Bible Study Magazine—March–April 2009 Issue

Overview

Bible Study Magazine now by purchasing the Mar-Apr 2009 Back Issue for $3.95. That’s 20% off the newsstand price of $4.95!

Bible Study Magazine is a brand new print magazine (not an e-magazine) published by Logos Bible Software. Six times a year, Bible Study Magazine delivers tools and methods for Bible study, as well as insights from respected teachers, professors, historians, and archeologists.

Read pastor profiles, author interviews, and stories of individuals whose thoughtful engagement with Scripture has shaped their thinking and defined their ministries. Bible Study Magazine reveals the impact of God’s Word on their lives and the power of Scripture in yours.

Key Features

• Relevant and theologically-solid Bible study tips
• Includes an interview with Mark Driscoll
• Will help you dig deeper into Bible study

Each Issue of Bible Study Magazine Includes:

• Feature Stories
  Discover new ways to connect the Bible with your ministry and life through reading great interviews with and articles from the biggest names in the church and biblical scholarship.
• Bible Study Tips
  Thoughtful and engaging authors tackle the tough passages in Scripture, explain difficult concepts, and confront complex interpretations in a way that helps God’s Word make sense to your life.
• On the Cutting Edge
  Keep up-to-date on the latest news in biblical research, including archaeological and historical findings.
• A New Kind of Bible Study
  Encounter God by yourself or with other believers with an ongoing Bible study in each issue.
• On Teaching
  Get advice on how to preach or teach the Bible in any setting from well-known pastors and teachers who use the Bible every day.
• Tool Box
  Learn how to effectively use the latest Bible study tools with our how-to guides.
• In the News
  Keep informed about the latest news in biblically-related topics, discoveries, and events.
• Thoughts from the Ancients
  Read the Bible along with those who have come before you, and learn from the wisdom of the early church—in their own words.
• Word Studies
  Get a close-up view of the Bible! Each issue contains insights about specific words found in the Bible, and tutorials on how to do word studies.
• If Only Someone Would Explain It to Me
  Enrich your understanding of the Bible with explanations of biblical and theological concepts by top scholars.
• Did You Know?
  Discover interesting facts about the Bible in the contemporary and ancient world.
• What They Don’t Tell You in Church
  See things you never noticed in biblical passages you have read dozens of times.
• Biblical Humor
  The funniest stories and the best comics related to the Bible, useful for any setting.
• Book Reviews
  Stay on top of the latest books about Bible study. Each issue contains reviews of the books and commentaries to equip you in your study of God’s Word.

Excerpts from the Mar-Apr 2009 Issue!

Bible Study Anywhere: Mark Driscoll on Connecting Bible Study to Everyday Life, by John D. Barry

"Bible study can happen anywhere,” says the 38-year-old pastor. In his office at the top of an unmarked warehouse in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, wearing dark blue jeans and a tight, light brown leather jacket with stripes down the sleeves, this gruff fellow looks like any other ex-rocker in the rainy city, but Mark Driscoll is the Preaching Pastor of the largest church in all of Seattle, WA—Mars Hill Church.

Driscoll is one of the most controversial pastors in America, but no matter how you feel about his tactics, he is reaching a city which may have abandoned church otherwise. . . . Bible Study Magazine asked Driscoll for some practical advice on studying the Bible. “First, get a good translation and a number of additional translations, so you’re familiar with the different ways of translating the biblical text. Second, you’ve got to build a basic library: a concordance, a commentary, a topical study guide, and Bible dictionary. That is the basic set of tools. It’s just like anything else."

Hollywood Bible Study, by Christy Tennant

Christians working in the entertainment industry face challenges to their faith uncommon to other professions. Some separate themselves from mainstream culture, creating overtly faith-based films, novels and artwork, while others eagerly engage with secular culture, creating media for believers and unbelievers alike.

Even with these challenges, the devotional needs of show business professionals are not that different from everyone else. Like the teacher or businessman who relies on a weekly small group or Bible study, there is a growing number of entertainment professionals finding support and encouragement through Bible studies specifically tailored to address their unique challenges.

Meaningless, Unfair, Absurd: Does the Author of Ecclesiastes Need Prozac? by Miles Custis

The author of Ecclesiastes if often labeled a depressed pessimist. But a careful study reveals the author to be an honest—and hopeful—realist about life, not a candidate for Prozac. It’s easy to understand why people think Ecclesiastes is depressing, or think that the conclusion of the book is that life is meaningless. Verses like “And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive” (Eccl 4:2 NIV) make the book seem less than hopeful. Even its famous phrase “vanity of vanities”—found at the beginning and the end of the book (1:2; 12:8) makes the author sound like a complete pessimist. I’ve found, though, that if you give the book enough serious attention, Ecclesiastes reveals that the author is actually hopeful, and his message can easily be applied to each of us.

Sanctified Dirt, by Michael S. Heiser

Elisha’s healing of Naaman the leper, commander of the army of the king of Syria, is a familiar story to many (2 Kings 5:1–17). Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River. Naaman doesn’t take this well and prepares to go home. At the behest of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. He is miraculously healed by the simple act. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. Here’s where the story usually ends in our telling, but that would result in the omission of one very odd detail—what Naaman asks to take back home.

Product Details

• Title: Bible Study Magazine—Mar-Apr 2009 Issue
• Editor-in-Chief: John D. Barry
• Academic Editor: Michael S. Heiser
• Art Director: Sean Fields
• Graphic Designer: Sarah Knepper
• Senior Writers: John D. Barry, Michael S. Heiser
• Columnists: James D. Elgin, Andrew B. Perrin
• Marketing: Dan Pritchett, Phil Gons, Ryan Burns, Scott Lindsey
• Publisher: Logos Bible Software