Publishers Weekly starred review A Best Book of 2018 in Religion, Publishers Weekly Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue, says acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior. In this book, she takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life. Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection questions geared toward book club discussions, original artwork throughout, and a foreword by Leland Ryken. The hardcover edition was named a Best Book of 2018 in Religion by Publishers Weekly. "[A] lively treatise on building character through books.'"--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In this introduction to Scripture, Leland Ryken organizes biblical passages into literary genres including narratives, poetry, proverbs, and drama, demonstrating that knowledge of a genre's characteristics enriches one's understanding of individual passages.
Ryken offers a volume brimming over with wonderful insights into Old and New Testament books and passages--insights that have escaped most traditional commentators.

The Christian Imagination brings together in a single source the best that has been written about the relationship between literature and the Christian faith. This anthology covers all of the major topics that fall within this subject and includes essays and excerpts from fifty authors, including C.S. Lewis, Flannery O’Connor, Dorothy Sayers, and Frederick Buechner.

Publishers Weekly starred review A Best Book of 2018 in Religion, Publishers Weekly Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue, says acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior. In this book, she takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life. Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection questions geared toward book club discussions, original artwork throughout, and a foreword by Leland Ryken. The hardcover edition was named a Best Book of 2018 in Religion by Publishers Weekly. "[A] lively treatise on building character through books.'"--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In this collection of 30 Christmas hymns, poems, and prose, literary expert Leland Ryken highlights how each passage is edifying and stylistically satisfying—allowing Christians to experience these classic works in a fresh way.

This is the third of a six-volume series called Reading the Bible as Literature. As with the first two volumes (How Bible Stories Work and Sweeter Than Honey, Richer Than Gold), the author explores the intersection of the Bible and literature. In this third volume, Dr. Ryken shows pastors, students, and teachers of the Bible how the literary craftsmanship of the epistles leads to a richer understanding of its contents. After explaining the literary makeup of the epistles, he provides exercises to help his readers master this rich literary treasure. Speaking of the entire series, Ryken says, "The niche that these volumes are designed to fill is the literary approach to the Bible. This has been my scholarly passion for nearly half a century. It is my belief that a literary approach to the Bible is the common reader's friend, in contrast to the more specialized types of scholarship on the Bible."

This is the second of a projected six-volume series called Reading the Bible as Literature (the first volume being How Bible Stories Work). An expert at exploring the intersection of the Bible and literature, Ryken shows pastors and students and teachers of the Bible how to appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of biblical poetry and how to interpret it correctly. Dr. Ryken goes one step further than merely explaining the genre of poetry-he includes exercises to help students master this rich literary treasure.

A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible is consideration of the Bible from a literary perspective, reflecting contemporary interest in the academic world of the Bible as literature. This collection of essays addresses both specific books of the Bible and general topics dealing with the Bible. The four main sections of the book are; The Bible as Literature, The Literature of the Old Testament, The Literature of the New Testament, and The Literary Influence of the Bible. The editors for A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible are Leland Ryken and Tremper Longman III. Contributors include: Fredrick Buechner, Novelist John Sailhamer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Wilson G. Baroody, Arizona State University William F. Gentrup, Arizona State University Kenneth R.R. Gros, Louis Indiana University Willard Van Antwerpen, Indiana University Nancy Tischler, The Pennsylvania State University Michael Hagan, North American Baptist Seminary Richard L. Pratt, Jr., Reformed Theological Seminary Douglas Green, Yale University Wilma McClarty, Southern College Jerry A. Gladson, First Christian Church, Garden Grove, California Raymond C. Van Leeouwen, Calvin Theological Seminary Richard Patterson, Liberty University James H. Sims, The University of Southern Mississippi Branson L. Woodard, Jr. Liberty University Amberys R. Whittle, Georgia Southern University John H. Augustine, Yale University Michael Travers, Grand Rapids Baptist College Marianne Meye Thompson, Fuller Theological Seminary John W. Sider, Westmont College Carey C. Newman, Palm Beach Atlantic College William G. Doty, The University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa Chaim Potak, Novelist Gene Warren Doty, University of Missouri-Rolla Sidney Greidanus, Calvin Theological Seminary

Why the Good Book Is a Great Read If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage. How to Read the Bible as Literature takes you through the various literary forms used by the biblical authors. This book will help you read the Bible with renewed appreciation and excitement and gain a more profound grasp of its truths. Designed for maximum clarity and usefulness, How to Read the Bible as Literature includes * sidebar captions to enhance organization * wide margins ideal for note taking * suggestions for further reading * appendix: "The Allegorical Nature of the Parables" * indexes of persons and subjects"

Why does Bible study flourish in some churches and small groups and not in others? In this updated edition of a trusted classic, two Christian education specialists provide readers with the knowledge and methods needed to effectively communicate the message of the Bible. The book offers concrete guidance for mastering a biblical text, interpreting it, and applying its relevance to life. Its methods, which have been field-tested for twenty-five years, help pastors, teachers, and ministry students improve their classroom skills. Readers will learn how to develop the "big idea" of a passage and allow the text itself to suggest creative teaching methods. This new edition has been updated throughout and explores the changed landscape of Bible study over the past two decades. Readable and interdisciplinary in approach, this book will help a new generation of Bible students teach in a purposeful and unified way.

This is the first of a projected six-volume series called Reading the Bible as Literature (the second volume being Sweeter Than Honey, Richer Than Gold). An expert at exploring the intersection of the Bible and literature, Ryken shows pastors and students and teachers of the Bible how to appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of biblical narrative and how to interpret it correctly. Dr. Ryken goes one step further than merely explaining the genre of story-he includes exercises to help students master this rich literary treasure.

This is the last of a six-volume series called Reading the Bible as Literature. In this series, the author not only explores the intersection of the Bible and literature, but he also shows pastors, students, and teachers of the Bible the beautiful craftsmanship of Proverbs and wisdom literature and how to interpret them correctly. Dr. Ryken goes one step further than merely explaining the genre of Proverbs and wisdom literature by including exercises to help students master this rich literary treasure.

In today’s technology-driven culture, reading has become a lost art. Recovering the Lost Art of Reading explores the importance of reading generally and of studying the Bible as literature, while giving practical suggestions on how to read well.

A literary expert introduces 150 of the best of the best in devotional poetry, providing commentary that helps readers understand and appreciate the literary beauty and the spiritual truths they contain.

Throughout the history of English literature, church ministers have figured prominently in novels, plays, morality tales, and even poetry. "Pastors in the Classics" is a unique, unprecedented collection of relevant literary masterpieces in which the pastor's experience is a major part of the story.
Part 1 is a reader's guide to twelve important classics written over four centuries and covering seven different nationalities. Each chapter not only describes and interprets the work in question, it also highlights a specific feature of pastoral ministry explored in the work. Part 2 is a handbook that defines the canon of literary masterpieces that deal with the pastor's experience, offering reading suggestions for both ministers and lovers of literature.
From the familiar ("The Canterbury Tales"; "Cry, the Beloved Country"; and "The Scarlet Letter") to the lesser-known ("Silence," "Witch Wood") to the surprising ("A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"), this collection uncovers the good, the bad, and the ugly ways in which pastors have been presented to the reading public for the past half millennium.

For over forty years, Leland Ryken has championed and modeled a Christian liberal arts education. His scholarship and commitment to integrating faith with learning in the classroom have influenced thousands of students who have sat under his winsome teaching. Published in honor of Professor Ryken and presented on the occasion of his retirement from Wheaton College, this compilation carries on his legacy of applying a Christian liberal arts education to all areas of life.

Five sections explore the background of a Christian liberal arts education, its theological basis, habits and virtues, differing approaches, and ultimate aims. Contributors including Philip Ryken, Jeffry Davis, Duane Litfin, John Walford, Alan Jacobs, and Jim Wilhoit analyze liberal arts as they relate to the disciplines, the Christian faith, and the world. Also included are a transcript of a well-known 1984 chapel talk delivered by Leland Ryken on the student's calling and practical chapters on how to read, write, and speak well.

Comprehensive in scope, this substantial volume will be a helpful guide to anyone involved in higher education, as well as to students, pastors, and leaders looking for resources on the importance of faith in learning.

Now available in paperback, this volume celebrates veteran pastor Kent Hughes's legacy of preaching God's Word by examining what it means to be an expository preacher.

Established in 1968, the Wheaton Literary Series provides insightful books for the thoughtful reader, inspiring imagination, and reflection. These beautifully produced volumes feature prose and poetry of high literary, academic, and artistic merit, written by and about Christian artists of significant stature.