Why does the film Magnolia end in a downpour of frogs?

Is the serpent in the Garden of Eden the devil or just a snake?

How do people use the Bible to argue different sides of today's most controversial issues?

Why did Metallica's bass player name their song "Creeping Death" after watching The Ten Commandments?

Where does the fish symbol of the Christian faith come from?

Who is the lamb with seven horns and seven eyes who opens the seven seals of a cosmic scroll?

Without either promoting or undermining specific beliefs, religious studies professor Kristin Swenson offers an intelligent, humorous, highly accessible, engaging, and illuminating guide to the Bible--incorporating biblical scholarship with contemporary pop culture references to help readers better understand the most talked about book of all time.

A guide to the great big family drama that takes up most of the first book of our Bibles. How can you read it wisely, and know what to look out for? This Really Useful Guide to Genesis 12-50 unpacks the fascinating family stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Richard S. Briggs takes us on a tour of these characters' lives, suggesting different ways of approaching the stories to draw out different facets and looking at how God can be found throughout. With a discussion of the historical background of Genesis and a detailed look at a few key passages, this book will increase your biblical knowledge and make you more aware of God's presence in everyday life.

Together in one special volume, selections from the best of beloved, bestselling author C. S. Lewis’s classic works for readers contemplating the ‘grand miracle’ of Jesus’s resurrection.

Preparing for Easter is a concise, handy companion for the faithful of all Christian traditions and the curious to help them deepen their knowledge and consideration of this holy season – a time of reflection as we consider Jesus’s sacrifice and his joyous rise from the dead.

Carefully curated, each selection in Preparing for Easter draws on a major theme in Lewis’s writings on the Christian life, as well as others that consider why we can have confident faith in what happened on the cross.

The New King James Bible with classic center-column cross references that's just the right size to take with you wherever you go. The slim design of the NKJV Thinline Reference Bible means you can bring it along, wherever your day takes you. When you open it up, you'll discover Thomas Nelson's exclusive NKJV Comfort Print (R) typeface, which is designed to provide a smooth reading of the accurate and beautiful New King James Version. And with features like a complete cross-reference system, a concordance, and full-color maps, you'll still have the tools to get more out of God's Word. Features include: End-of-page cross references allows you to find related passages quickly and easily Satin Ribbon Markers are a useful tool to easily navigate and keep track of where you were reading Presentation page allows you to personalize this special gift by recording a memory or note Bible book introductions provide an overview and context for each book Words of Christ in red quickly identify verses spoken by Jesus Reading plan guiding you through the entire Bible in a year Concordance for looking up a word's occurrences throughout the Bible Full-color maps provide a visual representation of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Gilded page edges add a beautiful shine around the border of the paper Clear and readable 9-point NKJV Comfort Print

The mysterious presence of Jesus haunts the whole story of Acts. Jesus is announced as King and Lord, not as an increasingly distant memory but as a living and powerful reality, a person who can be known and loved, obeyed and followed, a person who continues to act within the real world. We call the book "The Acts of the Apostles" but we should think of it as "The Acts of Jesus: Part Two" These studies help us to do so, and to see how Jesus' acts through the apostles inform and empower our acts today. The guides in this series by Tom Wright can be used on their own or alongside his New Testament for Everyone commentaries. They are designed to help you understand the Bible in fresh ways under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars.

Historical- critical approaches to Scripture rule out some readings and commend others, but they rarely offer much help to either theological reflection or the preaching of the Word. They do not point the church forward in the life of discipleship. These commentaries have learned from tradition, but they are most importantly commentaries for today. The authors share the conviction that their work will be more contemporary, more faithful, and more radical, to the extent that it is more biblical, honestly wrestling with the texts of the Scriptures.--from the series introduction The volumes in Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible from Westminster John Knox Press offer a fresh and invigorating approach to all the books of the Bible. Building on a wide range of sources from biblical studies, the history of theology, the church's liturgical and musical traditions, contemporary culture, and the Christian tradition, noted scholars focus less on traditional historical and literary angles in favor of a theologically focused commentary that considers the contemporary relevance of the texts. This series is an invaluable resource for those who want to probe beyond the backgrounds and words of biblical texts to their deep theological and ethical meanings for the church today.

Stephen D. Eyre leads you to explore this story of God's people seeking after him. As you trace their journey, experiencing their forward progress, their detours and their obstacles, you, too, will learn to follow God more closely.

Christ is the final victor, and he will come again... Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the book of Revelation in a chapter-by-chapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was written, and what it means to Christians today. Even in John's day, many Christians wanted to know when Christ would come again-when the plan of salvation would be accomplished. Throughout the book of Revelation, in all of its confusing images and prophecies, God's stunning faithfulness and love is on full display as he offers up every chance for sinners to claim redemption and join him forever. Each of this study's twelve lessons is clearly organized to include: Getting Started: An opening question to introduce you to the lesson. Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study. Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions. Reviewing the Story: Questions to help you identify key points in the reading. Applying the Message: Questions to help you apply the key ideas to their lives. Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson. -ABOUT THE SERIES- The Jeremiah Bible Study Series captures Dr. David Jeremiah's forty-plus years of commitment in teaching the Word of God. In each study, you'll gain insights into the text, identify key stories and themes, and be challenged to apply the truths you uncover to your life. By the end of each study, you'll come away with a clear and memorable understanding of that Bible book. Each study also contains a Leader's Guide.

The Gospel according to Matthew is perhaps the most important single document of the New Testament, for in it we have the fullest and most systematic account of the birth, life, teaching, death and resurrection of the founder of Christianity, Jesus the Messiah. Michael Green shows how this very Jewish Gospel portrays the power and purpose of Jesus' life and work, which was to bring light to all nations. Matthew records Jesus as Son of God, Messiah, Son of David, Son of Man and supremely as God returning to Jerusalem as judge and redeemer. The consequences of this steady focus are as relevant now as then. We need Matthew's emphasis on the unity of God's revelation, old and new, its reaching on the life of discipleship and the meaning of the kingdom of heaven, and its insights into the people of the messiah, the end of the world and the universality of the Good News.

A top New Testament scholar, preacher, and tour guide to the lands of the New Testament offers an informed commentary on this challenging portion of Scripture with an eye toward preaching the text. Jeffrey Weima explains the meaning of the seven "sermons" of Revelation 2-3 and provides sample sermons that show how these ancient messages, despite their subtle Old Testament allusions and perplexing images, are relevant for the church today. The book includes photos, maps, and charts and is of interest to preachers, students, teachers, and Bible study groups.

Sparkling reflections by our most popular Christian author, from Advent to Christmas

Explore the Bible alongside daily insights from pastor-teacher Dr. John MacArthur.

For more than 50 years, Dr. John MacArthur has helped Christians gain greater clarity and insight into Scripture. Now you can read through the Bible in a year while learning from wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of study with The MacArthur Daily Bible. This Bible offers an achievable approach to reading the entire Bible with readings from the Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs for each day of the year. Combined with insights drawn from The MacArthur Study Bible, you will gain greater clarity and understanding as you read.

Features include:

• The complete NASB (1995) translation presented with daily readings from the Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs
• Daily notes from Dr. John MacArthur drawn from the MacArthur Study Bible, Second Edition, to help you better understand key truths in Scripture
• 52 key passages of the Bible for study and memorization
• Daily use Bible with devotional questions to improve your reading God’s Word
• Clear and readable 10-point text size

Reconsidering Johannine Christianity presents a full-scale application of social identity approach to the Johannine writings. This book reconsiders a widely held scholarly assumption that the writings commonly taken to represent Johannine Christianity - the Gospel of John and the First, Second and Third Epistles of John - reflect the situation of an introverted early Christian group. It claims that dualistic polarities appearing in these texts should be taken as attempts to construct a secure social identity, not as evidence of social isolation. While some scholars (most notably, Richard Bauckham) have argued that the New Testament gospels were not addressed to specific early Christian communities but to all Christians, this book proposes that we should take different branches of early Christianity, not as localized and closed groups, but as imagined communities that envision distinct early Christian identities. It also reassesses the scholarly consensus according to which the Johannine Epistles presuppose and build upon the finished version of the Fourth Gospel and argues that the Johannine tradition, already in its initial stages, was diverse.

John's Gospel has had an incalculable impact on human history. Its pages contain a moral and spiritual potency which, over the centuries, has transformed communities, brought about political change and remade human character on a scale without precedent. The power remains in the Gospel today. At its centre, as at the centre of his exposition, is Jesus Christ in his glory and grace, majesty and tenderness. Bruce Milne believes that we can experience his presence even today, for the Gospel was 'written that ... you may have life in his name'. The Gospel of John is a witness to the King, as much a tract for our times as for John's. Bruce Milne's exposition focuses on the ministry of Jesus before his incarnation, during his life on earth and after his resurrection. The centrepiece of this Gospel is the cross, and its background the solemnity of God's judgment of the world.

This Bible-centered resource from a beloved author and teacher is suitable for gift giving, for devotional reading, and for small-group study. With daily readings of 4 to 6 pages each, this book offers biblical depth in servings small enough to absorb yet rich enough to contemplate throughout the day. This month-long devotional for personal use also includes a component to convert the content into a six-week Bible study for group discussion. Additional features include suggestions for Scripture memorisation and deepening one's personal Bible study.