Abuse is a harsh word—which is precisely why Manfred Brauch chose it for the title of his book. The way the modern church uses scripture does violence to the text.

Victims of physical abuse are often beaten so severely that their true identities are unrecognizable, or they are scarred so deeply in their psyches or spirits that their true selves cannot emerge. Similarly, this is what happens when we misinterpret and misapply Scripture. The meaning and message of Scripture becomes obscured, its authentic nature cannot easily be recognized, it is not allowed to speak its deepest truths, and its voice is muted, throttled or silenced” (16).

To be honest, I was put off by the way Brauch turned the physical and psychological act of abuse into a metaphor for hermeneutic fallacies. Nonetheless, he makes his point effectively.

The main chapters of Abusing Scripture each deal with different types of abuse, although the categories overlap in a variety of ways:

• Abuse of the Whole Gospel
• Abuse of Selectivity
• Abuse of Biblical Balance
• Abuse of Words
• Abuse of Context

While Brauch has significant points to make, I can’t help but think he framed this book in the wrong way. In each chapter Brauch goes to great exegetical lengths in order to illustrate the particular form of abuse. However, he seems more concerned with scoring exegetical points than illustrating the fallacies themselves. The chapters could, themselves, be expanded into their own books on topics such as the role of women in scripture or the need to balance social justice with evangelism.

Most frustrating was Brauch’s tone. He comes off as angry, dismissive of legitimate opposing views. Perhaps an abuse of charity? Brauch’s concerns are valid and critical but his method and tone ultimately undermine his message.

Brauch, Manfred. Abusing Scripture: The Consequences of Misreading the Bible. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009.