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What's So Amazing About Scripture?: How To Read It Right and Tap Into Its Power
So you have a Bible, but does it have you? Buckle up for a singular journey that will inspire and equip you for a thousand more journeys through Scripture. An accessible yet comprehensive celebration of the Bible, Terran Williams writes the book he wishes he could have read when he first picked up God’s Word almost three decades ago. –What is so amazing about Scripture.–How it all fits together.–How to correctly interpret and apply it.–How and why to trust it.–How to unleash its transforming power into your life, family, church and world.This book will galvanize the beginner, engage the doubter, deepen the faith of committed disciples, and elevate the place of Scripture in whole church communities.“One can sense in every chapter that he just loves the Bible, he loves the grand story, and he loves the central hero. I pray you will “catch” his passion as you read.” (Derek Morphew (PhD), founder of the Vineyard Bible Institute and author of The Kingdom Reformation.) Terran Williams, a seasoned church planter and Bible teacher to thousands of believers and skeptics alike, is most passionate about building bridges from God’s Word to your world. He is also the author of the Reach4Life youth bible with two million copies printed in 22 languages.
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2020
30 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 13, 2021
This book is so needed in today's modern age where in depth Biblical understanding, truth and its subsequent equipping has been replaced by trendy popular and self-help theories. I so love how to book not just shows me the 'why' s' but also the 'how' s' in order to fully engage in Scripture and allow it to change me from the inside out.
April 16, 2021
It is rare for a complex topic to be made accessible without sacrificing depth. It is my personal experience that the best teachers are capable of this. Because of their desire to teach those in front of them – and not to appear smart – they agonise not just over their content, but how to communicate it in the simplest possible way.
It is arguably a still greater feat when someone able to do this remains passionately engaged with their subject matter. Yet, we encounter both rarities in the pages of Terran Williams’ book, What’s So Amazing About Scripture?. We undoubtedly meet Terran the passionate Bible lover. His enthusiasm and penetrating insight quite literally ooze from each page. He extends a generous helping hand to the reader, pleading with us to love the Scriptures because of the one they point towards – Jesus of Nazareth. Like a contagion, we come away from reading having caught the Bible bug. Having caught the Gospel of Jesus.
Thankfully, Terran is not the kind of teacher engaged in the theoretical only, but removed from relevant practical realities. He is at his best when he is doing the very thing he writes about. I know this because I have been a part of the same local church as Terran – and have been privileged to call him a friend – for the past 12 years. I have witnessed first-hand his practiced, unique ability to communicate Scripture, and instill a passion for Scripture, in Christians of all kinds. When one comes to the end of a message preached by Terran, one is refreshed, re-oriented – and, above all, one leaves with a revitalised sense of the presence of God. I am a beneficiary and, in many ways, a product of his efforts. I hungrily took in his exposition of Scripture regularly, attended his Bible training seminars and listened in to his brilliant sermon series planning sessions. He has singularly applied himself to help everyday Christians to find and follow Jesus, especially through the Scriptures.
As Terran mentions in his Introduction, he has written the book he wished he had available to him as a Christian. I think readers will agree that he has done all of us a great service. In taking twenty-plus years of Bible reading and preaching, trialed in the trenches of pastoral experience, and distilling it in book form, he has gifted us with a gold-mine of a resource. On a personal note, I also trust Terran in the writing of a book on Scripture. I trust him because I know he has first placed himself under Scripture. I have seen him invite its authoritative and transforming message to influence and ‘wound’ him. I have watched him change his mind about long-held beliefs because he has allowed Scripture to speak to, reshape and contradict him. This is not easy to do and is a mark both of maturity and humility.
Finally, in terms of the value one will ‘get’ from reading this book, besides a fresh understanding of and passion for the biblical story, is this: tools for right interpretation and application of the biblical message today. As a Theology graduate, I have personally experienced the excitement of learning to ‘read the Bible right.’ I have had to learn to move away from cherry-picking verses, only reading my favourite passages and building doctrines on out-of-context bits of text. I do not believe I am alone in steadily needing to learn another way. In this regard, Terran repeatedly advocates for responsible exegesis and clear hermeneutical processes. Without these, we are likely to fall into either error of de-contextualising or over-contextualising a given biblical text. Like a deadly-sharp sword handed to a clumsy and untrained individual, the Bible has the capacity to inflict damage when not used skillfully and responsibly.
In our day of great biblical illiteracy and apathy, I believe the great need is for a freshly invigorated, biblically-based, Spirit-empowered Church that knows how to read and live its foundational book. In effectively articulating the Bible’s importance (Section 1), message (Section 2) and power (Section 3), I believe that Terran goes a long way in helping us towards this end. I cannot recommend his book enough, no matter where you are in your journey with the Bible.
It is arguably a still greater feat when someone able to do this remains passionately engaged with their subject matter. Yet, we encounter both rarities in the pages of Terran Williams’ book, What’s So Amazing About Scripture?. We undoubtedly meet Terran the passionate Bible lover. His enthusiasm and penetrating insight quite literally ooze from each page. He extends a generous helping hand to the reader, pleading with us to love the Scriptures because of the one they point towards – Jesus of Nazareth. Like a contagion, we come away from reading having caught the Bible bug. Having caught the Gospel of Jesus.
Thankfully, Terran is not the kind of teacher engaged in the theoretical only, but removed from relevant practical realities. He is at his best when he is doing the very thing he writes about. I know this because I have been a part of the same local church as Terran – and have been privileged to call him a friend – for the past 12 years. I have witnessed first-hand his practiced, unique ability to communicate Scripture, and instill a passion for Scripture, in Christians of all kinds. When one comes to the end of a message preached by Terran, one is refreshed, re-oriented – and, above all, one leaves with a revitalised sense of the presence of God. I am a beneficiary and, in many ways, a product of his efforts. I hungrily took in his exposition of Scripture regularly, attended his Bible training seminars and listened in to his brilliant sermon series planning sessions. He has singularly applied himself to help everyday Christians to find and follow Jesus, especially through the Scriptures.
As Terran mentions in his Introduction, he has written the book he wished he had available to him as a Christian. I think readers will agree that he has done all of us a great service. In taking twenty-plus years of Bible reading and preaching, trialed in the trenches of pastoral experience, and distilling it in book form, he has gifted us with a gold-mine of a resource. On a personal note, I also trust Terran in the writing of a book on Scripture. I trust him because I know he has first placed himself under Scripture. I have seen him invite its authoritative and transforming message to influence and ‘wound’ him. I have watched him change his mind about long-held beliefs because he has allowed Scripture to speak to, reshape and contradict him. This is not easy to do and is a mark both of maturity and humility.
Finally, in terms of the value one will ‘get’ from reading this book, besides a fresh understanding of and passion for the biblical story, is this: tools for right interpretation and application of the biblical message today. As a Theology graduate, I have personally experienced the excitement of learning to ‘read the Bible right.’ I have had to learn to move away from cherry-picking verses, only reading my favourite passages and building doctrines on out-of-context bits of text. I do not believe I am alone in steadily needing to learn another way. In this regard, Terran repeatedly advocates for responsible exegesis and clear hermeneutical processes. Without these, we are likely to fall into either error of de-contextualising or over-contextualising a given biblical text. Like a deadly-sharp sword handed to a clumsy and untrained individual, the Bible has the capacity to inflict damage when not used skillfully and responsibly.
In our day of great biblical illiteracy and apathy, I believe the great need is for a freshly invigorated, biblically-based, Spirit-empowered Church that knows how to read and live its foundational book. In effectively articulating the Bible’s importance (Section 1), message (Section 2) and power (Section 3), I believe that Terran goes a long way in helping us towards this end. I cannot recommend his book enough, no matter where you are in your journey with the Bible.
January 27, 2021
One of my favourite guiding principles for teaching and writing is by Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr.: “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” ‘What’s so Amazing About Scripture’ is a living embodiment of that principle.
As a pastor with a great love for making Scripture and theology accessible, I have found that most resources on reading the Bible tend to fall into two categories: simple and engaging, but failing to deal with some of the more complex biblical dynamics; or complex and academic, but failing to help the average reader. Accordingly, not only will ‘What’s so Amazing About Scripture’ help the novice reader take their first steps into the world of Scripture, but it is able to practically encourage and equip all levels of readers into deeper engagement with the Bible.
Wherever you are in your journey with Scripture, I have no doubt that you will find ‘What’s so Amazing About Scripture’ a uniquely valuable guide and inspiration.
As a pastor with a great love for making Scripture and theology accessible, I have found that most resources on reading the Bible tend to fall into two categories: simple and engaging, but failing to deal with some of the more complex biblical dynamics; or complex and academic, but failing to help the average reader. Accordingly, not only will ‘What’s so Amazing About Scripture’ help the novice reader take their first steps into the world of Scripture, but it is able to practically encourage and equip all levels of readers into deeper engagement with the Bible.
Wherever you are in your journey with Scripture, I have no doubt that you will find ‘What’s so Amazing About Scripture’ a uniquely valuable guide and inspiration.
January 19, 2021
The main thing this book did for me was get me reading and appreciating again The Book this book is all about. Thank you for empowering and inspiring me so!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews