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Book Reviews of Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them

Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them
Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them
Author: Liz Curtis Higgs
ISBN-13: 9781578561254
ISBN-10: 1578561256
Publication Date: 8/17/1999
Pages: 256
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 140

3.9 stars, based on 140 ratings
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

32 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
I like the way the author adds a touch of humor to the moral lessons here, and I love her reasons for writing the book: as a former "bad girl" herself, she just couldn't relate to the perfect, pious female role models in the Bible, and instead found herself sympathizing more with the bad girls. Each chapter starts with a modernized version of the bad girl's story, followed by a discussion of where they went wrong and what a modern Christian can learn from their examples.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 222 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
Jezebel and Delilah have plenty to teach contemporary Christian women, according to Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them. In this self-help book, Liz Curtis Higgs tells fictionalized, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical characters including Eve, Potiphar's Wife, and the Woman at the Well. In verse-by-verse commentary, Higgs summarizes each life's lessons and provides a list of questions for personal consideration or group discussion.

I just finished a women's Bible study utilizing this book and it was very enjoyable and I learned a lot about the women featured.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 129 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
A unique Bible study, using the 'bad girls' to prove a point that God forgives us all. The first part of each chapter is written in modern times; the second tells the story from the Bible. I used it in a women's Bible study and we really enjoyed it.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 48 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This book is about some of the not so stellar women of the Bible and what we can learn from them. Whether they were Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Moment, or Bad for a Season but not Forever, these infamous sisters show us how not to handle life's challenges.
pastord avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is a fresh perspective on women in the Bible. I have used this for adult Bible studies and recommended it to numerous people. Pastor D
ilovedale3 avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 524 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Wonderful book for women, both funny and insightful! It reminds us of all the "bad girls" in the Bible such as Delilah, Jezebel, and others, and what we can learn from them and their mistakes. It also reminds us that no matter what is in our "bad girl" past, God still loves us and forgives us.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
Helpful Score: 2
This book is for all women-from former bad girls who need to be reminded we're truly forgivento veteran good girls who long to understand those still searching for answers. This book puts a contemporary spin on some of the most famous bad girl tales from the Bible
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 60 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Interesting study of the women of the Bible, from a fresh perspective.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Very practical approach to presenting different women in the scriptures. Self-application. Excellent study resource for bible teachers.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Female characters in the Bible who can teach us valuable lessons. Humorous. We are much more like the "Bad Girls" than the "Good Girls"!
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book presents some of the "bad girls" of the Bible first in a thoroughly modern story that we can all relate to at some point, then Liz gives her funny, entertaining, thoughtful commentary while relating the Bible verses. It gave me a new outlook on some of these well-known Bible stories. A good read if you're needing some encouragement!
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 163 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This a terrific book for women to read... It is not really bad bad girls but, how you can service our Lord. It is a really different way to look at old stories of the Bible... Very good reading. DG
awifeindestiny avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 42 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book years ago and thought it was very funny, but also extremely sincere, and very informative. I greatly appreciate, respect, and admire the humility that it took for Ms. Higgs to write such a candid book: based on the women of scripture but also because she freely shares her growth within each page.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 62 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Talk about an entertaining read! Liz Curtis Higgs is a laugh out loud author. She will keep your interest on every single page of this book while you learn from other Bad Girls mistakes. Written without a holier than thou attitude, Higgs will be the first one to admit she is a former Bad Girl herself. But Gods grace is enough for anybody!

At the beginning of each chapter, Higgs writes a fictional story similar to the biblical one. I thought this was a very creative way to get the reader into the story and imagine the characters, the settings, and the plot in more depth. However, I also believe that is a slippery slope and readers can potentially remember the fictional story more than what the Bible says. Despite the latter, I thought it was an entertaining stretch of the imagination for each woman featured.

After the fictional piece, Higgs shares the Biblical account of featured Bad Girl, and then shares What We Can Learn portions as well as Good Girl Thoughts to Consider. Though Higgs is not a theologian, I think she shares valuable insight and interesting points to consider with each Bad Girl. For example, she shares ten possibilities of why Lots wife may have looked back when her family was fleeing their hometown. Higgs studied several different commentaries to create this book and I think her efforts more than paid off. There are definitely some thought provoking ideas in Bad Girls of the Bible.

I have both Really Bad Girls of the Bible and Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible, both of which I still plan to read soon. I think its interesting to look at the Bad Girls for once, as it seems the Good Girls are usually the examples set before us. But what about those that have messed up royally, continue to do so, and then find themselves seeking forgiveness and redemption? Higgs is hysterical, creative, and reassuring in Bad Girls of the Bible and I look forward to reading more of her books!

4/5 stars
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
Helpful Score: 1
great book, funny and very enlighten
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
Great for a woman's bible study group looking to compare today with bible days. This is especially good when there are younger women in the group.
nic03red avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 38 more book reviews
I just thought this book was ok. I liked how the author opens the chapter with a fictional, modern version of the Bible story. Then she discusses the story from the Bible with her commentary. She ends the chapters with lessons we can learn from these "bad" girls of the Bible. Honestly, I skipped over her lessons we can learn after the first couple chapters. From reading other reviews, it seems that other readers who are familiar with the Bible really enjoyed this book. I am not familiar with the Bible and I do not consider myself religious, but I still enjoyed reading the stories and learning about some of the women from the Bible.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 99 more book reviews
Humorous, humbling and heartfelt.
piperdog07 avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
This is a great book! I love how she takes a "modern" story to start each chapter and then uses the bible story. She is a an excellent writer that combines humor and truth to pack a powerful punch. i've read this book on my own and also used it in a bible study with about 10 women. The book also has discussion questions at the end of each chapter to spur on conversation. Definitely recommended!
Minehava avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 832 more book reviews
I'm sorry to say the book was not what I though it would be. I thought it a short re-telling of the actual bible women's stories, their struggles and eventual redemption. Instead it is a jumble of modern women's final moments (and pretty quick) enlightenment, with lots of bible quotes. I would say that for a deeply religious person this might be touching, and would be great for Womens bible studies, but for an agnostic like my self, I'm sorry to say that this book was a total waste.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 3 more book reviews
Great Book. Great for Bible Study Goups!
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
I really enjoyed this book. The writing was enjoyable, the writing on the bible text was well researched and the commentary was funny. This book gave me a different perspective on bible stories that I have read numerous times. I would highly recommend this book.
Christy8396 avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 13 more book reviews
Amazon.com
Jezebel and Delilah have plenty to teach contemporary Christian women, according to Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them. In this self-help book, Liz Curtis Higgs tells fictionalized, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical characters including Eve, Potiphar's Wife, and the Woman at the Well. In verse-by-verse commentary, Higgs summarizes each life's lessons and provides a list of questions for personal consideration or group discussion. The overall message of each chapter is the same: "Good Girls and Bad Girls both need a Savior. The goodness of your present life can't open the doors of heaven for you. The badness of your past life can't keep you out either." In its effort to turn readers' minds heavenward, Bad Girls draws a distinction between fun and joy. Associated with "fleshly pleasures," fun "is temporary at best; it's risky, even dangerous, at worst." Joy, on the other hand, is found in God's "gift of grace." Perhaps the book's greatest weakness is its inability to see that "fun," in many lives, is a holy and necessary means of attaining "joy." --Michael Joseph Gross
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 3352 more book reviews
Heart touching - funny - thought provoking
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
Great book. I have recommended it to several friends.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 6 more book reviews
VERY enjoyable - LOVE that she starts with a fictional retelling and then goes into a verse by verse commentary on each story.
readinggranny avatar reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 87 more book reviews
Great study on women from the bible. good for small group
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 20 more book reviews
Loved it!! My favorite book! From beginning to end, I couldn't put the book down. Finished it in record time. I love how Liz Curtis Higgs writes fiction stories similar to the nobly story. It's entertaining& makes the Bible stories easier to understand . Questions & review at the end of chapter help with understanding and understanding.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 51 more book reviews
From the publisher:
Author Liz Curtis Higgs offers a clear-sighted, life changing approach to understanding those "other women" in Scripture. She combines a temporary retalling of their stories with a solid, verse by verse study of their lives and the lessons we can learn from them.
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 3591 more book reviews
storyteller Higgs takes a look at the vamps and tramps of the Bible, searching for the lessons these wicked women have to teach. She acknowledges that as much as she admires Sarah's faithfulness and Mary's innocence, she finds that her own life contains many of the shortcomings of women such as Rahab, Delilah and Lot's wife. When Higgs begins her study of Jezebel, she notes, "I understood her pushy personality, I empathized with her need for control, I tuned into her angry outbursts...but boy did she teach me what not to do in my marriage." She places the ten women in her study into four categories. Eve, she says, was the "First Bad Girl," for badness has to begin somewhere. Potiphar's wife (who tried to seduce Joseph), Delilah and Jezebel, Higgs says, were "Bad to the Bone": these women "sinned with gusto from bad beginning to bitter end." Women who were wicked and who have forever been characterized by their "life-changing" mistakes, include Sapphira, Michal and Lot's wife (who was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back on her homeland against God's commands). Higgs says that Rahab, the prostitute who helped the Israelites conquer Jericho, the Woman at the Well and the Sinful Woman were "Bad for a Season, but Not Forever": these women "had plenty of sin in their past, but they were also willing to change and be changed." Higgs opens each chapter with a retelling of the biblical story and then proceeds to a verse-by-verse exegesis and commentary on the biblical text. Each chapter closes with four lessons to be learned from the life of the bad girl and eight "thoughts worth considering." Higgs retells these biblical stories with deep insight as she teaches about the nature of sin and goodness.
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reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on
loved reading about the ladies of the Bible and how we can learn from them!
reviewed Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them on + 22 more book reviews
This book has no major damage however, the front and back covers have a slight curl to them from being read.