Controversial evangelical Bible scholar, popular blogger and podcast host of The Bible for Normal People, and author of The Bible Tells Me So and The Sin of Certainty explains that the Bible is not an instruction manual or rule book but a powerful learning tool that nurtures our spiritual growth by refusing to provide us with easy answers but instead forces us to acquire wisdom.

For many Christians, the Bible is a how-to manual filled with literal truths about belief that must be strictly followed. But the Bible is not static, Peter Enns argues. It does not hold easy answers to the perplexing questions and issues that confront us in our daily lives. Rather, the Bible is a dynamic instrument for study that not only offers an abundance of insights but provokes us to find our own answers to spiritual questions, cultivating God's wisdom within us.

"The Bible becomes a confusing mess when we expect it to function as a rulebook for faith. But when we allow the Bible to determine our expectations, we see that Wisdom, not answers, is the Bible's true subject matter," writes Enns. This distinction, he points out, is important because when we come to the Bible expecting it to be a textbook intended by God to give us unwavering certainty about our faith, we are actually creating problems for ourselves. The Bible, in other words, really isn't the problem; having the wrong expectation is what interferes with our reading.

Rather than considering the Bible as an ancient book weighed down with problems, flaws, and contradictions that must be defended by modern readers, Enns offers a vision of the holy scriptures as an inspired and empowering resource to help us better understand how to live as a person of faith today.

How the Bible Actually Works makes clear that there is no one right way to read the Bible. Moving us beyond the damaging idea that "being right" is the most important measure of faith, Enns's freeing approach to Bible study helps us to instead focus on pursuing enlightenment and building our relationship with God--which is exactly what the Bible was designed to do.

This fully illustrated color book on the Bible and its context answers such intriguing questions as: How do the books of the Bible relate to one another? What was Jewish worship like? What did the tabernacle and temple look like? What were the Jewish festivals all about? Who were the main characters of the Old and New Testaments? The Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Bible gives readers a glimpse into the past by examining everything from Moses' exodus to Jesus' miracles. Topics are indexed for easy reference.

Full of strange tales, obscure symbols, and archaic language, the Bible can be difficult to understand and interpret without some guidance. In The Trinity Guide to the Bible, Richard Hiers provides readers with information on the historical contexts and literary forms of the various books that will make the Bible more accessible. For each book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as well as the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha, Hiers supplies a summary of the book's basic features, highlights significant passages, and provides information about each book's likely historical settings. Rather than emphasizing a modern interpretation f the texts, Hiers focuses primarily on the beliefs and concerns inherent in each of the books of the Bible, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. Background essays, at the end of the book, explore the major events and periods of biblical history, the principal literary and editorial features of biblical writing, and the central themes of biblical religion and faith. This important reference book will be a useful tool for readers encountering the Bible for the firs time, as well as for students and study groups searching for a deeper background and detail about the books of the Bible. Richard H. Hiers is Professor of Religion at the University of Florida, and the author of many books in New Testament studies and biblical scholarship.