John: So That You May Believe

Living Word Bible Studies

by Kathleen Buswell Nielson

This study guides you through what many consider to be the most artful and poetic of the gospels. Its portrait of the Word made flesh rewards careful study so "that you may believe."

Genres: Christian, Devotional, Theology

318 pages, Spiral-bound

First published June 1, 2010

About the author

see also: Kathleen B. Nielson

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Kathleen Nielson holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in literature from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois). She has taught in the English departments at Vanderbilt University, Bethel College (Minnesota), and Wheaton College. She is the author of numerous Bible studies, and the book Bible Study: Following the Ways of the Word, as well as various articles and poems. Kathleen has directed and taught women s Bible studies at several churches and speaks extensively at conferences and retreats. She serves as director of women s initiatives for The Gospel Coalition and on the board of directors of The Charles Simeon Trust. Kathleen and her husband Niel (president of Covenant College 2002 2012, now leading an enterprise in global Christian education) have three sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and a growing number of grandchildren!

Reviews

[Erin Ching · Rating 5 out of 5]

This study of the book of John is definitely on the challenging / demanding side, but if you're willing to put in the work, you will likely come away with a much deeper and richer understanding of the Gospel of John. Some things she particularly draws out are all the connections to the Old Testament, the trinitarian nature of the book, the rich symbols and imagery, how Jesus ministers to different people as individuals, and the overall purpose of the book as expressed in John 20:31.

[Rena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have loved other studies by this author and this was being done in our morning Bible Study at church. But this one was far more confusing to me. I did not know where she was headed and often times I just could not find the answers to her questions in the text. And it felt so long. I felt like I was never going to finish. The final week has you looking back. I would have preferred to keep a running track of this rather than trying to compile everything at the end.

[Eleni Mastronardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great study of John. Very in depth and helped me better understand multiple passages that I had glossed over for years (or been intimidated by like the Prologue, John 1:1-18, which never used to make sense). Sometimes questions were not well worded and was unsure what they were trying to get at, but all in all, I liked it better than another, shorter John study that I did earlier this year.

[Nancy Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Bible study I've ever done, out of many. Nielsen is so good at directing the Bible-student to deeply mine the Scriptures for truth. She avoids the often used method where the author gives their own opinions, facts, or stories merely supporting the author's thoughts with a few verses. This is inductive study at its best, in my opinion, which doesn't require any unique markings or drawing; it simply leads the reader along by the use of examine-scripture-with-scripture questions. 22 weeks of 5-daily lessons suitable for individual study, but also excellent for using for discipleship one-on-one discussion or in small groups.