Used all around the world, this Bible resource covers everything from how to choose a good translation to how to understand the different genres of biblical writing.

For the lay theologian, this book is more than adequate, but for the more seasoned theologian, it is merely a supplement to more voluminous expositions. If you are a dogmatic and rigid Christian unaccustomed to and uncomfortable with examining your belief system, or if you are a dogmatic and rigid atheist who refuses to believe in spite of evidence, then this book will likely irritate you. Gordon Fee taught at Regent College, which is known for providing a theological education for lay persons. It is a bit dry at times, though the authors certainly make a go at humorous insertions to hold their reader's attention.Indicative of this approach is the integration and application of issues relevant to the first century church to current theological conundrums. Precisely because God chose to speak in the context of real human history, we may take courage that these same words will speak again and again in our own "real" history, as they have throughout the history of the church. It is clear that Fee and Stuart have a high appreciation for the Scriptures and cherish every single genre in it.

It will surpass any other religous works when judged by the same standard with which we judge any other ancient work. The class and this book were eye-opening confirmation that justified much of my uneasiness with people who say, “it’s in there; you’re just not spiritual enough to find it,” or “trust me, everyone thinks XYZ passage means this, but God showed me [and only me] what it really means. This third edition features substantial revisions that keep pace with current scholarship, resources, and culture. This is explicated in the statement "parables are not allegories - even if at times they have what appear to us to be allegorical features.

It is possible, just possible mind you, that there have been changes in language and culture that require some work on the reader's part to understand what is being said the same way a hearer of that message would have understood it in their day. While the same pattern used for the exegesis of Old Testament is applicable to the study of Acts, the authors provide a separate treatment of this book since the majority of believers acknowledge that Acts serves as the "pattern for Christian behavior or church life. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth helps readers of all kinds get the most out of their Bible-reading experience. My grounding was too limited when I first started (re)exploring Christianity and the book was too dense for me at that stage. In the sphere of hermeneutical discourse, its brevity is admirable, however, in terms of comprehensiveness, there are better works available.

But somehow, when we see the word “Bible,” the normal rules fly out the window and we seem to feel that different rules should apply, because it’s not the common man’s poetry. As noted by the Fee and Stuart, "even though the Old Testament laws are not our law, it would be a mistake to conclude that the Law is no longer a valuable part of the Bible. This book avoids turbid theological meanderings in favor of providing the reader with basic hermeneutical tools necessary to understanding Scripture. The inherent pitfalls involved in interpreting the genre of the epistles are clearly addressed in the statement "the ease of interpreting the epistles can be quite deceptive. Fee and Stuart substantively examine the historical context of the law, in particular, the comparison of the Law of Moses to that of the Code of Hammurabi and other ancient codes of conduct.Yet all of us are reading the same Bible, and we all are trying to be obedient to what the text "plainly" means.