Many of us who pride ourselves on our learning are illiterate in one particular way. We know very little about the Bible, perhaps the most important book of the western world. Does this sound familiar? You decide to read through the entire Bible. Genesis is a great place to start, but somewhere along about Leviticus, feeling frustrated and bored, you give up. For those who feel the entire Bible is overwhelming, what’s needed is a guide to Biblical highlights.

As a college English professor who has taught the Bible as literature, I have had to compile a list of key books and chapters for my students. What follows is such a list, a “best of the best” for you to read.

The first part of the Old Testament contains history in the form of stories. Genesis displays a fascinating collection of people (Genesis 1-4, 6-9, 13, 15-19, 21-22, 24-25, 27-30, 32-33, 37, 39-45). Exodus tells of a miraculous escape from slavery under the leadership of Moses (Exodus 1-17, 19-20).  The Jews, like so many of us, blew many opportunities (Numbers 11-14, 20). Finally, after a long delay, they entered the Promised Land under a fierce general (Joshua 2, 6-8, 24).

Even after gaining a foothold, the Jews had to fight local antagonistic tribes. They turned repeatedly to leaders for help (Judges 4-7, 13-16). In the middle of this fighting came a  love story of a foreigner in the land of the Jews (Ruth). The story of the first Jewish king, who was followed by David’s rise and rule, has fascinated people for centuries (1 Samuel 8-31 and all of 2 Samuel).

Solomon took the kingdom to new heights, but a tragic civil war split the nation. Elijah and Elisha challenged the spiritually bankrupt people who ignored the danger signs until fierce enemies overwhelmed them (1 Kings 1-3, 6, 10, 12, 17-22 and 2 Kings2, 4-6:23, 17-19, 25). However, many later returned to their land where they faced enemies and spiritual neglect (Ezra 3 and  Nehemiah 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, 13). The history books end with an amazing escape from sure annihilation (Esther).

The next section of the Old Testament is composed of various poems. We encounter the sufferings of a righteous man (Job 1-14, 38-42). The next book, the Psalms, contains prayers and praises directed to God (Psalms 1, 8, 19, 22, 23, 51, 68, 90, 103, 139). Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are examples of wisdom literature—thoughts on life by wise individuals (Proverbs 1, 4, 10, 31 and all Ecclesiastes). The Song of Solomon is a series of love poems exchanged between a man and a woman (Song of Solomon 2, 4).

The last section of the Old Testament is devoted to the writings of the prophets, who rebuked the Jews and other nations wandering far from God. The most famous and the longest is Isaiah, but others covered similar themes ( Isaiah 6, 25, 36-40, 52-53, 55, Ezekiel 1-4, 37-39, Daniel 7-12). Some of the Bible’s best-known stories are found in two of the prophets (Daniel 1-6 and Jonah).

The New Testament is split into three sections also. The first are the historical books, similar to the initial section in the Old Testament. Three different authors give  overlapping views of the life of Jesus. I suggest reading Luke because it has so much detail and shows Jesus interacting with outcasts—women, children, the poor, the oppressed (all of Matthew, Mark, or Luke). You should also read John for its meditation on the theological significance of Jesus and His divinity (all of John). To complete the history of Jesus and his church, read portions of Acts describing the missionary outreach of the early believers (Acts 1-4, 6-8:3, 9, 15-17, 26-28).

The second section of the New Testament is composed of letters sent by Christian leaders to their churches or to individuals they knew. Start with the longest one that clearly explains salvation and the Christian life (Romans).  Other letters discuss important specific issues—church worship, spiritual gifts and the coming resurrection (1 Corinthians 11-15), salvation by grace rather than works (Galatians), the church and personal relationships (Ephesians), Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4-5), faith (Hebrews 11-12), difficult areas in the Christian life (James), and the importance of obedience and love as characteristics of the Christian (1 John).

The last section of the New Testament is composed of only one book, but what a book it is. Revelation is a visionary roller-coaster ride that has puzzled people for centuries. The ending is comforting for its uplifting vision of God’s triumph and the creation of a new world (Revelation 1, 4-6, 11-13, 17, 19-22).

If you follow the above reading suggestions, you will have worked your way through  important Bible passages in less than 30 hours of total reading time. You may be intrigued enough to go back to see what other treasures await you within its pages.

The Christian church loses something like 75% of all young people after high school. For many of them, they have not heard good answers to their questions. But the answers are available. What can parents and Sunday school teachers do?

But how should Christian teachers and parents go about presenting the truth of Christianity? First, they should start with the basics — what do we believe as Christians? Then, they should answer a key question — why do we believe these things? Finally, they need to cover problems and questions Christians can expect to encounter  in the secular world. Let’s look at these three steps in more detail.

First, Christian kids need to know the basic tenets of the Christian faith. They probably have heard them in bits and pieces throughout their years in Sunday school, but they need to have a coherent presentation of all the major ideas of Christianity — the nature of God, the work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the organization and historical background of the Bible, life after death, heaven and hell, and the way of salvation. Of course, there are many sources available online that can deliver such major concepts in a clear and organized fashion. You might want to visit https://beyondtm.wordpress.com for lesson plans and to learn ways to help kids understand apologetics topics more.

Secondly, Christian young people need to understand why Christians believe these things. We must demonstrate that there is great evidence for the existence of God, that Jesus really lived and did what the gospels have recorded, that we can trust the Bible’s reliability, that life after death and the existence of the soul are reasonable beliefs, and that Christianity, of all major religions, best corresponds with what we know about the world and the human race.

Third, even if we cover both the what and the why of Christianity, we must still anticipate another key area of concern. Many young people have been confronted by skeptical non-Christians who have stumped them with questions that could have been answered with the right training. Such questions deal with the problem of evil, the nature of miracles, the blight of relativism, and the claims of other religions. The good news is that Christian thinkers over the years have also wrestled with these same questions and have come up with good answers. There is available a great resource list (see the second page of the EFCC Apologetics website). In addition, many good responses are found in the websites and books that follow in the next part of this article.

Most Christians would agree that the above three steps are important, but they might feel inadequate to cover all that territory. But many good websites and books are available to help teachers and parents. Let’s start with websites. Stand to Reason (www.str.org) has terrific resources in areas of ethics, Christianity, and apologetics. Campus Crusade for Christ (www.cru.org) has some material on apologetics. Alpha and Omega Ministries (www.aomin.org) has apologetic helps, information on cults, and further details on defending the faith. Christian Research Institute, where Hank Hanegraaf is the president, has material on cults and Christianity (www.equip.org). For all areas of apologetics, people can use Leadership University (www.leaderu.com). Another good source is Apologetics Information Ministry (www.apologeticsinfo.org), which deals with doctrine, cults, apologetics, and world religions. Parents will gain much from looking at https://mamabearapologetics.com/ and https://christianmomthoughts.com/.

Here are additional useful sites and resources for parents and teachers:

http://www.casemakersacademy.com/?fbclid=IwAR0-wNKF0ePpzF4NwTPTh8woo5IpbIcYqqtm1kYoAR9PJ7Bg4sjJVceLzY4

https://crossexamined.org/apologetics-for-children/?fbclid=IwAR1jRej6C7dsF_nsFvtpK1zuQfQ5poZAXpMUepkXyBDaCCpIK9g2AlklCwk

https://connect.rzim.org/t/apologetics-for-grade-school-children/2219

https://apps.biola.edu/apologetics-store/products/special-discounted-sets-or-combos/item/dr-craig-s-what-is-god-like-children-s-book-collection?fbclid=IwAR19HgWqV-DirWYnYhV19UO5skWEjKr7_Q0NOrB9bcooRPlB1E6daxNaHU8.

There are many good books available for those interested in teaching these three vital areas of the Christian faith. One favorite is Peter Kreeft’s Handbook of Christian Apologetics because it is simple to understand and organized clearly. Others that deserve attention include any by Josh McDowell, Natasha Crain’s Talking with Your Kids About God and Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side, William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith, D. James Kennedy’s Why I Believe, Paul Copan’s True For You, But Not For Me, Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith, and Greg Koukl’s three books: Relativism, Tactics and The Story of Reality. Teachers and parents shouldn’t worry about being experts. Instead, they need to realize there are many valuable resources they can use to help provide clear evidence for our faith.

The goal of all this is to create clear-thinking Christian young people who are not afraid to share their faith. They will see that Christianity can hold its own in the marketplace of ideas. We have a faith that is not based on wishful thinking or a leap in the dark. The evidence is there for any who take the time to examine it. Let’s put 1 Peter 3:15 into practice: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Get to know some of the best minds in the field of apologetics, making a case for the truth of Christianity. Most are current while some have passed away. They range from world-class philosophers and thinkers to Internet and radio apologists. But all have made an impact with their works and ministries. They are in alphabetical order. (This is not a comprehensive list; many theologians and church fathers have been left off.)

Click on any link below (name or organization) to find out more.

• Kerby Anderson – Head of Probe ministries
• John Ankerberg – Founder of Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
• Ken Boa – relational evangelism, discipleship, apologetics
• Krista Bontrager – theologian, scholar communications director for Reasons Institute
• Robert Bowman – noted apologetics and theology teacher (Biola)
• Justin Brierley – host of Unbelievable? on Premier Christian Radio, UK
• Charlie Campbell – head of AlwaysBeReady.com
• Alisa (Girard) Childers – blogger, speaker
• Paul Copan – Philosophy and ethics; apologist and author
• William Lane Craig – philosopher, theologian, apologist; debater par excellence
• Natasha Crain – national speaker, author of three books, blogger
• William Dembski – philosopher of science and mathematician; ID theorist
• Lenny Esposito – founder of ComeReason apologetics ministry
• Phil Fernandes – Christian philosopher, apologist, debater with audio resources
• Hillary Morgan Ferrer – founder of Mama Bear Apologetics, author of an upcoming book
• Norman Geisler – prolific author of over 70 books; Classical apologist
• R. Douglas Geivett – Professor of Philosophy Talbot Department of Philosophy / Biola
• Douglas Groothuis – Christian philosopher, author, teacher (blog archives)
• Gary Habermas – the world’s foremost expert on the resurrection of Jesus
• Ken Ham – young Earth creationist involved with Creation Museum.
• Hank Hanegraaff – today’s Bible Answer Man
• Craig Hazen – director of Biola’s Christian Apologetics program
• Timothy Keller – urban pastor, author and apologist
• Greg Koukl – apologist and president of Stand to Reason
• Peter Kreeft – professor of philosophy at Boston College, noted apologist
• John Lennox – philosopher of science, mathematician, Oxford debater of Dawkins
• C.S. Lewis – famous author, lecturer, apologist; Narnia books, Mere Christianity
• Mike Licona – historian and apologist; authority on the resurrection of Jesus
• Paul Little – late apologist and author noted for his simple style and easy communication
• Josh McDowell – famous for Evidence that Demands a Verdict
• Sean McDowell – worldview youth minister / itinerant apologist
• Alex McFarland – itinerant apologist targeting young people, teens
• Alister McGrath – Oxford professor of theology, author and opponent of new atheism
• J.P. Moreland – Christian philosopher, noted author, apologist
• David Noebel – founder of Summit Ministries and worldview apologist
• Holly Ordway – author, professor of English and member of faculty for online M.A. in Apologetics at Houston Baptist University
• Amy Orr-Ewing – senior vice president with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, joint director of Oxford Centre for Christian apologetics, speaker
• Nancy Pearcey – called “America’s preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual,” author, professor at Houston Baptist University
• Alvin Plantinga – world-class philosopher; reformed epistemology, philosophy of religion
• Doug Powell – excellent multimedia apologist at SelflessDefense
• Ron Rhodes – author and apologist founder of Reasoning from the Scriptures
• Mark D. Roberts – pastor, author, speaker, blogger. Emphasis in NT / Gospels
• Mary Jo Sharp – speaker, author, professor at Houston Baptist University
• Hugh Ross – astrophysicist apologist and old Earth creationist; founder Reasons to Believe
• Matt Slick – founder of CARM.org with extensive apologetics encyclopedia
• R.C. Sproul – notable theologian, author, and classical apologist
• Laurie Stewart – attorney, event speaker, founder of Intelligent Faith
• Lee Strobel – journalist famous for his Case for Christ series of books; popular apologist
• Melissa Cain Travis – author, professor of Christian apologetics at Houston Baptist University
• Frank Turek – itinerant apologist and founder of CrossExamined; debated Hitchens
• J. Warner Wallace – cold case detective, pastor, and apologist with extensive web site
• James White – theologian, author, prolific debater, and reformed apologist
• Dallas Willard – Christian philosopher; notable works in philosophy, discipleship
• N.T. Wright – retired Bishop of Durham; notable work on the resurrection

John, the apostle of Jesus who also wrote the fourth gospel, wrote these three letters as late as 90 A.D. The first letter warns about false teachers who were saying Jesus wasn’t God. It also encouraged Christians to have faith and love. The second letter followed with similar themes and urged discernment when traveling evangelists showed up with messages for the church. This last epistle needs some background explanation. It was written to a church leader, Gaius, telling him about the lack of hospitality for itinerant teachers shown by Diotrephes and urging Gaius to welcome another traveling teacher.

Here are some things to consider as you read this final letter of John’s. Read between the lines. What do you learn about Gaius? Look for similarities with 1 John to determine if this is the same author. Compare verse 11 with 1 John 3:6 and 4:20. How does this letter reflect the ideas in 1 and 2 John? See verse 8. How is this a theme for the letter? Both 2 and 3 John are extremely short. What value do they have for Christians?

John, the apostle of Jesus who also wrote the fourth gospel, wrote these letters as late as 90 A.D. As I mentioned in the previous blog, the first letter warns about false teachers who were saying Jesus wasn’t God. It also encourages Christians to have faith and love. The second letter follows with similar themes and urges discernment when traveling evangelists show up with messages for the church. We can see from this warning that Christianity was spreading beyond what the first disciples had covered. The religion was being carried throughout the Roman Empire.

Here are a few things to consider as you read this short epistle. Look for similarities with 1 John to see if both appear to be by the same author. Compare verse 6 here with 1 John 5:3 and verse 9 here with 1 John 2:23. Which parts reflect the ideas of 1 John? See 1-2 for the theme. There is a heresy mentioned in verse 7. How is this Gnostic (look up the definition of this early Christian heresy)?

John, the apostle of Jesus who also wrote the fourth gospel, wrote 1, 2, and 3 John as late as 90 A.D. False teachers had  arisen in several early Christian communities, and they were undermining basic teachings of the apostles concerning the identity of Jesus and his death on the cross.  These teachers had moved on, having taken some of the believers with them.  John wrote these three letters to assure the remaining church members of the certainty of their faith and to refute the claims of these early false teachers.

Some questions you might consider:

1. See his purpose in 1:4 and 2:1, 12-14, 21, 26. Where do you see an additional summary of his purpose in chapter 5?
2. One major heresy was gnosticism. Find out what it was. See 2:22.
3. John uses contrasts effectively. Children of God are contrasted with children of the devil. What other contrasts do you see?
4. One key theme is love. See 4:8. If this is true, how does the rest of the letter deal with this statement?
5. A good way to see if a book is by the same author as another book is to check wording and style. Compare the following from the gospel of John with 1 John. The first passage will be from John while the second one will be from 1 John—1:1,14/1:1, 16:24/1:4, 3:19-21/1:6-7, 13:34-35/2:7, 8:44/3:8, 5:24/3:14, 8:47/4:6, 5:32,37/5:9, 3:36/5:12.

How would you characterize John’s approach to arguing in 2:18, 2:22, 3:10?

Composed in the mid-60’s A.D. when Nero was persecuting Christians, these letters by Peter speak of suffering and offer hope. The second letter sounds like a farewell address done to warn of dangers coming from within the church.

Here are some key verses with questions:

See 1:3-11. How does this summarize his teaching?

Peter anticipated the objections of false teachers in 1:16-21, 2:3-10, 3:5-10. Explain.

The passage in 3:3-13 is considered apocalyptic. Explain.

What were the characteristics of the false teachers? See 2:1-19.

We can use references inside letters to help date them. See 3:15-16. How would that help us date 2 Peter?

See 2:2-17 and compare to Jude 3-18. What’s the same? What’s different? Who borrowed from whom? Any way to tell?

The paragraphing here is very clear. See how each idea is separated into paragraphs—outline key points for the first ten paragraphs.

There is much contrast in 2 Peter. What is the major contrast?

1 Peter

Composed in the mid-60’s A.D. when Nero was persecuting Christians, 1 Peter speaks of suffering and offers hope. He tells of the identity of Christians as a reason why they suffer– they are strangers in this world. As God’s special people, they are to live lives of holiness and to be submissive to authorities.

Here are some questions to consider as you read this letter.  What should the behavior of God’s people be like? See 2:11-3:12. There is much on duties here. See what the duties are of free citizens (2:13-17), slaves (2:18-25), wives and husbands (3:1-7). Read 3:13-17. It indicates some suffering is self-inflicted. Can you think of examples? This letter was written to those being persecuted. What encouragement does he offer in 1:3-9, 1:10-12, 1:18-21, 1:22-25, 2:4-10, 2:22-25, 3:18-22, 4:17-19, 5:10-11? What is said about Christians in 2:5, 9-10? How would that strengthen a persecuted people? What do these passages refer to—1:5, 1:7, 1:13, 4:13, 5:1, 5:4? The section 3:18-19 and 4:6 puzzles many readers. Your thoughts?

This is an early letter written by James, the brother of Jesus, who was the leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem. He is mentioned by Josephus, a famous Jewish historian, so we have no doubt of his existence and his relationship to Jesus. It may have been composed as early as 48 A.D. James is the first of seven letters (James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude) called general epistles because they are for a general audience, not for a specific church.  Contrast these with the letters sent to particular churches–1 and 2 Corinthians, for example. James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament as the author focuses on the practices of a Christian as opposed to the beliefs of a Christian. In the letter are all sorts of practical advice regarding anger, boasting, patience, and prayer.

Some questions to consider: Does this seem more like a letter or a sermon? Many see 1:22 as the key for the overall theme. Do you agree? See 4:13-5:4. What does James attack? No other letter of the New Testament has as many references to the teachings of Jesus as James does. He often uses phrases and ideas from Jesus. See the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) or Luke’s Sermon on the Plain (chapter 6). Where do you see echoes of these in James? Where do you see echoes of Proverbs in James? How would you describe his tone (emotional attitude)—warm? witty? sarcastic? impersonal? shocked?

In my previous post, I covered the discussion over the author of Hebrews. Let’s take a look now at the content of the book.

In the late 60’s A.D., persecution of Christians was under way. For Jewish converts the troubles were causing some to wonder if it was all worth it. The author of Hebrews, an unknown person, used this letter to argue for the supremacy of Christianity over the Jewish faith so many had come out of. As part of this argument, he presents Jesus as superior to any Jewish prophet or priest. Some have called Hebrews the fifth gospel; the other four told of the earthly ministry of Jesus while Hebrews explains his heavenly ministry.

Jesus is shown as superior to different things here. See 1:4-2:18, 3:1-4:13, 4:14-10:18. What things is he superior to? What else is Jesus shown to be superior to? See 8:1-9:10. How is Jesus shown to be the best high priest? See 4:14/7:4; 4:15/7:26; 7:27; 10:10-14.

Regarding his organization, the author is careful to use key announcements as he shifts from one point to another. See 1:4, 2:17, 5:9-10, 10:36-39, 12:12-13. See how each is a transition that reflects on the previous passage and introduces a new passage.

Critics note the author linked Jewish and Greek thought. Plato, a Greek, believed there were two parallel worlds—a perfect eternal world of spirit and an inferior changing world of earth. What we do here is but a reflection of the invisible heavenly reality. See where the author uses this concept in Hebrews.

One final point–The book is full of exhortations. Note places you see “let us.”