Don't Know Much About the Bible

At First Presbyterian of Elizabethton, we are celebrating our 225th anniversary. Part of that celebration is becoming familiar with our heritage, including our biblical heritage. So we are reading the good book cover to cover.

I have created a blog, Bible and Jive, to help with this process. Begin with the sidebar. Check out the overview, schedule, quick guides, and quizzes. Each month, on the first Sunday, I will award a prize to those who have completed the quiz. Even if you do not live near our mountain you can join us. Send in your answers via the comment section or by sending me an e-mail and I will send you an e-mail with my responses including the biblical references and a virtual prize that you can download. Suitable for framing!

So far, quick guides and quizzes have been completed through June. I am looking for excellent on-line resources. Especially helpful are syllabi from college and university professors. The Society of Biblical Literature has some swell ones. The more web-friendly the better. I am still looking for a good one for the Old Testament Apocrypha/Deuterocanon. We will read that in July and August.

If you would like to join us on this quest, I have one suggestion. Begin with the February readings, (Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 &2 Kings). Pick up the earlier readings later. Don't spend too much time on the internet that you don't read the text. The point is to make the text more understandable.

Let me know what you think. Let me know if you find good on-line resources. Let me know what questions you have which will help in designing the weblog. The Bible and Jive site is strictly for this educational purpose. I will moderate comments there. It will not be a place to debate and hassle. Shuck and Jive is for that!

This is designed for beginners. So let me know when I am not beginner-friendly. However, those who do have familiarity with the Bible will also find insights and information to help deepen their study of the Bible.

Finally, I approach the Bible as literature with the aid of modern historical/critical scholarship. It is not the only way to approach it, of course. But I find it a helpful way to begin our enjoyment and appreciation of the Bible. If you Don't Know Much About the Bible (good book, by the way), Bible and Jive is the place to start with no embarrassment.

Good reading!