Hard Sayings: A Catholic Approach to Answering Bible Difficulties

Have you ever read something in the Bible that made you just scratch your head? Has a skeptic ever challenged you to defend a seemingly scandalous verse of Scripture?

You’re not alone. The Bible contains more than a few “hard sayings” (John 6:60): ancient idioms, apparent contradictions, myth-like events and figures, and passages that seem to be embarrassingly out of step with modern culture or science.

How can a Catholic reconcile such things with his own faith, and with what the Church teaches about the inspiration and inerrancy of Sacred Scripture?

Don’t worry. As Trent Horn (Answering Atheism) explains in Hard Sayings, God’s revelation in the Bible is not something Catholics need to be ashamed of or read with a mental reservation. Trent examines dozens of the most confounding passages in Scripture and offers clear, reasonable, Catholic explanations to unlock their true meaning. He also provides basic principles for reading and interpreting Scripture that the wisdom of the Church has developed over the centuries.

"Trent Horn's impressive command of Catholic and skeptical sources makes Hard Sayings an invaluable resource for all who wrestle with Bible difficulties. It reveals the sanity of the Catholic approach to Scripture and how critics who attack supposed contradictions are really missing their mark. Hard Sayings neither pulls punches or shies away from hot-button issues. It provides a solid rational approach to difficulties without becoming rationalistic. This book should be required reading for every bible study leader and every Christian who takes the Bible seriously." —Gary Michuta

"What a desperately needed book! Whether you're a skeptic who thinks the 'dark passages' disprove God, or a faithful Catholic who trusts the Bible but still has a hard time swallowing these verses, this book is a light switch to cast away those shadows." —Brandon Vogt, Content Director at Word on Fire, author of RETURN: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church

"Horn’s arguments are clear and concise, drawing widely from the best of current scholarship to address the Bible’s most difficult passages. More impressively still, he manages to make this content accessible to the ordinary believer while not oversimplifying the issues involved." —Matthew J. Ramage, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Theology at Benedictine College, Author of Dark Passages of the Bible

“Isn’t the Bible just error-riddled traditions handed down full of contradiction and believed by irrational faith?” This is a common conception of the Bible in our “Enlightened Age.” Trent Horn clears away the fog and misconceptions with his new book Hard Sayings. He addresses the challenges from every quarter responding as deftly as a surgeon. From Darwin vs. Genesis to “1001 Bible contradictions” there is no Bible “difficulty” he is afraid to address. He sets the record straight giving a reasoned confidence and trust in the written word of God. A must read for everyone who loves and trusts Sacred Scripture. " – Steve Ray

"The Bible is the written Word of God. But it is not always easy to understand. As with many things in a fallen world, difficulties arise. Trent Horn masterfully aids readers in overcoming these difficulties by answering objections to key passages and ideas of the Bible. This book is a helpful, popular tool for apologists, evangelists, and ordinary believers." - Mark Brumley, President of Ignatius Press

• Hardcover
• 438 pages