Are you curious about the Bible?
Are you seeking a condensed, straightforward summary
that can be easily read and understood?
This book was written for you.
If you…
think the Bible is overwhelming
Almost anyone who has tried to read the Bible from the beginning will agree that it can be overwhelming. From the very first pages a myriad of questions arise, and though the most determined readers continue on, it is likely they soon become frustrated and return the book to the shelf.
If you…
have questions
Many readers wonder why the Bible has remained a valuable book to so many over thousands of years. Others wonder how familiar Bible stories fit together. Still others want to know the truth about God and Jesus, or about their purpose in life. Can an easily accessible source be found?
The 30-Minute Bible…
may be for you
Experienced Bible teachers, Craig Bartholomew and Paige Vanosky, open readers up to the story found within the Bible, providing just enough understanding that even the most novice readers can make sense of it.
By reading this summary of the Bible on your own, or together with friends, the answers to your many questions will begin to emerge. These questions are big - about the Bible, God, Jesus and life, and so are the answers.
They cannot be completely answered overnight.
But this book is a wonderful way to begin your journey into discovering answers and to becoming familiar with the Bible, enabling you to read enjoy reading the Bible on your own.
Just what is found in the Bible?
Many know the Bible as literature, as a place to discover rules for living, or as a place to learn about God and his word to us. It is also known as the story of Jesus, how he lived his life and the impact he made on those around him. There are many ways to describe the Bible and its meaning to those who treasure it. All of these and many more are true.
One of the most unknown, surprising ways to describe the Bible is as a story of our world - from creation to to the end of the world as we know it. Along the way the story follows one branch of a family tree leading from Adam and Eve to Jesus, almost all written by or about the main characters in the story.
But what makes this story particularly fascinating is that although it was written by over 40 authors over a period of about 1400 years, there are remarkably consistent themes throughout. You will discover this and so much more in reading The 30-Minute Bible. When you finish this book, you will likely understand why the Bible is often called “the greatest story ever told”!
About the authors…
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Craig G. Bartholomew is the Director of the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge, UK. He is the author of numerous books, including The Drama of Scripture (with Michael Goheen), Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition, Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics, God Who Acts in History: The Significance of Sinai and The Doctrine of Creation: A Constructive Kuyperian Approach (with Bruce Ashford). He is currently working on a multi-volume project on The Old Testament and the Question of God.
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Paige Peacock Vanosky grew up in San Antonio, Texas, as an active member of Trinity Baptist Church led by Dr. Buckner Fanning. Dr. Fanning was held in high regard by all faith communities, including the Jewish faith to whom he was often invited to speak. Under Dr. Fanning, Vanosky came to understand and embrace the importance of drawing circles rather than lines, as Dr. Fanning taught that aside from the essential elements of faith, all other topics are an interesting conversation. This message became impactful in her life and ministry and is the message foundational to a chronological Bible study she wrote and taught to a small group of women. These women hold Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and skeptical perspectives yet have continued to meet together for over twelve years. The study became the basis for The 30-Minute Bible, the biblical story in brief, written for the many individuals like those in her study who seek an objective, approachable understanding of the Bible.
Read an excerpt
Excerpt from The 30-Minute Bible by Craig G. Bartholomew and Paige P. Vanosky Taken from Chapter Two, “Creation”
ONCE I (PAIGE) WAS DRIVING through a particularly beautiful mountain range, enjoying the majestic scenery and listening to one of my favorite singers, Louis Armstrong. He was singing, “I see trees so green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you.” Just as I crested the mountaintop and was able to see a vista of extraordinary beauty stretching to the horizons, the chorus of the song came on, “And I think to myself, ‘What a wonderful world.’” It was a show-stopping moment… READ MORE
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