Customer Reviews

Living By The Book Workbook

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If you've ever had an excuse for not getting into the Word, this book is for you. Howard Hendricks who chairs the Center for Christian Leadership (affectionately know as "Prof." to his students at Dallas Theological Seminary) with the aid of his son Bill, has written this phenomenal book on the "why" and "how" of Bible study.

In the first few chapters, Hendricks challenges all the excuses we have for not studying our Bibles and posits clearly superior reasons in favor of doing so. He then uses Scripture itself to show us what we will gain from regular study of God's Word. In typical Hendricks fashion he begins by humoring "I wish we had a better term than `Bible study,' because for most of us, `study' is a bad news item. It has all the appeal of flossing our teeth" (13). He tells the story of a man he met at a Bible conference who drove twelve hundred miles to "get under the Word" and Hendricks muses "was he just as willing to walk across his living room floor, pick up a Bible, and get into it for himself?" (9).

There are three steps, which will transform that sometimes-dry text into the spiritual growth that we desire in our lives. They are Observation, Interpretation and Application. These three steps are the heart of the book.

The ability of Howard Hendricks to communicate clearly and effectively is unmatched in this introductory work on Bible study. The pages of this book come alive as he swiftly and painlessly removes the obstacles to personal study while at the same time equipping the reader with the proper tools to understand God's Word. Virtually every chapter contains exercises for the student of Scripture to get hands-on experience instead of just theoretical book knowledge. Much of this book is essentially the application of Mortimer Adler's book, How to Read a Book, (which Hendricks highly acclaims) to the Bible. The anecdotes, illustrations and "quotables" are alone worth the price of the book, not to mention the enlightening elaboration of the three-step approach to Bible study. This book should be the absolute first book a new Christian reads apart from the Bible itself.

This is an easy reading book, in 45 fun little chapters, to help people gain the basic Biblical interpretation skills they need to transform their lives. The Hendricks' show us how proper interpretation of scripture is used to fuel our minds for improved prayer/meditation based on God's principles. These principles are to be applied in our daily lives to change us and consequently change our corner of the world. The overall approach is the same used by most Bible study methods; that is, "inductive" Bible study - observe, interpret, apply.

The authors stress honest observation of the Biblical text without the influence of a pretense or agenda to affect the interpretation. An extremely detailed and systematic observation of the text being studied is stressed as the most crucial aspect of interpretation. Proper interpretation is unlikely without the foundation of an extremely thorough observation of the text itself. About half the book is used to fully explore the questions and forms of textual observation.

The book is loaded with practical ways to assist in interpretation during your Bible study. For example, transporting your senses into the story to help relate to David in a cave or Paul in prison. Clever tools like the fingers of your hand can be used to remember 5 things to look for when interpreting a passage. Another easy-to-remember idea is to ask the 6 w's - who, what, where, when, why and wherefore (wherefore is the "so what?" part of life application).

The authors encourage the application of Biblical principles in our lives. The final section of the book presents a set of questions and motivations for applying the Bible in everyday life. There are many lists to derive life application points: is there a command to obey, an example to follow, a doctrine to be believed, etc.? A recurring theme is the Biblical understanding of Godly knowledge that is summarized as `knowing without doing isn't knowing at all.'

I like this book overall but there are a few things I don't care for. I think it is too long and redundant on some points. 150 pages on every conceivable aspect/permutation of observing a text is excessive. Chapter 7, for example, talks about general reading skills. This is good information to mention but I don't think it deserved a chapter. You can get value from the book by selectively reading most of the chapters and omitting some like 7,13,14,20 (about 7% of the book). This is definitely not the author's intent, but it is how I recommend the book to people who don't have much reading time.

Another way to improve this book would be more coverage about literary genre (parable, poetry, history, letter, etc.). Chapter 29 covers this somewhat, but with a book this size, I would expect more on this important area for interpreting a text. How To Read the Bible for All its Worth, (Fee) and Effective Bible Teaching (Wilhoit) cover genre very well and are better choices if you don't need something as basic as "Living by the Book".

Living by the Book is a good choice for adult beginners, including high school students, to get started into productive Bible study.

Not only is the method subscribed by this book useful in getting out of the Bible that which was intended, but if the first couple chapters don't get you downright excited about a study of the Word of God, then nothing will. This book will light a fire of desire to search, and find, ALL of God's Word.

Hendricks says, "[T]he objective of this book is to help you ask observational questions of the biblical text, explain what a passage means, and then describe practical ways to use what you've learned in everyday life." (pg. 326) He delivers by covering the often skipped over element of observing what is actually in the biblical text. Most students of the Bible have a handle on interpreting. But Hendricks will broaden your view and help balance and objectify your study. With observation and interpretation as a solid basis he then, and only then, moves on to application. It's one thing to get in the Word, but altogether different when the Word gets into you. I typed up a 9 page, detailed outline of the book to quickly help remind me of how I can get the most out of my Bible study. Get this book so you can get into THE BOOK.

Howard Hendricks has created a powerful tool for unlocking the meaning of the Scriptures. His method of Observation, Interpretation and Application reveals the immense depth of the text. And anyone can learn this! Reading this book created a desire and an unexpected excitement to get into the Word! This book is number 2 on my list of recommended reading (because it is so effective in helping to read book number 1 on my recommended reading list!). A must have book.

"Living By The Book" is the best introduction to the Bible that I have yet to read. Whether you are brand new to Bible study, or a seasoned lover of the Word of God- there are many helpful tools in this book. There is a wealth of knowledge to be discovered in the Bible, and this book shows you how to be a "spiritual" detective. Fun and rewarding reading! Thank you God, Howard, and William!

Dr. Hendricks is a gem! This book is for anyone who finds the Bible overwhelming or intimidating. This book will help you develop method for study that will make the Bible easy to understand.

Great workbook. I read the book first and decided that this workbook would be a great tool in my small group Bible Study. The exercises have produced some great conversations. I recommend this book to all small groups who are looking for more "meat" in their bible studies.

Howard Hendricks has been teaching students at Dallas Seminary how to get deeper into the Bible for 50 years, so his book is a rich source of wisdom. This book will benefit the baby Christian and the seasoned pastor alike. Every reader will benefit from the practical wisdom and easily applied principles presented in this book - not to mention the extra ounce of motivation. This would be a super book for group study and accountability - particularly in a discipleship situation.

Dr. Hendricks provides helpful insight into how to study the Bible effectively. Whether you study the Bible as a clergyman or as a layperson, you can surely benefit from this book. Speaking from more than 40 years experience in personal Bible study, The Prof is not speaking from ignorance at all. This book has helped me get into the Bible myself, and learn the basic truths and principles from God's own word. If you are serious about becoming a student of the Bible, get this book.