In many places in the Western world, churchgoing is in decline and it cannot be assumed that people have a good grasp of the Bible’s content. In this evolving situation, how would “the person on the street” read the Bible? Reading the Bible Outside the Church begins to answer this question. David Ford spent ten months at a chemical industrial plant providing non-churchgoing men with the opportunity to read and respond to five different biblical texts. Using an in-depth qualitative methodology, he charts how their prior experiences of religion, sense of (non)religious identity, attitudes towards the Bible, and beliefs about the Bible all shaped the readings that occurred.

Foreword by Paula Gooder Clear and practical approach Will enable anyone to read the Bible better Tackles the key questions that people ask about the Bible Courteous and humorous style helps break through preconceptions Explains all its references (and, indeed, how the Bible is referred to) Suitable for individual use or in study or book groups Bible reading for everyone - that's what this book offers! It will speak to those who already read the Bible but find themselves asking why; and to those who don't read the Bible but would like to if only it weren't so strange. It explains what the Bible is, offers an overview of what is found in it, and addresses questions people ask, such as: Does science disprove the Bible? Why is there so much violence in the Bible? What does the Bible say about sex? The author also presents an account of reading the Bible in the context of a life of faith and suggests how the Bible might be integrated with a life of prayer.

Do you feel like you should read the Bible more? This book will help you want to read it. Keith Ferrin has been talking to churches for years about enjoying God's Word. Here he shares the most helpful ideas and habits you can start using today. You will find ten proven tips that are equally practical whether you are a longtime Bible student or simply exploring what this life-changing book is all about. Aimed at deepening your relationship with God, these simple suggestions will help you focus more easily as you read, remember Scripture better, and most importantly, enjoy the Bible and its Author more than you ever dreamed possible. Includes Discussion Questions and Reading Suggestions for Small Groups "This book delivers on what the title promises."--Gary Thomas, bestselling author and speaker "Not only did Keith bring the Word to life for me, but he brought God to life for me again! I will be forever grateful."--Nancy Stephens, West Virginia

"I read the Bible, but I don't get anything out of it." "I want to know what the Bible says, but I need a guide to understand it." "I just don't have time to read the whole Bible, but I want to know its message for me." If any of these statements describe you (or your parishioners), then this is the book for you. Arranged in 52 weekly sessions, God Has A Plan For You! provides an easy-to-follow structure for a one-year plan to read through the entire Bible. It offers a broad overview of the message of scripture, as well as practical applications to daily Christian living. Each chapter includes a clear explanation of the biblical text and its meaning for today. And study questions and thought-provokers help readers to deepen their understanding. The unique format makes this an excellent resource for a preaching series, Sunday school lessons, or a group Bible study, as well as for personal Bible reading. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, this book can help you reach your spiritual goals by fostering a clear understanding of the Bible's message and God's plan for you. God Has A Plan For You! celebrates the message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.... This approach helps make all of the written word -- not just the more familiar favorite passages -- the basis of a life lived in obedience to God and his kingdom agenda for the church. Dr. Prescott-Ezickson wisely avoids secondary issues and dubious interpretations, consistently focusing on the central message of salvation as it is found from the beginning to the end of the scriptures. Readers, whether from the laity or the clergy, will come away from this volume with a new appreciation of the fundamental message of the Bible. Robert T. Coote, Associate Director Overseas Ministries Study Center New Haven, Connecticut Robert D. Prescott-Ezickson is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Meriden, Connecticut, and an adjunct professor of religion at Central Connecticut State University. A graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Prescott-Ezickson has previously pastored churches in Indiana, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He has served as president of the Minister's Council for American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, moderator of the South Central Association, and president of the Meriden Clergy Association.

In many ways, we seem to be living in wintry times at present in the Western world. In this new book, Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and a noted scholar of Eastern Christianity, introduces us to some aspects and personalities of the Orthodox Christian world, from the desert contemplatives of the fourth century to philosophers, novelists and activists of the modern era, that suggest where we might look for fresh light and warmth. He shows how this rich and diverse world opens up new ways of thinking about spirit and body, prayer and action, worship and social transformation, which go beyond the polarisations we take for granted. Taking in the world of the great spiritual anthology, the Philokalia, and the explorations of Russian thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, discussing the witness of figures like Maria Skobtsova, murdered in a German concentration camp for her defence of Jewish refugees, and the challenging theologies of modern Greek thinkers like John Zizioulas and Christos Yannaras, Rowan Williams opens the door to a 'climate and landscape of our humanity that can indeed be warmed and transfigured'. This is an original and illuminating vision of a Christian world still none too familiar to Western believers and even to students of theology, showing how the deep-rooted themes of Eastern Christian thought can prompt new perspectives on our contemporary crises of imagination and hope.

The world is flooded with novels about secret messages or hidden texts. They all pretend to reveal the ultimate truth of Jesus. In this book, Geert Van Oyen goes back to the oldest gospel and explores its story as a challenging and revolutionary message for any reader. By employing a narrative critical approach Van Oyen demonstrates how the narrator accompanies readers in their quest for the identity of the protagonist Jesus. Along the way readers will discover that faith in Jesus is not a matter of theoretical truth but of practical experience. Who can remain indifferent when they hear the paradox at the heart of the gospel: "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all"?

Exploring the challenges that both the churched and the unchurched have faced regarding giving and receiving the word of God, Bob Ekblad encourages us all to learn to read the Bible together as a whole. In this compelling book, he reflects on how Christians have often found it difficult to proclaim God's good news to every realm of society, while those who have needed it most have frequently deemed themselves unworthy due to social circumstances or sinfulness. In Reading the Bible with the Damned, Ekblad offers concrete advice on how to bridge this gap through a variety of insights ultimately leading to spiritual transformation. This book is full of examples of how Scripture changes lives for those who attend Bible studies and for those who lead them, offering practical suggestions on many passages from the Old and New Testaments.

Reading Scripture is a spiritual practice at the very heart of the Christian faith. But how is it possible to encounter God in reading the words of the Bible? Does reading the Christian Bible require a different approach from how one may read other texts or writings? What is required of the spiritual reader to read well? Seeking to answer such questions, Angela Lou Harvey provides a theological exploration of the idea of "spiritual reading" in the context of the Western church today. Drawing upon insights of theologians such as Karl Barth, Henri de Lubac, and Ellen F. Davis, the author suggests that the particulars of Christian belief profoundly shape the distinctive practice of the spiritual reading of the Bible.

The American Church in Black and White is a book born out of the authors love for Gods church. It was shaped and given form and text in the crucible of the authors experience as a pastor of several Indiana congregationscongregations that attempted to create a Christian, counter-narrative, to the tragic narrative and legacy of our nations history of slavery and racism. Cautiously optimistic in tone, the author posits that if the American church is going to live into Christs prayer request for His church to be one (John 17:21), if the church is going to deal effectively with the fallen powers and win people to the Lord, then Christians will have to face and overcome the complex and tragic history of racial antipathy in this country; also, the church will have to learn how to successfully navigate a spiritual and cultural minefield. The author has distilled the three main cultural controversies (mines) that can explode/implode the churchs intercultural hopes, down to:1) Culturally-Based Worship Preferences 2) Culturally-Based Views on Ministerial Authority, and 3) Biblical Hermeneutics in Black and White. It is the authors conviction that in spite of these areas of potential conflict, God has given the church the power to become an intercultural community that is distinctive, attractive, and authentically Christian