I am a reviewer for Bethany House Publishers. I often review fiction books, but this title captured my attention. In light of the fact that I am no Bible scholar, I thought this would be helpful and informative.
I found Making Sense of the Bible an interesting read. It's approach was more of an overview of the basics of the Bible. What I found most interesting is how Mr. Whitehead gives a framework to guide me in understanding passages of scripture. When you understand the eternal plot of the Bible, you can analyze specific Scripture in light of the bigger picture. His explanation of using more than one translation helps to understand that each translation offers a different purpose.
A quote from the book. "The goal in reading the Bible is not to merely read the Bible. The goal of reading the Bible is to get to know and interact with the God of the Bible."
Paul told young Timothy - "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for corrections, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Tim 3:16-17
I thought it was interesting how Mr. Whitehead made the reference of the phrase 'breathed by God' and referred it to the Genesis account, when God breathed His life into the dust and Adam came alive. That same breath is in the Scripture. God breathes life into us through His Word.
The law and the Prophets, the poetry, the letters of Paul and the gospel accounts all point to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Where there is breath, there is life. Where there is life, there is hope.
This book is a great starting point, summarizing the Old and New Testament books, and their relevance to each other, in understandable way.
