About The Course

In this course, Glenn Paauw explains how the Bible has become divorced from its literary and historical context, leading to misinterpretation and a “narrow, individualistic and escapist view of salvation.” Rather than being a culture-shaping force, many people treat the Bible as a database of quick and easy answers to life's troubling questions. But these deficiencies can be corrected by engaging in what the author calls “big readings.”

Paauw introduces us to seven understandings of the Bible as steps to recovering one deeply engaged Bible. With each “new” Bible presented, deficiencies in how we currently interact with the Bible are explored, followed by recommendations for a new practice. The Bible’s transformative power is recovered when we remove the chains Christians have applied to it over the centuries.

The Bible does not need to be saved because of any defect in itself, but because we have distorted and misread it. This course provides of the Bible a new paradigm for reading and living the Bible well.

This course was produced in partnership with the Institute for Bible Reading. Learn more about their mission and resources at instituteforbiblereading.org.

Use this course with Glenn’s book Saving the Bible from Ourselves (InterVarsity Press) available for purchase at ivpress.com or at Amazon.com.

Teaching This Course

Glenn Paauw

Bio
Glenn R. Paauw serves as a senior fellow with the Institute for Bible Reading and is the author of _Saving the Bible from Ourselves_. Previously, he was vice president of global Bible engagement at Biblica. In his twenty-six years at Biblica, Paauw’s work ranged from leading Scripture evangelism seminars at churches nationwide, to overseeing the nonprofit publishing of the NIV, NVI, and NIrV translations in North America. He also led the development of the revolutionary_The Books of the Bible_ format that uncovers the natural literary form of the Scriptures and reintroduces people to the grand narrative of the Bible.

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Tailored for Your Spiritual Journey

From students to seasoned pastors and lifelong learners, Seminary Now offers the tools and insights to deepen your faith or enhance your ministry.

Seminary Now is a great resource to have in your church or organizational toolkit. The courses are thoughtfully designed in short, easy-to-digest videos for a well-paced learning experience. Imagine the rich conversations that your team can have when you are learning together from some of the most qualified and engaging Christian voices today!

Carmen Joy Imes
Author; Associate Professor of Old Testament, Biola University

Pastors have very busy lives and Seminary Now is perfect for building theological and biblical knowledge and sharpening ministry and cultural engagement skills in a manageable and affordable way. And the fact that Seminary Now is constantly adding new courses means that there is a ready-made context for becoming a lifelong learner. What a gift!

Dr. Nijay K. Gupta
Author; Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary

Seminary Now provides a unique combination of deeply researched insights from leading authors presented in a highly approachable format. If you are looking for discipleship, leadership development, or training, it is hard to find video material that more perfectly fills the bill.

Tod Bolsinger
Pastor and author; Senior Congregational Strategist and Associate Professor of Leadership Formation, Fuller Theological Seminary