God's Big PictureVaughan RobertsDo you ever feel like you know parts of the Bible such as those Old Testament epics like the Creation account, the Flood, Moses & the Exodus, David & Goliath, or the Parables of Jesus and Paul's letters in the New Testament, but not necessarily understand how it all fits together? In this book Vaughan Roberts shows us exactly how it holds together under the theme of 'God's Kingdom'. In the introduction to this book, Roberts admits that he leans on Graeme Goldsworthy's Gospel & Kingdom, but he subtly refines and develops this theme in such an accessible way as to make this, in my opinion, the 'go to' book in this this category. The book has questions after each chapter and an accompanying DVD/downloadable content making it a great resource for group study too!
The Goldsworthy Trilogy: Gospel & Kingdom, Wisdom & RevelationG. GoldsworthyThis is Goldsworthy's seminal work on understanding the Bible and its key theme(s). He shows how this revelation from God is diverse in its many genres but holds together to show the Gospel as the uniting thread. He argues that there is great blessing in coming to the Bible from this perspective as it places Jesus at its centre. This is great value as it places three related titles in one binding and provides essential reading for anyone new to the Bible or biblical studies, as well as giving much food for thought for the more experienced reader.
The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical StoryBartholomewIn 'The Drama of Scripture', Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen explore the Bible's grand narrative under the themes of Covenant and Kingdom. There are many strengths to this book but one of them is how the authors keep to the main plot-line of the Bible without going down any unnecessary rabbit holes or side streets along the way! It's a great introduction to narrative theology and helps us appreciate where we stand in the great story of God's work of creation. Written at undergraduate level, I would recommend this book to any serious student of theology!
StorylinesAndy CroftIn this book, Croft & Pilavachi provide us with an approach to understanding the Bible which structures the Bible into 6 categories; Jesus, Covenant, Presence, Kingdom, Salvation, and Worship, before showing us how this continues as God works through the pages of his Word in our lives today! It's a nice primer into understanding the Bible which challenges the reader to meditate on it in order to deepen our relationship with God.
Unlocking the Bible OmnibusDavid PawsonThis is not a small book but is packed full of wisdom and insight to give you a broad overview of the Bible and makes a useful resource if you're just starting out on your journey of faith or have been a Christian for a long time.
How to Read the Bible for All its WorthDouglas Stuart; Gordon D. FeeIn 'How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth', Stuart & Fee set out a blueprint for how to read and understand the Bible. They don't presume much, if any, prior knowledge or experience, and show us how we can mine the depths of Scripture by showing us how to handle different genres, how to engage with cultural issues, historical context, and how to understand what it all means for us today. This is a great introduction on Bible reading we would all benefit from reading.
How to Read the Bible Book by BookDouglas Stuart, Gordon D. FeeIn 'How to Read the Bible Book by Book', Fee & Stuart team up again to provide us with a survey of the Bible on a book-by-book basis. As they walk the reader through each book of the Bible, they provide us with information such as the literary form or genre, the cultural context, and the main theme of the book - all with an eye as to where this sits within the Bible. Like their other book, 'How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth', this book makes no assumptions regarding the reader and can be read beneficially by just about any Christian out there.
God's Story: The Bible Explained (Illustrated Hardback)MattThis book looks at the narrative of the Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation and provides an excellent overview of the Bible which is useful for those coming to this subject for the first time, those wanting a refresher on the big picture theme/themes of the Bible, or those who want to grow in knowledge and appreciation of how the Bible sits together in unity, consistently proclaiming the same message from start to finish.
Bible MattersTim ChesterIn 'Bible Matters', Tim Chester explores the discipline of Bible reading and urges us to read our Bibles expectantly because God blesses us as we do! He argues that we experience greater joy giving ourselves to the reading of his word as it deepens our faith and relationship with him as we read and apply it to our lives. I would recommend this to anyone from the teenage years upwards as one of the best books you could read on Bible reading.
How to Read the Bible BetterChinThis is a smaller book with a lot of helpful content! Chin looks at how we can get the most from our Bible reading by setting out some simple but really helpful guiding principles. This is non-technical but excellent book to help Christians at any stage to get into God's word.
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