The Bible is the most influential book in human history. But what are we supposed to do with it in the 21st century? And even more importantly, can it still be trusted as the Word of God? Confusion and doubt about the Bible are becoming as common inside the church as they are outside. Questions come from all sides: Is the Bible anti-intellectual? Has the biblical text been corrupted over the centuries? Who really chose the books of the Bible and why? Which interpretation of the Bible is correct? Are the gospels full of contradictions? There are an unprecedented number of sophisticated attacks on the origin, credibility, and reliability of the Bible today. Secularism has tried to undercut even the possibility of spiritual or moral knowledge. Skepticism toward institutional religion is at an all-time high. Yet, the Bible claims that truth is knowable and God is actively involved in our world. What are we to do? Pray for wisdom. Think clearly. Pick up your Bible. Read through the 11 major challenges presented in these pages. And be ready.

The second in the series organized around common FAQs, 40Questions about Interpreting the Bible tackles the major questions thatstudents, pastors and professors ask about the hermeneutics of reading thebible (i.e. understanding the bible).

You’ve got Bible questions. We’ve got answers. The Bible is full of great truths for our lives . . . and also, if we’re being honest, a lot of mysteries that we don’t understand. You’ve probably wondered about these questions many times. You’d like good answers. Just keep it short and sweet. But where can you turn for reliable guidance? Dr. Michael Rydelink, beloved Moody professor and host of the radio call-in show Open Line, answers the questions that listeners often ask him. Michael addresses questions such as: Why does God allow bad things to happen? Did Noah really fit all the animals of the earth on a boat? Can I lose my salvation? What is the best Bible translation—King James or another? How can you explain the Trinity? Did Jesus really turn water into wine? And much more . . . Though the Bible is full of mysteries, it has no errors. There are good answers to all the perplexing questions. Don’t stay in the dark any longer. Get the answers from an expert and let your confusion turn to understanding.

The Bible Answer Book Volume 1 covered 81 of the top questions that Hank Hangegraaff, the Bible Answer Man, has answered in his ministry. Now he's coming back in Volume II with more questions and answers. Selected from among the thousands of topics he's addressed over the years, topics include family, faith, fear, sin, salvation, and many more issues vital to better understanding God. Each question is approached in Hanegraaff's scholarly, concise, yet easy-to-understand style, and he even suggests additional sources for readers who want to explore the topics further.

From Christian Piatt: "When I was a teenager, my youth minister threw a bible at my head for asking questions." Too often, for various reasons, people don't have the opportunity to ask the hard questions they have about faith, religion, salvation and the bible. And when questions are left unanswered in communities of faith, people either seek answers elsewhere or lose interest all together. The purpose of the series is to collect the most compelling and challenging questions from various theological areas and pose them to a panel of "experts" who are challenged with responding in two hundred words or less in plain English. This volume addresses challenging or controversial questions about scripture collected from people on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking media. Respondents include theology professors, clergy, lay leaders, liberals, conservatives and voices representing a spectrum of views. The idea behind the books is not so much to provide definitive answers as it is to stimulate thought, reflection and discussion. By offering multiple perspectives, readers have the opportunity to arrive at their own questions. Better, they come to understand that questioning faith is not taboo, but rather that it can be at the foundation of a strong and growing faith. The directive given to each respondent guided them to be concise and to speak in plan language, but also not to rely exclusively on "the Bible says it" justifications, or to wax abstract or overly intellectual. Instead, they write from personal experience as much as possible, and provide real-life contexts that will allow the average seeker or churchgoer to apply such ideas to their daily lives.

Think Christianly is about seizing the opportunities we have every day to speak the life Jesus offers into our culture. Tragically, many such opportunities pass us by unclaimed—either because we don’t notice them or we have not prepared ourselves to enter into them. And those around us seem to grow increasingly unwilling to hear anything the church has to say. Jonathan Morrow helps church leaders envision and implement ways for their congregations to “think Christianly” about contemporary questions and to speak in informed, engaging ways. Morrow explores many of the important issues that Christians often hear raised with regard to faith—questions about who Jesus was, the good and bad of religion, pain and evil in the world, the reliability of the Bible, sexuality and intimate relationships, and hope for change, among others. The life and faith issues that Think Christianly addresses lead to cultural moments where Christianity and contemporary culture intersect. This book will help churches take vital steps toward cultivating compassion and competence in speaking faithfully to a questioning world.

This is a new release of the original 1948 edition.