RLC September 2025 Book Club selection:
“Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm into a Tool of Healing” by Zach W. Lambert.
Zach Lambert has seen the Bible used countless times as something far from the “Good Book”—both in his own life and in the experiences of others. He has seen the Bible weaponized to subjugate women, justify racism, bash LGBTQ+ people, cover up abuse, and exclude people who speak out against these injustices. In this book, Lambert calls readers to a more Christlike interpretation of Scripture. Lambert has created this accessible guide to help readers dismantle four common lenses for reading Scripture that lead to harm—Literalism, Apocalypse, Moralism,
and Hierarchy. Instead, he offers four new lenses—Jesus, Context, Flourishing, and Fruitfulness—that promote healing and wholeness for all people. This book helps transform the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that liberates. Better Ways to Read the Bible welcomes all Christians to reengage Scripture in life-giving ways.
Zach W. Lambert is the lead pastor and founder of Restore, a church in Austin, Texas. Under his leadership, Restore has grown from a launch team of five people in 2015 to more than one thousand members today. He holds a master of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is pursuing his doctorate at Duke Divinity School. Zach is the cofounder of the Post-Evangelical Collective and serves on the boards of the Austin Church Planting Network and the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network. Zach and his wife, Amy, met each other in the sixth grade, fell in love at seventeen, and got married at twenty-one. They love watching live music, discovering local Mexican food places, and playing with their two boys.
🎥 Watch the YouTube replay of this Book Club with Zach
🎥 Watch further conversations with Zach in May 2026
📕 Check out Zach’s book: Better Ways to Read the Bible
Find Zach’s socials (x, threads, insta): @zachwlambert
