Reading Christian Scripture

This new series of survey textbooks from Baker Academic will cover the Old and New Testaments. The volumes are designed to meet the needs of contemporary evangelical undergraduates. These survey and introductory textbooks will effectively covers the entire Old and New Testament, as well as major topics in the relevant canonical sections, assuming no prior academic study of the Bible.

Many introductions to the Old and New Testament focus on critical issues such as authorship, background, and history. While these volumes will addresses these important issues as well, the focus is on reading the text of the Bible itself. The authors believe the Scriptures should be read from multiple angles: historically, literarily, canonically, theologically, and ecclesially. They pay attention to how the biblical documents fit together as a canonical whole that form the two-testament Christian Scriptures. They also show how the Old and New Testament writings provide basic material for Christian doctrine, spirituality, and engagement with culture.

These books features full-color illustrations that hold interest and aid learning and offers a full array of pedagogical aids: photographs, sidebars, maps, time lines, charts, glossary, and discussion questions. Chapters can be assigned in any order, making this an ideal textbook for one-semester courses at evangelical schools.