Reading your Bible - a starter's guide

Between two stools

READING YOUR BIBLE - A STARTER'S GUIDE
By Gavin Childress & Audrey Dooley
Day One. 91 pages. £5.00
ISBN 1 903087 41 4

We wanted to welcome this book warmly, as we would anything that encourages the reading of God's Word; however, it does seem to fall between two stools.

The credentials of the writers, and the book's format and cartoon illustrations make it look suitable for children but its vocabulary is more for adults. Words like 'tabernacle' and 'ascension' are explained, but 'testament', 'sin', 'saved' and 'communion table' are not. The foreword states it is suitable for young believers which seems to mean adults with some church background.

The page-per-book summary of the Bible that is the meat of this short book is excellent, simple and clear, but let down by omissions from the supporting sections that are too brief and sketchy for adult readers. The introduction makes no mention either of how the Bible was translated into English or of the many literal and dynamic translations currently available; nor of the wealth of scientific and archaeological validation of Scriptural accounts.

In the example used in the 'Approaching a Passage' section (p.86), the book overlooks its own application question: 'What does it mean to me now?' and the availability of Bible reading notes is ignored.

This book seems to be neither simple enough in language for children, nor robust enough in content and guidance for adults, but we would love to see a child-friendly version that draws attention to the Good News in the Bible, as well as to the need for obedience and heeding its warnings.

Steve & Kay Morgan-Gurr,
General Directors of Children Worldwide,
Knighton Evangelical Free Church, Leicester

© Evangelicals Now - December 2004
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Main Articles

• Glory to God in the HIGHeST.
  A pub transformed into a Christian Community Centre in Dunstable
• Joys and struggles
  An interview with Phil Wells of Calvary Evangelical Church in Brighton
• Longing, joy and the existence of God
  Adapted from the notes of a lecture given by Martin Warnelid at L'Abri
• In a stable condition
  An evangelistic look at Philippians 2.1-18
• A regular turkey!
  Reflections on the family meal table
• Monthly media and arts column
  The final countdown
• Monthly youth leaders column
  Golden rules
• 'Seeing salvation now'
  A guide to an exhibition of Christian art in Huddersfield
• Letter from America
  Bushwhacked!
• The Music Exchange
  Christmas stocking
• The Third Degree
  Evangelising fellow students
• Who'd be a children's evangelist?

Other articles

• China: leaders distance themselves from 'the heavenly man'
• My story - An extract from the new autobiography, in which he tells how he came to Christ
• Beating Time: Do we know it's Christmas?
• The politics of faith, essays on the morality of key current affairs - Media bias? - Peter Glover gives his view on the issue
• Wimbledon
• Watching the web - An update on websites of interest
• Inside I'm dancing
• My story: from Welsh mining village to worldwide ministry
• A biblical view of law and justice
• Christology in cultural perspective
• Rad lad livin' - sort your walk!
• Taming the tiger
• A cry from the streets
• Fruit that will last
• Leaders who will last
• Pure joy
• How to be a secure woman
• Holiness and sexuality - homosexuality in a biblical context
• First steps
• The five people you meet in heaven
• Making sense of the New Testament
• The purpose driven life
• Reading your Bible - a starter's guide