Read the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding and Living God's Word [Paperback]

George Guthrie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2011

The Bible may be the most-purchased book in the world, but it is often the least read and least applied due to a basic lack of understanding and motivation on the part of readers. Read the Bible for Life aims to improve biblical literacy in the culture and the church by simultaneously moving readers toward greater skill in reading the Bible well and toward a deeper commitment to applying Scripture to everyday life.

Through a series of down-to-earth conversations with some of today’s brightest scholars, author George Guthrie discusses the basic tools and attitudes needed to read the Bible more effectively. Chapters focus on the various types of literature in Scripture and how to read them well. For instance, how should we read a psalm differently than we read a parable?

How should we read a story of the Old Testament differently than we read a letter from Paul? How can we engage these various parts of Scripture in a way that is truly life-changing? The book also discusses issues such as reading the Bible in context, choosing and reading a Bible translation, reading in times of sorrow or suffering, and reading the Bible with your family. As we better understand how to read the Bible skillfully, we begin to see how every person of the Bible, every psalm, and every teaching fits into the Bible’s powerful, overarching story, and we begin to realize our place in the story God is still writing in the world.

Endorsements

"In the church's dry desert of biblical illiteracy, this book is a drink of cold, refreshing water. With pastoral sensitivity and practical skill, George Guthrie is equipping us to know, understand, and apply the treasures of God's Word in a way that will transform our lives and our communities for the glory of our God. I wholeheartedly recommend Read the Bible For Life for every Christian and every leader in the church." 

—David Platt, New York Times best-selling author of Radical 

"In a culture where biblical illiteracy continues to spread like the proverbial plague, George Guthrie has introduced a healing medicine in the form of Read the Bible for Life. This overview of the Bible's nature and content will be welcomed in churches intent on developing biblically grounded followers of Christ. The book's conversational approach provides an easy entry for a generation that tends to read only headlines. With fresh insights for the long time student of God's Word and accessible material for the new student, it is a resource I recommend for all believers."

—Ed Stetzer, coauthor, Transformational Church 

"The genuine give and take of conversation is key to the Christian community's deeper grasp of the Scriptures. Read the Bible for Life is a celebration of biblical conversation between friends who really love the Word. Hopefully, lots of people will join in." 

—Michael Card, award-winning musician and author

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As a Bible scholar at Union University, one of the oldest American universities in the Southern Baptist tradition, Guthrie has tracked the decline in biblical literacy with consternation. With earlier books (The Structure of Hebrews and Biblical Greek Exegesis) best suited for academia, Guthrie has switched gears to produce a reader-friendly, digestible, biblical literacy study program that includes this book as well as a participant™s workbook, study leader™s CD-ROM, and three DVDs for group use. Anyone œtouched by the English language or Western culture, argues Guthrie, should be conversant in biblical literature. Through informal kitchen-table conversations with evangelical scholars, Guthrie guides the reader through a study of historical context, differences in Bible translations, varieties of literary genres, and finally a heartfelt devotional on how to read the Bible in a postmodern world. Though successful in reaching beyond a Southern Baptist audience, Guthrie remains limited by the Protestant concept of œprogressive revelation, which prefers later parts of the Bible over earlier ones, a concept not accepted by Roman Catholics or Orthodox Christians. (Jan.)
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Review

TOP PICK

The content presented is as relevant as it is comprehensive. Guthrie boils down the most significant, or most troubling, issues related to the given topic, making them accessible.

--Christian Retailing, Book Reviews, January 2011

5 STARS
The result is an easy-to-read yet in-depth approach . . . that focuses on connecting the dots of the big storyline of the Bible. --Trevin Wax, Christianity Today Magazine, March 2011

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books; Original edition (January 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805464549
• ISBN-13: 978-0805464542
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. George Guthrie serves as the Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible at Union University in Jackson, TN. A respected New Testament scholar and a deeply committed churchman, he is the author of numerous articles and eight books, including the NIV Application Commentary: Hebrews (Zondervan, 1998), the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Hebrews (Zondervan, 2002), and James in the Expositor's Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 2006). As the architect of the Read the Bible for Life biblical literacy initiative, he has written or edited four tools, including, Read the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding & Living God's Word (B&H, 2011), A Reader's Guide to the Bible (LifeWay, forthcoming), and Reading God's Story: A One-Year Chronological Bible (B&H, forthcoming). Dr. Guthrie has participated in translation projects, such as the revision of The New Living Translation, and has served as a consultant on the Holman Christian Standard Bible, the New Century Version, and the English Standard Version. At Union University he led in the establishment of, and serves as Senior Fellow in, the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, which is committed to promoting sound Bible reading, study, and interpretation at the grassroots level of the church. Dr. Guthrie and his family attend Northbrook Church, which he and his wife helped plant, and served as co-pastor of that church for ten years. Dr. Guthrie holds both the Ph.D. and the M.Div. degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Th.M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He, his wife Pat, and their two children, Joshua and Anna, live near Jackson, TN.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So Long Biblical Illiteracy!!!! February 7, 2011

By Eric R. Mclemore

Format:Paperback

This book is wonderful. First off, it puts people who have not had the oppurtunity to go to seminary or had any higher education in the skill of Bible study or theology right at the feet of some of America's finest Biblical scholars. THe book takes you through all the different kinds of literature in the Bible and expalins to you how to read it. In today's world, Biblical illiteracy is the biggest problem in Christianity. This book will be a great tool for churches to use to teach their members how to study the Bible. For so long the number one excuse for not reading and studying the word of God is "I read it and just don't understand it." Well now thanks to Dr. Guthrie and hsi team of scholars that is no longer an excuse. I pray this book will help spark a revival in Bible reading and study so that we can place the Word of God back at the center of our worship and more importantly back into the center of our lifes. Thank you Dr. Guthrie for your service. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants to grow close to God.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable resource for understanding the Bible better February 23, 2011

By T

Format:Paperback

The book is both immensely helpful and highly readable. In it, author George Guthrie has a series of 16 conversations with biblical scholars, pastors, a musician and others in which they discuss the Bible's various genres and offer insight into how to read the Bible well. Topics include reading the Bible in context; reading the Old Testament stories, laws and prophets; reading the New Testament stories and letters; reading Revelation and the teachings of Jesus; and reading the Bible for personal devotion, with the church and with the family, among others.

If you're interested in learning more about God's word, how to understand it better and how to get the most out of your Bible reading, this is an excellent resource for you.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Becoming a Woman of the Book March 7, 2011

By Melissa Moore

Format:Paperback

I am a pastor's wife of nearly 20 years, and have been a Christian for almost 30 years. In a lovely conversant style that feels like a personal conversation, Guthrie explores the problem among Christians of not knowing the Word of God, and why we should, and then equips you to get in to the Word on your own. My understanding of the Bible has been enhanced, even changed, by this book. This book ought to be read by Christians everywhere, it's that good.