Adam Hamilton ambivalence, and a Half Truths Study Guide
I have a complicated relationship with Adam Hamilton’s books. The books themselves usually feel quite light on content, which reflects that I am not in his target audience. The church I serve isn’t either. I still use them sometimes in part because they are so accessible, and in addition to Half Truths, which I think has value, I’ve also used Unafraid, which I actively disliked and recommend to no one, and Confronting the Controversies, which I liked more than I expected, but is now outdated. Authors and pastors like Rev. Hamilton seem to churn out books often and new offerings always come with a slew of other things you need to purchase to “really do the program!” like leader guides, youth adaptations, devotional books, sermon starters, and videos. In my experience, a lot of these guides don’t really do much other than reiterate the content of the book; they don’t tend to help small groups go deeper, and they certainly never deconstruct arguments that the author is making for critical review. The two or three times I have ever bought these kinds of companion resources, I saw them as immediate wastes of money.
One of the things I consistently critique about Hamilton’s books is that he hangs whole arguments on small passages - even single verses - of scripture. He doesn’t take advantage of the platform he has to really walk people through how to engage with the text with nuanced interpretation. And when he comes to accept a “minority view” interpretation - for example, about advocating for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in all parts of the church - he acts like it is his own big revelation and doesn’t given credit to the countless activists, educators, and prophets who have been organizing around this issue for so long. He talks about race with troublingly little nuance and - in the books of his that I’ve read at least - makes little to no effort to meaningfully engage racism.
His books are popular, I think, because they walk the line between helping people feel just challenged enough, but not challenged enough that they have to actually change in any way. Hopefully these resources have helped to bring transformation in the lives of his target audience, but the books of his I’ve encountered, especially Unafraid, are generally too steeped in what feels like self-satisfaction and invitations to be a “good white moderate.”
All of that being said, sometimes these kinds of books are incredibly helpful to read in small groups because leaders can help groups engage with the text critically and can put more robust Bible study in conversation with more shallow interpretations. Sometimes the result of these efforts is the same basic conclusion but bolstered by a much deeper well of understanding. Sometimes the result of these efforts is a different interpretation, at which point participants get to wrestle with how to disagree with both grace and confidence.
The Bible Study Guide for Half Truths includes substantial Bible study companions for 4 of the 5 chapters, as well as some media excerpts/references, thorough discussion questions. I led this study with a 90-minute group and a 60-minute group; content must be prioritized for a 60-minute group as there’s probably too much to get through for each lesson. This particular guide isn’t free, but I guarantee that the few dollars you spend on it will give you much greater value than the companion resources produced by the publisher.
