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Useful Books about the Bible
God's Word is true , and nothing in the world is more important than it. While God's Word is true, it is often misunderstood. The problem is that we read it with eyes, hearts, and minds that are affected by Adam's sin. Ever since Eve chose to determine the truth herself instead of simply believing God, we have all been distorting the simple truth of the Word. Even the best scholars in the country sometimes understand the Bible and sometimes do not. Our eyes are clouded, and there is so much that we can hardly see. When you read professional studies, remember that that they may be largely correct, largely incorrect, or completely wrong. Only rarely will you read a study that is completely correct, and even that will be necessarily partial and incomplete. There is always more than could and should be said. The links on this page lead to books about the Old Testament and New Testament. Most of these books were written by conservative and Evangelical scholars. They assume that the Bible is true, so they have a solid basis for their interpretation of the text. Other books in these lists are written by mainstream scholars who do not believe that the Bible is always right. Yet they make points in their books that are interesting and useful. Authors who begin by assuming that the Bible is true also bring other assumptions to the text that may not be right. A book based on correct presuppositions may still either be largely wrong or be superficial and irrelevant. Books that begin by assuming that the Bible is not correct may be completely useless for work in an evangelical context. However, that is often not true. Books from completely mistaken assumptions may still see things in the evidence that are useful and valuable. It is always important to evaluate critically anything that you read. Look for facts and ideas that help you understand the text better no matter where those ideas can be found. However, when you purchase books, it is usually more helpful to spend your money on conservative studies. You are generally more likely to use them. If possible, find books in a library or borrow them from other pastors in the area. Buy exegetical books only when you see that they are helpful enough to justify repeated use in the future. Most of us have shelves full of books that we rarely if ever really use. That tends to be true especially of commentaries. |
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Copyright © 2009 Dr. Rodger Dalman
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