"The Bible is the greatest of all books; to study it is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals." - Charles Caldwell Ryrie

The Bible is an amazing book written by dozens of human authors in several languages over a period spanning more than 1000 years. Yet it's message is single: God's love and rescue mission to the world.

The Bible is written by authors who were deeply engrained in their culture and history. For this reason some knowledge of this historical context is helpful.

The Bible however can be well understood today with the aid of a modern translation, particularly a study bible with footnotes offering historical background and linguistic insights.

1. For those new to the Scriptures, I've prepared very brief introductions to the 66 books making up the Bible. Please click: Old Testament or New Testament.

2. More recently I've begun to add pastoral and practical observations on individual chapters. This will be the work of a lifetime.

3. For many years Carol and I taught a series of classes overviewing the Old and New Testament in a way which attempts to give insight in greater depth into the historical and cultural context of Scripture for the purpose of helping those who follow Christ in mission to do so more fully.

These lessons are expansions and adaptations of the Bethel Bible Series, a course we highly recommend as an biblical literacy resource for church-based adult education, www.bethelseries.com. On-line teacher certification is at the time of posting this page available here (external link).

Charles Spurgeon was once asked if he felt he needed to defend the Scriptures. His reply: "Defend the Scriptures? I would rather defend a lion." More here.