Understanding Holy Scripture ("We Believe" Resources)
We Believe: Back To Basics - A series about our common faith. | Week 1 resources.
Learn what it means that Scripture is the testimony of Apostles and Prophets.
Christians can talk a lot about Scripture being “God’s word.” They might even use somewhat unusual words like “sufficient” or “inspired” to describe the Bible’s role in the Christian life. And these things are true!
But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to understand. In the Biblical book of Acts, Philip was once led to an Ethiopian man reading the prophet Isaiah as he rode in a chariot.
“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him…” (Acts 8:30-31, NIV).
Similarly, when Jesus finds two of his disciples on the road, after his resurrection, they do not immediately recognize him. When they do, after he breaks bread with them, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:26-27, NIV).
Christ himself is the key to Holy Scripture.
Whether you’ve read the Bible all your life, or have just started, we wanted to provide you with resources to help you along the way.
Some resources are free (online resources, videos, podcasts), some will cost money (books), and some require a subscription (Seminary Now video curriculum).
Click the arrow to expand and see more information on each resource.
Just like that, you did it! You can do the same whenever you see the “>” symbol.
“We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction…” - New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith, 1833
How did we get the biblical canon?
“How We Got the New Testament Canon” [Video: 8:15]
David F. Watson, Seedbed: Seven Minute Seminary
Includes a brief, helpful discussion on the formation of the Christian Biblical canon on pages 29-35. Baptists have had complicated relationships with creeds throughout their history, but Bird makes the case for their use and organized his explanation of the basics of Christian faith around the articles of the Apostles' Creed.
Publisher's Description:
The Apostle's Creed is a treasure trove of basic Christian beliefs and wisdom that helps ensure the integrity and orthodoxy of our faith.
Sadly, modern churches have often hesitated to embrace the ancient creeds because of our "nothing but the Bible" tradition. In What Christians Ought to Believe Michael Bird will open your eyes to the possibilities of the Apostles' Creed as a way to explore and understand the essential teachings of the Christian faith.
Bringing together theological commentary, tips for application, and memorable illustrations, What Christians Ought to Believe summarizes the basic tenets of the Christian faith using the Apostle's Creed as its entryway. After first emphasizing the importance of creeds for the formation of the Christian faith, each chapter, following the Creed's outline, introduces the Father, the Son, and the Spirit and the Church. An appendix includes the Apostles' Creed in the original Latin and Greek.
What Christians Ought to Believe is ideally suited for both the classroom and the church setting to teach beginning students and laypersons the basics of what Christians ought to affirm if they are to be called Christians.
"Beliefs shaped the books that were prized and read, while the books in turn shaped the beliefs that people held and professed." - Michael F. Bird, What Christians Ought to Believe
How do Christians read & understand the Bible?
Video Series: Bible Project - “What is the Bible” [Video: 5:48]
How to Read the Bible Videos - “What is the Bible” [Video: 5:48]
"BibleProject is a nonprofit, crowdfunded organization that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, articles, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone everywhere. From page one to the final word, we believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. This diverse collection of ancient books overflows with wisdom for our modern world. As we let the biblical story speak for itself, we believe the message of Jesus will transform individuals and entire communities. Many people have misunderstood the Bible as a collection of inspirational quotes or a divine instruction manual dropped from Heaven. Most of us gravitate toward sections we enjoy while avoiding parts that are confusing or even disturbing. Our Bible resources help people experience the Bible in a way that is approachable, engaging, and transformative. We do this by showcasing the literary art of the Scriptures and tracing biblical themes from beginning to end. Rather than taking the stance of a specific tradition or denomination, we create materials to elevate the Bible for all people and draw our eyes to its unified message."
Podcast Series: Bible Project - "How To Read the Bible"
Listen here. These conversations are sort of like sitting in on "behind the scenes" conversations with the people who made the videos.
Series Description:
"Follow discussions between Tim & Jon as they prepare to write the "How to Read the Bible" series of videos. This series is aimed at helping you read the Bible more wisely, and with greater understanding!"
Booklet: The Bible Story: One Story From Genesis to Revelation by Preben Vang
Some copies may be available in the First Baptist Church Muncie church office!
Publisher's Description:
In this accessible booklet, author Preben Vang walks readers through the story of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation.
Book / Podcast: The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible (second edition) by Scot McKnight
Publisher's Description:
"Why Can’t I Just Be a Christian?” Parakeets make delightful pets. We cage them or clip their wings to keep them where we want them. Scot McKnight contends that many, conservatives and liberals alike, attempt the same thing with the Bible. We all try to tame it. McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet has emerged at the perfect time to cool the flames of a world on fire with contention and controversy. It calls Christians to a way to read the Bible that leads beyond old debates and denominational battles. It calls Christians to stop taming the Bible and to let it speak anew for a new generation. In his books The Jesus Creed and Embracing Grace, Scot McKnight established himself as one of America’s finest Christian thinkers, an author to be reckoned with. In The Blue Parakeet, McKnight again touches the hearts and minds of today’s Christians, this time challenging them to rethink how to read the Bible, not just to puzzle it together into some systematic theology but to see it as a Story that we’re summoned to enter and to carry forward in our day. In his own inimitable style, McKnight sets traditional and liberal Christianity on its ear, leaving readers equipped, encouraged, and emboldened to be the people of faith they long to be."
Podcast: Kingdom Roots with Scot McKnight - “Ask Scot Blue Parakeet Edition - KR 117”
“God did not give the Bible so we could master him or it; God gave the Bible so we could live it, so we could be mastered by it. The moment we think we’ve mastered it, we have failed to be readers of the Bible.” ― Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible
Is the Bible anti-women? Pro-Slavery? Sexually repressive?
How should Christians understand the Bible on social issues?
On Women:
Book / Video Curriculum / Podcast: Rediscovering Scripture's Vision for Women: Fresh Perspectives on Disputed Texts by Lucy Peppiatt
Publisher's Description:
Does God call women to serve as equal partners in marriage and as leaders in the church?
The answer to this straightforward question is deeply contested. Into the fray, Lucy Peppiatt offers her work on interpretation of the Bible and Christian practice. With careful exegetical work, Peppiatt considers relevant passages in Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Peter, 1 Timothy, and 1 Corinthians. There she finds a story of God releasing women alongside men into all forms of ministry, leadership, work, and service on the basis of character and gifting, rather than biological sex.
Those who see the overturning of male-dominated hierarchy in the Scriptures, she argues, are truly rediscovering an ancient message―a message distorted by those who assumed that a patriarchal world, which they sometimes saw reflected in the Bible, was the one God had ordained.
Seminary Now Curriculum (requires subscription)
Podcast: The Essential Church Podcast includes two episodes of an interview with Lucy Peppiatt (Episode 110 and Episode 111) about her book Rediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women.
“My experience of coming to know God in my twenties was uncompromisingly affirming… it built me up as a person… encountering the love of God was really life-changing… when I discovered [subordinationist theology] I realized that kind of setup of relationships hinders or blocks the revelation of God to a woman of who she is in Christ…” - Lucy Peppiatt, Episode 111 of The Essential Church Podcast
Book / Podcast: Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church by Nijay Gupta
Publisher's Description:
Women were there. For centuries, discussions of early Christianity have focused on male leaders in the church. But there is ample evidence right in the New Testament that women were actively involved in ministry, at the frontier of the gospel mission, and as respected leaders. Nijay Gupta calls us to bring these women out of the shadows by shining light on their many inspiring contributions to the planting, growth, and health of the first Christian churches. He sets the context by exploring the lives of first-century women and addressing common misconceptions, then focuses on the women leaders of the early churches as revealed in Paul’s writings. We discover the major roles of people such as:
Phoebe, Paul’s trusted coworker
Prisca, strategic leader and expert teacher
Junia, courageous apostle
Nympha, representative of countless lesser-known figures
When we understand the world in which Jesus and his followers lived and what the New Testament actually attests about women in the churches, it becomes clear that women were active participants and trusted leaders all along. They were welcomed by Paul and other apostles, were equipped and trained for ministry leadership, instructed others, traveled long distances, were imprisoned―and once in a while became heroes and giants. The New Testament writers tell their stories. It's time for the church to retell them, again and again.
Podcast: On Script Podcast - “Tell Her Story: Women in the Early Church”
"These women leaders of the early church are more than just extras on the set of the gospel drama. They are often key characters." - Nijay Gupta, Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church
On Slavery:
Book / Video Curriculum/ Podcast: Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley
Publisher's Description:
Growing up in the American South, Esau McCaulley knew firsthand the ongoing struggle between despair and hope that marks the lives of some in the African American context. A key element in the fight for hope, he discovered, has long been the practice of Bible reading and interpretation that comes out of traditional Black churches. This ecclesial tradition is often disregarded or viewed with suspicion by much of the wider church and academy, but it has something vital to say. Reading While Black is a personal and scholarly testament to the power and hope of Black biblical interpretation. At a time in which some within the African American community are questioning the place of the Christian faith in the struggle for justice, New Testament scholar McCaulley argues that reading Scripture from the perspective of Black church tradition is invaluable for connecting with a rich faith history and addressing the urgent issues of our times. He advocates for a model of interpretation that involves an ongoing conversation between the collective Black experience and the Bible, in which the particular questions coming out of Black communities are given pride of place and the Bible is given space to respond by affirming, challenging, and, at times, reshaping Black concerns. McCaulley demonstrates this model with studies on how Scripture speaks to topics often overlooked by white interpreters, such as ethnicity, political protest, policing, and slavery. Ultimately McCaulley calls the church to a dynamic theological engagement with Scripture, in which Christians of diverse backgrounds dialogue with their own social location as well as the cultures of others. Reading While Black moves the conversation forward.
Seminary Now Curriculum (requires subscription)
Recommended episode / chapter: “The Freedom of the Slaves”
“Slavery in the Bible” [Video: 7:03]
“The question isn’t always which account of Christianity uses the Bible. The question is which does justice to as much of the biblical witness as possible. There are uses of Scripture that utter a false testimony about God. This is what we see in Satan’s use of Scripture in the wilderness. The problem isn’t that the Scriptures that Satan quoted were untrue, but when made to do the work that he wanted them to do, they distorted the biblical witness. This is my claim about the slave master exegesis of the antebellum South. The slave master arrangement of biblical material bore false witness about God. This remains true of quotations of the Bible in our own day that challenge our commitment to the refugee, the poor, and the disinherited.” ― Esau McCaulley, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
On Sexuality:
Book / Video Curriculum / Podcast: Faithful: A Theology of Sex by Beth Felker Jones
Publisher's Description:
Many believers accept traditional Christian sexual morality but have very little idea why it matters for the Christian life. In Faithful, author Beth Felker Jones sketches a theology of sexuality that demonstrates sex is not about legalistic morals with no basis in reality but rather about the God who is faithful to us. In Hosea 2:19-20 God says to Israel, “I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.” This short book explores the goodness of sexuality as created and redeemed, and it suggests ways to navigate the difficulties of living in a world in which sexuality, like everything else, suffers the effects of the fall. As part of Zondervan’s Ordinary Theology series, Faithful takes a deeper look at a subject Christians talk about often but not always thoughtfully. This short, insightful reflection explores the deeper significance of the body and sexuality.
Seminary Now Curriculum (requires subscription)
Podcast: Center for Pastor Theologians “Sexuality & Gender: Embodied from Creation Through Redemption”
Episode Description:
Dr. Beth Felker Jones outlines a theological vision of sexuality and gender through the lens of our created embodiment. This conference lecture was given at the CPT's 2016 theology conference on human sexuality, Beauty, Order, and Mystery: A Christian Vision of Sexuality. Dr. Jones is a professor of theology at Wheaton College. You can view video of this entire talk, including Q&A here at www.pastortheologians.com.
The idea that gentleness isn't masculine or the dangerous idea that grown women shouldn't have body fat are sinful distortions of masculinity and femininity. These distorted ideas aren't what our good God intended for us when he gave us sexually differentiated bodies...It can also help us to recognize that growing in holiness as a son or daughter of God sometimes requires defying social rules about men not being gentle or women needing to eat so little that they cannot thrive.” ― Beth Felker Jones, Faithful: A Theology of Sex
Moving from reading for information to reading for worship & transformation
Book: Eat This Book: A Conversation in The Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson
Publisher's Description:
Eat This Book challenges us to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God’s revelation, and to live them as we read them. With warmth and wisdom Peterson offers greatly needed, down-to-earth counsel on spiritual reading. In these pages he draws readers into a fascinating conversation on the nature of language, the ancient practice of lectio divina, and the role of Scripture translations; included here is the “inside story” behind Peterson’s own popular Bible translation, The Message.
Online Resource: Taylor University Scripture Engagement on Bible Gateway
From Bible Gateway & Taylor University:
This section of Bible Gateway, created in partnership with the Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement, outlines a set of practical exercises and activities you can undertake to interact more meaningfully with the Bible.
We invite you to explore the different topics in this section at your own pace and in whatever order you prefer. We recommend beginning with the Introduction section below, then exploring the specific topics that interest you.
Be sure to read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Abide Bible: Engaging Scripture, Engaging God.
To give you new ways to think about your walk with God, take the Christian Life Survey, developed by the Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement. It will provide insights into your spiritual priorities and areas of focus that can help you engage better with Scripture. You’ll receive your personal results by email within a few minutes of completing the survey. Your answers will not be shared with anyone other than you, ever.
Podcast: Slow Theology with A.J. Swoboda and Nijay Gupta "Is the Bible Enough? Rethinking Why We Read Scripture"
Episode Description:
AJ and Nijay note how the Bible is actually a short book, especially the New Testament part. Is that all God wants to say to the world? Listen in as they talk about the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. There might actually be a good reason why less is more!
“Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.” ― Eugene H. Peterson, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
If you REALLY want to dive in:
The Bible in a Disenchanted Age: The Enduring Possibility of Christian Faith by R.W.L. Moberly.
Publisher's Description:
In our increasingly disenchanted age, can we still regard the Bible as God's Word? Why should we consider the Bible trustworthy and dare to believe what it says? In this creative, accessible, and provocative book, leading Old Testament theologian R. W. L. Moberly sets forth his case for regarding the Bible as unlike any other book (and the Bible's Deity as unlike any other deity) by exploring the differences between the Bible and other ancient writings. He explains how and why it makes sense to turn to the Bible with the expectation of finding ultimate truth in it, offering a robust apology for faith in the God of the Bible that's fully engaged with critical scholarship and compatible with modern knowledge.
The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (second edition) by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen.
Publisher's Description:
This bestselling textbook surveys the grand narrative of the Bible, demonstrating how the biblical story forms the foundation of a Christian worldview. The second edition has been thoroughly revised. Additional material is available online through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources, offering course help for professors and study aids for students. Resources include discussion questions, a Bible reading schedule, an adult Bible class schedule, and a course syllabus.
“The Bible is not a fortress to be defended, but a mansion to explore, to live in and invite others into.” ― R.W.L Moberly recounting how Keith Sutton encouraged him to journey into the world of the Bible.
It's my sincere prayer you've found this collection of recent resources increase your love and knowledge of Scripture and the God of the Bible.
Pax Christi,*
(*The Peace of Christ)
- Jonathan
Co-Pastor, FBCM