spiritual leader in their families. The authors of these books invest a lot of effort to demonstrate that while there are many seemingly male-dominated verses in the Bible, the essence of the Bible is, in fact, gender equality.
It would certainly be beneficial to have more authors tackle the challenging and troubling passages in the Bible, shedding light on some of the more complex topics. Sometimes, what we need isn't necessarily answers but rather the willingness to face questions, encouraging us to challenge and think critically. If the Bible is truly an impeccable, divinely inspired book, why do so many people work diligently to defend and package it? Are Christians concerned about damaging their image of witness? Or are they afraid that questioning might "stumble" outsiders, affecting the number and strategy of "leading people to Christ"? Regardless of the reasons, the topics of faith among Christians truly reflect their range, adaptability, and limits when it comes to what they are willing to engage with their faith.
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