How to Read the Bible in Changing Times

Many find it difficult to take words that were written thousands of years ago and apply them to twenty-first-century life in the Western world. How do we read God's unchanging Word in a world that is increasingly defined by change?How to Read the Bible in Changing Times shows everyday Christians how to interpret and apply the Scriptures regardless of time and culture. Rather than seeing the Bible as a magic answer book, a list of commands to obey, or a series of promises to claim, this insightful book allows the Bible to retain its identity as a complex, inspired document while showing that the truth it contains is relevant and life-changing. It shows the reader how todetermine the meaning of the text in its original contextidentify culturally relative featuresunderstand what the text teaches about God, his will, and his purposesapply the truths discovered to contemporary life situationsIt even shows readers how to discern God's will on the many modern issues that the Bible does not directly address. From the Back Cover How do we read God's unchanging Word in a world that is always changing?How can words written thousands of years ago in different times and cultures apply to us today? Why do Christians obey certain commands in the Bible and ignore others? Some say commands to greet one another with a kiss or not to eat pork are merely "cultural" but then insist that commands related to divorce, homosexuality, or the roles of women and men apply for all time. Are we just picking and choosing what we want to obey and what we want to ignore? Or are there consistent principles for interpreting and applying the Bible? How to Read the Bible in Changing Times shows you how to interpret and apply the Scriptures regardless of time and culture. It develops a heart-of-God approach that provides guidelines todetermine the meaning of the text in its original contextanalyze cultural featuresdiscern what the Bible teaches about God, his will, and his purposesapply the truths discovered to contemporary life situationsIf you have ever struggled to see the connection between this ancient document and your world today, you will treasure this insightful book."With a keen scholar's mind, a pastor's compassionate heart, and a teacher's clarity, Mark Strauss has penned a much-needed resource for understanding the Bible today. Your study of Scripture will be enriched and enhanced by this valuable book!"--Lee Strobel, editor, The Case for Christ Study Bible"The books on how to interpret the Bible are many. Some are so technical that their readership is severely limited; others are so popular that their accuracy and depth are sacrificed for easy rhetoric. Mark Strauss weaves his way between these two extremes to give us a book that is careful, understated, and filled with a great deal of good sense."--D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity SchoolMark L. Strauss (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Distorting Scripture? and Four Portraits, One Jesus. He lives in California. About the Author Mark L. Strauss (PhD, University of Aberdeen) has a passion for teaching the Bible and has taught principles for reading and applying the Bible to students in undergraduate, graduate, and church settings. He is University Professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary San Diego and the author of several books, including How to Read the Bible in Changing Times: Understanding and Applying God's Word Today and Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels.