In the last week, have you done any of the following: eaten pork sausage, worn clothes made of two types of fabric, come before God wearing glasses or shaved?
If so, you have surely violated the eternal and unchanging Law of the LORD.
Or !maybe that’s not quite right. But how do we interpret and apply today those parts of the Bible that seem out of sync with our culture? How do we make sense of the whole Bible story, Old and New Testaments together?
Beginning the last week of January, we will be running a course called Hitchhikers’s Guide To The Bible, seven 90 minute sessions aimed at giving an overview of the whole Bible story and improving our Bible interpretation skills.
The course has been developed over five years of previous use, and is designed in conjunction with Vaughan Robert’s book ‘God’s Big Picture’ and Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s ‘How To Read The Bible For All It’s Worth’.
Splitting our time between reading Scripture, group discussion, work in pairs and exploring maps, songs and paintings, we will take a rollercoaster ride from Creation to Consummation (5 weeks in the OT, 2 in the NT) and practice interpreting narrative, law, wisdom, prophecy, epistles and Apocalyptic.
We hope to hold the first session on the evening of either Monday 26th or Tuesday 27th January, and depending on participants’ preferences will run either fortnightly or monthly, at 10 Keynsham Bank or at the church building. Obviously, the course only makes sense if all seven sessions are attended!
Do please register your interest before Tuesday January 20th by emailing tim.martin@cambray.org stating preference for start date, frequency and venue, or ask if you’d like to see the course materials ahead of time. These are provided free, whilst the two books above can be purchased by the church in bulk for a discount.
So, here’s the sell !if you feel you need a better grasp of the big picture from Genesis to Revelation and more experience making the jump from the Bible’s culture to ours, why not sign up and equip yourself with skills that will undoubtedly be invaluable for the rest of your life?
Tim Martin
Associate Pastor