I do a radio program in Spanish called Lea La Biblia (Read the Bible). In that five-day-a-week program, among other things, I offer a 3-4 minute tip on Bible study. After doing several dozen programs, I realized that I needed some sources for new ideas about what to present. One of the sources I found was Ryken’s Bible Handbook (I know, I should provide you a link to somewhere where you can buy it and I get some money, but the book is pretty widely available, and I’m guessing you can find it on your own.) [I first found this book from a review by the Internet Monk. You might look at that to gain further perspective on what this book is like.]

The book was written by Dr. Leland Ryken, Philip Ryken, and Dr. James Wilhoit. In this handbook, they try to focus on the different literary genres present within the Bible, the idea being that you don’t read poetry the same way you read prose, and you don’t read a letter the same way you read legal code.

The handbook offers a fact sheet on each book, maps and charts, a discussion of the form of each book, key places and characters, key doctrines, tips for reading or teaching each book, and a discussion of the main themes in each book. One section that I found interesting was the discussion of how each book contributes to the Bible’s story of salvation in Christ. There are also additional articles that aren’t book specific, like “The Covenant” and “Apocalyptic Writing.”

If you’re looking for a book that can give you a fresh perspective on Bible study, I think that Ryken’s Bible Handbook could be a welcome addition to your library.

(Google Books has the book here, including a limited preview. If you’re not familiar with limited previews, they are a wonderful way to actually be able to read several pages of a book to see what it’s like.)

[Disclaimer: I didn’t get any money nor free books nor even a free Dr. Pepper for writing this review.]