A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
Very helpful entry-level instruction for Bible study that is both well-informed and very entertaining. Mark Yarbrough (Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, and as a professor in the Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary) likely moonlights as a comedian – he had me laughing so uproariously, while all alone in my study, that my wife had to come to find out what was going on! But thankfully he does not sacrifice substance – his hilarious stories actually do illustrate the points at hand, and altogether this makes for an enjoyable and profitable read.
After providing a bird’s eye view of Scripture – what the Bible is all about, how it is laid out, how it progresses, and what it teaches – he explains how to interpret it accurately and the importance of following it faithfully. Appropriate stress is given to (biblical) authorial intent, how to approach Scripture profitably, its various genres, and so on. I would have liked to see a bit more exposure to redemptive history and the Bible’s “big picture” – its Christ-centered, gospel-shaped story line and how that affects our understanding of the various parts – but even so, this is a most helpful introductory volume that I would gladly recommend to church members or use in a course on how to study the Bible.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Know It!
1. Basic Things
2. Puzzles, Pictures, and Practice
3. Chuck and the Country Corn Maze: Part 1
4. Chuck and the Country Corn Maze: Part 2
5. “My Number Is 55-TWO-341-ZERO”
Step 2: Work It!
6. Bonus Pieces
7. Honey, Where are My Black Socks?
8. Love Notes and Lockers
9. A is for Apple … Except When It’s Not
10. Loony and Lavish … Language
11. “It is the Lord’s Will … for You to Go to Israel!”
12. You Got it Good
13. Everybody Loves a Good Story: Part 1
14. Everybody Loves a Good Story: Part 2
15. “Yep, I Stepped in It”
16. The Weird, Wretched, and Wonderful
17. Old School Technology
Step Three: Live It!
18. “Dude, I’m Sorry … I’ll Try to Do a Better Job”
19. Contaminated
20. Things Unfinished (Should Be Finished)
Postscript: “Twust Him!”
Appendix 1: Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Appendix 2: Recommended Resources
Notes
Fred G. Zaspel