Bible Surveys

Taking a literary approach to the Bible is both dangerous and useful. It's dangerous because it tempts many to stop taking it seriously, to view the Scripture of Christianity not as God's Word but as a mere story. However, the Bible is literature, and looking at it as such can help us get a better grasp of the overall message and trajectory of both Testaments. That doesn't mean we stop looking to the Bible for God's self-revelation, it means we understand it more and more in context.

If there's a fault of contemporary preachers, it's their near-universal inability to teach a passage of Scripture in context. Most pastors will read a Bible verse (at least one) per sermon and attempt to preach on it, but often these sermons are simply their own interpretation of the out-of-context verse, rendering it meaningless. The Bible is presented to us as a totality because it is the whole counsel of God, and works together for our education and spiritual enlightenment.

It is their ability to help us understand the unity of God's Word that makes Bible surveys particularly helpful. Untrained Bible readers can easily become lost or confused amid the plethora of narratives, poems, prophecies, letters, and doctrines, and a good survey can help clear the fog. Of course, a bad one will only contribute to the confusion and possibly lead readers far afield from the truth of the Gospel, but we've done our best to avoid those.

Good surveys and introductions include information about the cultural context of the various biblical nations and ethnicities, sound overviews of the various books in the canon, theological summaries of long and short sections, and any supplemental information that may make the actual biblical text more clear, like maps, outlines, and biographical sketches. Good surveys also take into account the literary elements of each book, helping readers learn to interpret poetry, narrative, and prophecy.

There is no book more important than the Bible. This is true for everyone, but especially for Christians, since the Bible is where we learn about God and the Gospel. Though Bible surveys are extremely helpful for obtaining a deeper understanding of God's Word, they can never take the place of it, and should never be substituted for actual Bible reading. That said, we'd encourage new Bible readers, recent converts, and beginning Bible students to supplement their Bible reading with a good survey.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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22 Items found Print
30 Days to Understanding the Bible
by Max Anders
Reprint from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 7th-Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$19.99
Adventuring Through the Bible
for 7th-12th grade
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Love Song
by Charles D. Drew
from P&R Publishing
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$9.50
Bible Jesus Read
by Philip Yancey
from Zondervan
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$16.99
Bible Panorama
by Gerard Chrispin
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Bible Recap
by Tara-Leigh Cobble
from Bethany House
for Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
Discovering God in Stories from the Bible
by Philip Graham Ryken
from P&R Publishing
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Encountering the Old Testament
by Bill T. Arnold, Bryan E. Beyer
2nd edition from Baker Academics
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$35.00 $16.00 (1 in stock)
From Whom No Secrets Are Hid
by Walter Brueggemann
from Westminster John Knox Press
for Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
He Gave Us Stories
by Richard L. Pratt Jr.
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$14.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
House for My Name
by Peter Leithart
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$21.00 $12.00 (3 in stock)
House for My Name: Questions & Answers
by Joshua Appel
from Canon Press
for 5th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$10.00
Literary Structure of the Old Testament
by David A. Dorsey
from Baker Academics
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$40.00
Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study
by Starr Meade
from Crossway Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Bible Curriculum (Location: BIB-MISC)
$79.99
New Testament Commentary Survey
by D. A. Carson
5th edition from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
New Testament Survey
by Robert G. Gromacki
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Promise and Deliverance Volume 4
by S. G. De Graaf
from Paideia Press
for Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Survey of the Bible
by William Hendriksen
4th edition from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Survey of the Old Testament
by Andrew Hill & John Walton
3rd edition from Zondervan
for Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Talk Thru the Bible
by Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa
supersaver from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$8.00 (9 in stock)
What's in the Bible
by R. C. Sproul & Robert Wolgemuth
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$13.50
Words of Delight
by Leland Ryken
2nd edition from Baker Academics
for Adult
in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$6.00 (1 in stock)