Dig Deeper
By Nigel Beynon
4.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
It’s all a matter of interpretation. Most conversations I've had with non-Christians about the Bible end up there sooner or later. It’s all a matter of interpretation. Sure, you say it means that Jesus is God and that sex outside marriage is wrong and that heaven is only for Christians, but maybe for me it means that Jesus was just a good teacher and sex with anyone is OK as long as you both want it and heaven is for everybody. It’s all just a matter of interpretation.
Actually, we've all been conditioned to think like that. It’s part of the whole philosophical movement called postmodernism, and over the last few decades it has infiltrated the TV shows that we watch and the classrooms that we sit in. Postmodernism teaches that when I come to a piece of literature such as the Bible, what matters is not what it means, but what it means for me. And that might be different from what it means for you. And that's OK.
I wonder if you've ever been in a Bible study like this:Leader: Does anyone have any thoughts about verse 1?
Person A: I think it’s talking about X, and . . . (blah, blah) . . .
Person B: Yes, I see what you’re saying Person A and I totally respect you. For me though it
means Y, the opposite of X.
Leader: Mmmm. Thank you both. Let s move on to verse 2.
That's postmodernism in action. The text means one thing for one person and the complete opposite for another, but both interpretations are to be respected and treated as equally valid. But the apostle Paul doesn't see it like that. He thinks that there is a right and a wrong way to understand the Bible.
The book is based on the idea of a toolkit. Each chapter introduces you to a separate tool and explains how it works. Although there are illustrations from the Bible throughout, we'll sometimes spend a bit longer on a Worked example to show you how that particular tool really can help us discover something exciting and relevant that the Bible is saying. Finally, the Dig deeper! boxes give you a chance to practise using the tools for yourself. At the end we've included a brief appendix with a suggestion of how you might use the toolkit concept in your small group.
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Reviews for Dig Deeper
3 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I thought this was an excellent tool for better biblical understanding. Written in easy to understand language, the book explains some advanced interpretation tools. I enjoyed the refresher and shared it with several people to help them in their study.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderfully, practical resource to help you get more out of your study of the Bible. It's plain language and pithy chapters make it easily accessible and helpful to a wide range of people - teenagers, students or older believers who are not well versed in Bible study (like myself). It also contains a helpful reference at the end which recommends more bible study resources.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dig Deeper! Or that's what the title to Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach's book encouraged me to do as I read the Bible. Dig Deeper! Tools to unearth the Bible's treasure is a short 160 page book published by IVP UK, aiming to equip believers with the methods they need to improve their reading and understanding of the Bible.The book contains 17 different `tools' for getting the most from the Bible including, the structure tool, the translations tool and the copycat tool, among others. Each `tool' is given a few pages of explanation, with a useful "worked example" and then followed up with exercises to do yourself. This makes the book easy to study and absorb, as the repetition of the concepts through the examples and exercises works it into your memory.A word of warning however, this is not a scholarly book and nor is it in depth but neither does it claim to be this. In the bibliography at the back of the book other more advanced books are suggested for the reader, if they feel they would like to go further. This is a book that I cannot fail to recommend highly enough to the average non-scholarly Christian, providing an excellent entry level guide to getting the most out of the Bible.
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