Officers ordained in the Presbyterian Church answer the question: “Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the Church universal, and God’s Word to you?”
Do you? Do you know some of the stories? Do you think other people know it better than you? Do you ever read the Bible?
I am not admonishing anyone who doesn’t read the Bible. In my experience most people I meet in church don’t know Scripture as much as they wish they did, or think they should. We live in a diverse society with many faith traditions. We live in a time when religion has struggled. We live in a time of competing voices and philosophies trying to make sense of our society.
But if we belong to a church, or seek to follow the way of Christ, then Scripture is essential. The less we know, the more we wander away from it. The more we know, the more resources are available to us as we navigate these strange and challenging times.
So in our daily eNews, I am sharing sections of Gateway to God’s Word, a book written by my father Dr. Rev. Harry Eberts, Jr., to assist readers in gaining a clearer understanding of the Bible. –Pastor Harry
Contents
Introduction—How to Study the Bible
Chapter 1—Pioneering Persons: Moses, the Covenant-Maker
Chapter 2—Pioneering Persons: David, the King
Chapter 3—Pioneering Persons: Elijah, the Prophet
Chapter 4—Pioneering Persons: Jesus, the Christ
Chapter 5—The Kingdom of Solomon, the Great, Son of David
Chapter 6—Two Kingdoms Where One Stood Before: Israel and Judah
Chapter 7—”How Lonely Sits the City”: Warfare and Destruction in the Southern Kingdom
Chapter 8—”By the Waters of Babylon”: The Exile of Judah
Chapter 9—”A Star Shall Rise in Jacob”: The Age of Jesus Christ
Chapter 10—The Wandering Arameans: The Patriarchs of Israel
Chapter 11—In the Days When Judges Rules
Chapter 12—“Is there Any Word from the Lord?” The Era of the Prophets
Chapter 13—The Disciples of Jesus as an Organized Movement
Chapter 14—Israel’s Faith before Israel Was a Kingdom: The Oldest Sources for Israelite Religion
Chapter 15—The Golden Age of Israelite Literature
Chapter 16—Reflections from Six Centuries Other Sources Behind Our Source
Chapter 17—Preaching and Teaching in New Testament Times
Chapter 18—The Israelite Underground: Theology of the Deuteronomic Movement
Chapter 19—The Conservative Revolution: Theology of the Priestly Writers
Chapter 20—The Singer of Strange Songs: The Chronicler of Israel
Chapter 21—Beyond the Damascus Road: The Theology of the Apostle Paul
Chapter 22—Christian Faith in the Empire of Rome Theologies of the Synoptic Gospels
Chapter 23—“The Word Became Flesh”: Theology of the Gospel of John
Chapter 24—Putting It Together and Seeing It Whole: The Canon of Scripture