Loses enthusiasm for bible study comes through, and the reader finds himself pulled along, as if listening to an interesting conversation that articulates how the bible is a book that works in relationship with the. How to connect with god through his word bethany house, 2014. In making sense of the new testament, blomberg tackles the big issues of the historical reliability of the new testamentthe similarities and differences between the teachings of jesus and paul and the various issues of literary criticismwith vim, vigor, and vitality. Very useful book, the bible and a very useful supreme deity, that christianjewish god. The literal sense gives rise to the following three spiritual senses. Making good sense of the bible together, with a foreword by paula gooder, is a new sixsession introduction to biblical interpretation ideal for small group participation. It contains everything needed for the study, including session plans, discussion questions, and multiple format options. In making sense of the bible, adam hamilton, one of the countrys leading pastors and christian authors, addresses the hotbutton issues that plague the church and cultural debate, and answers many of the questions frequently asked by christians and nonchristians alike. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt e. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Thanks for bringing hamiltons book to my attention. Acting as friend and guide to those who seek to read the bible intelligently and with spiritual insight, hamilton walks readers through the pitfalls of fundamentalism and dry scholarship, opening up both the bibles profound humanity and its wisdom for living.
Keller has done a service to the church in writing this volume. Making sense of the bible is borne of a great love for the bible, along with years of study and pastoral ministry. In making sense of the bible, adam hamilton, one of the countrys leading pastors and christian authors, addresses the hotbutton issues that plague the church and cultural debate. That point should be underlined because some folks sometimes rather angrily insist for tackling tough issues that require careful thought and sensitivity to billions of christians, pastor adam hamilton is to be commended. Here are a few quotes from making sense of the bible. Making sense of bible difficulties book by norman l. In making sense of the bible, adam hamilton, one of the countrys leading pastors and christian authors, addresses the hotbutton issues that plague the church and cultural debate, and answers many of the questions frequently asked by christians and non. In making sense of scripture, david lose invites the reader to engage in a conversation, one that he imagines discussing around his kitchen table, about seven major questions of the bible. A jury can only make sense of the testimony and make the right decision after the law has been interpreted by the judge, who has studied and is knowledgeable about the law.
From there, hamilton considers the real questions people frequently ask that continue. Who decided which books made it into the scriptures and why. Wildcard searching if you want to search for multiple variations of a word, you can substitute a special symbol called a wildcard for one or more letters. Instead, its about rendering a verdict on the possibility of the bible being a divinely inspired representation of such an incredible being. It would have saved me so much headache, heartache, and trouble as i have sought to make sense of how to understand what the bible teaches about god, and how to reconcile the enemyloving jesus with the enemykilling god in the old testament.
Making sense of the bible is adam hamiltons attempt at answering that question. Is it the readers, not the writers, of the bible who are. The bible can seem like an intimidating book, but it may be easier to understand than you think. Adam and eve either they already knew the difference between right and wrong, so the sin of eating of the. The meaning conveyed by the words of scripture catechism, no. The bible for beginners and the rest of us is designed to tell you what you need to know and do to truly understand the bible. Making sense of the bible notes from the book by adam.
Adam hamilton, founder and lead pastor of church of the resurrection in kansas city, has produced a long line of books and resources but making sense of the bible is the first that id call a thoroughly accessible seminary class. Hamilton is the pastor of united methodist megachurch church of the resurrection in metrokansas city. Making sense of the bible by adam hamilton overdrive. Brueggemann proposes that christians should approach the bible not as a collection of ancient documents, but as our partner in an ongoing dialog about our life here and now.
Most individuals who attempt to study the bible usually start with the book of genesis. As you may well know if you spend much time around these parts, i read a lot. One of the purposes of that testimony is to help people make decisions about how to. Making sense of string theory brian greene youtube. Im reading quite an eyeopening book called making sense of the bible by adam hamilton. Moreover, hamilton is always charitable toward those with whom he disagrees. A better understanding can result if we see that god planned before. The book begins with foundational questions such as. This page was inspired by the publication of my book nonsense from the bible. Accepting this fallacious reasoning, ignoring common knowledge, and refusing to examine what might very well be. The daily posts are source of information about the. This book explains how to enter into this dialog, how to listen and how to respond. This accessible volume offers readers clear and concise answers to alleged major bible difficulties from genesis to revelation, staunchly defending the authority. A reader named john recently left this comment on the post, curses or consequences.
For example, world war ii with quotes will give more precise results than world war ii without quotes. Making sense of the bible leader guide by adam hamilton, 9781426785580, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. In making sense of the bible, adam hamilton invites us into an honest conversation about the bible. Third, the book suffers from oversimplification in several places, especially in regard to the various types of literature in the bible. Simply put, a book isnt correct because the book says so. An invitation to the sceptical is that secularism as well as religion involves faith. The underlying debate isnt about a particular social issue, but instead it is about how we understand the nature of scripture and how we should interpret it. The author has evangelical roots, affirms a high view of scripture, but believes that appeals to inerrancy and literalism not only undermine the witness of the church, but undermine our ability to hear.
The book rightly includes chapters on old testament narratives, poetry, and prophecy. Written in language accessible to lay readers, making sense of the bible describes at length the context of sacred verses and psalms, and their modern relevance. In my reading i have noticed a disturbing trend in the way authors use the bible to prooftext their books. Walter brueggemann diana butler bass t making sense of the. You need to use logic and reasoning that would make sense. It would seem that this would have been much more profitable to making sense of the bible. Making sense of god ebook by timothy keller rakuten kobo. But making sense of scripture has a different dynamic.
Making sense of the bible will teach you how to enjoy studying it on your own. My hope is that many will read it, both those inside and outside of christianity. Phrase searching you can use double quotes to search for a series of words in a particular order. What are some times in the bible where it makes no sense. In making sense of the bible, adam hamilton, one of the countrys leading pastors and christian. The bible is an incredible gift from god to you, and this brief users manual will teach you how to get the most out of it. In making sense of the bible, adam hamilton, one of the countrys leading pastors and christian authors, addresses the hotbutton issues that plague the church and cultural debate, and answers many of the questions frequently asked by christians and. While i found much to appreciate in the book, i respectfully disagreed with hamiltons view that that bible is not inspired to any greater degree than sermons, devotional books, etc. In clear, nontechnical language, string theorist brian greene explains how our understanding of the universe has evolved from einsteins n. Although this is the first book of the bible, it is not the first in order of gods activity. Read making sense of god finding god in the modern world by timothy keller available from rakuten kobo. We will be using a six session dvd study by adam hamilton based on his thoughtful, informative, and balanced book, making sense of the bible. But at the same time, it may be disturbing to many christians. This method doesnt automatically dissolve the problems of any text, including the bible.
The book begins with foundational questions such as, how and when was the bible written. This concern has led me to write this article in which i will suggest some guidelines for the proper use of scripture in christian books. This revised edition of the bible makes sense is a unique howto book about the bible. The bible is a book in which god speaks through the written testimony of human beings. The worlds bestselling, mostread, and mostloved book is also one of the most confusing. David whitehead has been helping people engage with the bible for years, including through his popular website, the daily bible verse. The word genesis signifies generation or origin and comes from the greek translation of genesis 2. How those things, events, or persons in the literal sense point to christ and the paschal mystery. Before we go any further, lets establish the purpose of.
For then you will make your way prosperous, and then. Over the past twenty years, god has prepared the author arlington mcrae and anointed him saying, feed my sheep. What should be the reason a person reads the bible. In my last post, in response to a readers question, i gave my general take on adam hamiltons book making sense of the bible new york. More than a standard biblical reference book, making sense of scripture is a dialogue that encourages readers to bring their questions or doubts to the table when reading scripture. Making sense of the bible is the book i wish i had read 20 years ago. There were days yom is the period from sunset to the next sunset for 3 days before there was a sun. His study is marked by careful, welldocumented scholarship and a well. Making sense of scripture participant book augsburg fortress. Buy a cheap copy of making sense of bible difficulties book by norman l. I think this is a wellwritten book that serves as a good introduction to the bible, especially for skeptics. Beginning with the origins of the bible, the book takes us through threehundredpages of exploration into how. If the bible is the word of god and if the new testament is the holy scripture upon which christianity is based, then that should pretty much seal the deal in terms of what christianity is all about.
It is an appropriate title for the first book of the bible, which contains the record of the origin of the universe, the. Making good sense of the bible together shop bible society. As the author, david whitehead, says right in the introduction the goal in reading the bible is not to simply read the. Jesus is the decisive, definitive, unmitigated word of god. When you asked about it, i checked into it, and i was so. Spiritual growth hour on sunday mornings will focus on the broader fall theme. Extensive endnotes and a handful of blackandwhite photographs round out this excellent introduction to biblical studies for committed christians. You cant quote bible verses to me in order to attempt to make sense when i view the bible as a despicable book. Eleven kinds of verses biblebelievers like to ignore.