Bible Study Magazine—September–October 2012 Issue

• Feature Stories
  Discover new ways to connect the Bible with your ministry and life through in-depth interviews and articles from the biggest names in the church and biblical scholarship.
• Bible Study Tips
  Explore the Word—thoughtful and engaging authors tackle the tough passages in Scripture, explain difficult concepts, and confront complex interpretations in a way that helps the Gospel make sense in 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 together with those who have come before you, and learn from the wisdom of the early church—in its 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 place of the Bible in the contemporary and the 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 books and commentaries to equip you in your study of God’s Word.

Excerpts from the Sept–Oct 2012 Issue!

One Faith, Many Cultures

College environments are a clash of culture, bringing together people from different backgrounds, faiths, and experiences. Parents often worry about whether their recent high school graduates will thrive in this new environment. How will their students create and maintain Christian community? Will they continue to study the Bible? Will they work to fulfill their Christian calling? For more than 70 years, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has sought to provide solutions to all these challenges by engaging students in Bible study. With their Scripture-focused approach to ministry, Intervarsity helps students see that the relevance of the Word transcends cultural differences.—Jessi Gering

Hope for the Afflicted: 8 Weeks in the Book of Ruth

The Old Testament is full of stories about God using great leaders, like David and Moses. But God is not concerned only with people of power or status. Ruth and Naomi were women who had neither power nor position: Both were widows, and one was a foreigner. Although their circumstances were dire and they had little hope for the future, God used the events of their lives to pave the way for the Savior of humanity.—Miles Custis

Counter Culture: For Titus and Today

Walk into most churches today, and you’ll find customized programs based on age, gender, and family life. We tend to think people need to be relegated into groups for tailored instruction on faith.

That’s why Paul’s commands in Titus 2 about instructing different groups seem practical and applicable in our modern context. These particular commands to the people of Crete seem like good models of faith we’d also want to adhere to. But perhaps there’s more to his instructions than we might think.—L. Timothy Swinson