Our Daily Bread Bible Sourcebook - A Review

Our Daily Bread Bible Sourcebook

by

Dave Branon

In the early 1950’s Henrietta Mears wrote a helpful Bible introduction for the layman entitled What the Bible Is All About. It has been updated a number of times, but it still shows its age. Dave Branon has created a new book written for the same audience and for the same purpose but for the 21st century.  

The author, in his introduction, provides a good overview of the books contents.  Each book is described in two sections:

1. Top Ten List - an on overview of author, time of writing, themes, etc.

2. The W’s - Answers the questions of Who, What, When, Where, Why, Wow!, Worth Remembering, and Wonders from the Past.   The answers provided here are in a bit more detail than those provided in the first section. 

The material is current, including reference to modern archaeological discoveries and research. The biggest concern this reader has is the minimal references provided - there are some, but in this 300-page book are only 15 footnotes. The author does list 15 sources dating from 1958 to 2016, but he gives no specific page numbers from which he pulls his data. Even  though written for a lay audience, it is my feeling that an author should include detailed references to material borrowed from others. A good teacher (i.e. even a Sunday School teacher) should be able to verify and guide his or her students to more information on the topics discussed.

Given these limitations, the book would still be handy for the pastor for quick reference and for the lay Sunday School teacher as a source for supplemental material. The book will find a home in most church libraries.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

God’s Story in 66 Verses - A Review

God’s Story
in 66 Verses

by

Stan Guthrie

A Review

I was concerned when I first saw the title of this book.  God provided 66 books in the Bible - how could anyone fairly reduce each book to a single verse?  Obviously, one cannot.

However, unlike the title suggests, the Stan Guthrie does not do so.  Rather than providing a commentary on 66 verses, he provides a rather complete introduction to each of the 66 book beginning with what most of us would call the key verse.  

As is my usual practice with such books, rather than reading the entire book, I spend time exploring those books I am currently studying.  This week that involves the book of Galatians in the NT (from which I am preaching) and the book of Joel in the OT (the subject of a small group Bible Study I am part of).  In each case the author has created an accurate introduction to the texts, using not just the key text but several key texts found throughout the book being studied. I found the book easy to read and follow - even though it has a degree of depth I might not expect from such an introduction.  Though written for a more scholarly audience, the content and overview provided is similar to that provided by Henrietta Mears in her classic, What the Bible is All About.  The content could also serve as an the book introduction similar to that found at the beginning of most Study Bibles, but with a bit more depth.

The book could be a good Bible introduction for anyone seeking to read the Bible through in a year or two.  It could also serve as the starting point for a sermon series moving a congregation through the entire Bible - a dream of mine, but unlikely to occur given my current congregation. content is too brief to serve as a Bible Introduction text in a College or Seminary course, but might serve that purpose well in a Sunday School or small group Bible Study.   

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.