4 out of 4 stars
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Scrapbooking can be defined as organizing moments of the past so they have meaning for future generations. Desmond B. Hills has done some unconventional scrapbooking in his book Back to Bible Basics: Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love. Reading the Bible can feel like an overwhelming task with its sixty-six books, hard-to-pronounce names and places, and daunting length. Where should a young reader begin? How can he understand it? Mr. Hills’ book will be an invaluable resource to readers of any age. He has compiled a comprehensive, yet easily understood, overview of the Old and New Testaments. Instead of documenting birthdays, weddings, and special occasions, he traces the themes of faith, hope, and love through each section of the scriptures.
There is much to praise about this work. The author took great care to present Biblically accurate content. Leonard P. Tolhurst, who has invested twenty-eight years in theological education, endorsed the work as being both factually accurate and spiritually refreshing. The author carefully documented his research sources, which included commentaries, handbooks, surveys, Bible biographies, and reference books. One of the things I liked most about this book was the author’s humble attitude. He wrote the book not to bring glory to himself; instead, his aim was to help people understand the scriptures and get to know Jesus. He candidly pointed out that reading about the Bible is no substitute for actually reading the Bible.
A book of this nature could potentially be dry and difficult to get through, but Mr. Hills has done an excellent job of keeping the reader’s interest by breaking up the content with poems, colorful illustrations, quizzes, charts, and maps. I personally appreciate the large text size which makes it easy on the eyes. Another praise for this work is how practical it is with multiple Bible reading plans and resources for further study. I verified one of the websites referenced to confirm its accuracy.
I had no complaints about this work, but I did come up with one suggestion for improvement. Along with the quizzes on Old and New Testament knowledge, it would benefit the reader to include an answer key as the questions were challenging.
For its attractive presentation, Biblical accuracy, and in-depth research, I rate Back to Bible Basics: Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love 4 out of 4 stars. I spotted a handful of editing errors, such as missing punctuation or use of “it’s” rather than “its”. However, I did not feel the errors were severe enough to merit the deduction of a star. I highly recommend this resource to those who want to gain a greater understanding of the Bible. It is best used as a study guide rather than reading straight through.
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Back to Bible Basics; Forward in Faith, Hope and Love
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