One item that has consistently remained on my “To Do” list is the development of a Bible study guide to send out to listeners of the radio program I do (which is entitled “Read The Bible”). There are lots of guides out there, so what I have in mind is probably out there. But so far, everything I’ve seen leaves me dissatisfied.

These courses are typically offered as a guide to studying the Bible, but most of the ones I’ve seen are merely designed to present a certain doctrine. I want to develop a Bible study course that tries to teach people the basic principles of biblical interpretation.

If what I believe is based on the Bible, I shouldn’t be afraid to allow people to study and reach conclusions on their own. If it’s not based on the Bible, I have no business teaching it.

If you were putting together such a course, what would you want to see in it? What do you think people need to know as they begin to study the Bible?

Right now, I’m envisioning the following:

• Description of basic attitudes necessary for effective study
• Guidelines for personal devotional reading, personal Bible study and group Bible study
• An overview of each book of the Bible
• Some basics of biblical history and geography, along with discussion of importance of context
• Study of biblical genres
• Overview of biblical themes (basic theology)

As you can see, that’s already quite a lot. But I’m sure there’s plenty more that could be there. What suggestions do you have? Have you seen a basic course that covers these sorts of topics?