What This Site Contains
Hi Everyone, and welcome to the Scripture Exegesis website.
Click the icon to watch a welcome video, which introduces this website, what it contains, and why it exists.
The content of this site is explained by the name:
Scripture refers to the Holy Bible - the sacred Scripture of Christians.
Exegesis is a technical word which means interpretation, and it has the connotation of careful study for the purpose of correctly understanding what is written.
This site is all about learning the content of the Bible accurately and responsibly, and thereby knowing and serving the God of the Bible well.
There are two general categories of topics taught on this site: Bible and Theology.
Bible resources teach the nature and content of the Bible itself, and how to read it well.
Theology resources teach the summary of the Bible's teaching in organized categories, and how to think theologically about a variety of questions and current situations.
Therefore, this site contains classes and resources to help people read, understand and apply the content of the Bible for themselves. Some of the resources are to teach the content of the Bible and Christian theology. But the primary purpose of this site (and the majority of the planned resources) is to help people read and learn the Bible for themselves, and to understand and live out a robust Christian theology and worldview.
Why this Site Exists
The purpose of this site is explained by the motto: Training for Biblical Literacy
This site is a modest attempt to contribute to the solution of the greatest problem in our society. I believe that all of the ills in our society can be traced back to the underlying problem of Biblical illiteracy - that is, ignorance and/or rejection of the truth contained in the Bible.
No, this is not an exaggeration. Of course, our culture's issues are complicated. And this explanation is an oversimplified generalization. But I'm convinced that the particular problems of our post-Christian society and the decline of morals and decency is the result of the weakened influence of Christ's church. And I believe the best explanation of the church's weakness and inability is that it is starving to death, because the church has neglected the life-giving nourishment of the theological truth revealed in the Scriptures.
Again, this is a generalization, and I'm glad that there are many good exceptions. But the fact remains, that as a whole, the current North American church has very little vitality compared to other times in history. And the major difference is the place of authority and centrality the church has given to the Bible. As a whole, we say we believe and value the Bible, but in practice we have tended to ignore God's revelation in the Bible, and we have given more of our attention and placed our hope for change in entertainment, pop psychology, business marketing, or social/political activism, among other things.
Once more, I know that this is not true of all churches, and I'm thankful to have been involved with some great exceptions. But even good Christians and healthy churches are at risk of losing what they have if it is not intentionally guarded and cultivated. Biblical literacy and the skills and practices of keeping God's Word central in your life are not automatic, and will inevitably degenerate if they are not consistently developed and practiced. And I am hoping that this site will help.
Now the good news is that God is still active among His people, by His Spirit. And His revelation through the Scriptures is still true, active, and powerful to change lives. The Gospel is still the power of God for the salvation of people from every background and life experience, if we only take it seriously. If we know it deeply, believe it, live in obedience to it and proclaim it so that others may believe. And The Word of God in the Gospel is still God's primary means for building His church. Historically, whenever God's people rediscover the wealth of truth and power in God's Word, they find God's power in the proclamation of the Gospel, and see lives and society changed for the better. I believe that this can happen again, if we just trust God, live in obedience to His Word, and follow His revealed plan and method for bearing witness to His Kingdom. This is my personal conviction that lies behind the creation of this site.
I have been teaching the Bible and theology for decades now in churches and colleges, training Christian leaders. I am now making this material available for free to a wider audience in the hope that it will be a benefit to the health and growth of the wider church.
Therefore, this content is not just for Christian leaders (although a Christian leader who is not competent in these things is not a faithful leader, and is likely a part of the problem). But this content is aimed for all faithful Christians to grow in Biblical literacy in order to know and serve Christ more skillfully, wisely, and fruitfully in any life situation. And it can serve Christian leaders as a review and a way to sharpen your skills.
I pray that God would use this site to grow your Biblical knowledge and strengthen your relationship with Himself.
Support This Site
I have made the conscious decision to make all the resources on this site available to everyone free of charge, so that there would be nothing to hinder people from gaining the benefit. Please do not assume, that because these resources are free, that they are therefore of lower quality. I have taught this material on the college level, with very positive reviews.
However, putting these resources into this format for wider distribution takes time and effort. Therefore, I am relying on others to help in this effort. If you feel these resources are helpful and valuable, you can support the development and distribution of these resources. There are three general ways you can contribute.
Pray
You are invited to pray for this site (and me personally). If the Lord does not build this ministry, it will be in vain. Pray that people will be blessed and empowered and fruitful as the result of working through the resources on this site. And pray that God would be honored and glorified by the manner in which He chooses to make use of this site.
Spread the Word
You are also invited to tell others about this site. If you know of individuals, schools, churches, groups, etc. which you think will benefit from these resources, please feel free to make them aware of this site. And you may also want to post a link to this site on social media. I am definitely not skilled in promotion, so I am counting on the Lord and word of mouth to make these resources known to a wider audience.
Give
If you feel that this site has ministry value and that you believe in its mission, you may contribute financially in order to make it possible to continue the development of these resources. I am committed to making these resources available free of charge, but a worker is worthy of his hire. I am counting on the Lord and the generosity of others to make further development of resources possible. If you would like to contribute, please click this link for more information.
Courses
Here are the courses offered on this site:
Theological Foundations
This course is an introduction to theology providing students with a starting point and system for discovering and discerning theology. Students will learn a rationale for developing theologically, skills for articulating doctrine, and a framework for systematic theology. Along the way, students will choose an area of interest in theology and go through the process in order to learn about sources, practice the skills, and intentionally deepen their understanding of God and His ways with man.
Old Testament Survey
This course is an overview of the Old Testament, highlighting its organization, overall themes, historical context, and major events, as well as key ideas, events, people and message of each book. Students will understand the Big picture history of the Old Testament people of God and the overall message of the Old Testament and its relevance to life and ministry. And students will understand how the Old Testament prepares for the climactic revelation of Jesus Christ.
New Testament Survey - In Process
This course is an overview of the New Testament, highlighting its organization, overall themes, historical context, and major events, as well as key words, names, and places mentioned in each book. Students will understand the Big picture history of the New Testament church of Christ and the overall message of the New Testament and its relevance to life and ministry.
Basic Bible Study - In Process
This course presents general principles, methodical guidelines and skills training for in-depth study and interpretation of the Bible. The student will use sound principles of interpretation to determine and apply the author's intended meaning from any biblical passage, using a flexible, yet integrated process that is appropriate to the nature of the passage.
Advanced Bible Study - Coming Soon
Building on the content of Beginning Bible Study, this course will further develop the necessary skills and tools to accurately understand the Bible and to respond personally and appropriately. Students will continue to learn and practice a flexible process for studying a passage in light of its historical occasion and purpose and in light of the normal conventions of language communication.
Hermeneutics - Coming Soon
This course examines the historical/foundational principles of Biblical interpretation and application. The student will practice the proper guidelines necessary for Biblical interpretation and application. The course will teach the student the to apply the Scriptures consistent with the theological principles found in the Biblical text.
Theological Method - Coming Soon
This is a capstone course in which students will integrate their Bible study and theology skills to investigate and apply Scriptural truth to a problem, question or topic of their choice. Based on the premise of the book Integrative Theology by Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest, the student will draw on history, Biblical exegesis, systematic theology, apologetics, and application models to investigate issues in a holistic rather than a fragmented manner.
What is the Gospel? - Coming Soon
This is an exegetical and theological investigation of the nature and content of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Relevant Biblical passage will be surveyed in conversation with various evangelistic/ministry models, and with a goal toward relevant application for discipleship and ministry.
Bible Studies
A separate section of this site contains resources documenting detailed study of various Bible books and passages.
These studies are examples of the result of many of the skills taught in the Bible study courses. I don't just teach the theory of Bible Study, but I am committed to a lifestyle of actually studying the Bible. And you can take advantage of the product of my study.
These studies are organized by individual Bible books, and then broken down to specific passages, in the general outline of the Bible book. Click on a Bible book and then navigate to any passage to see which resources are available. Some documents are fairly advanced, dealing with the Bible's original languages, but many are accessible to believers of any skill level. Feel free to explore and see what you will find.
These resources are being updated on a regular basis, so feel free to check back often.
Tutorials
Here you will find a few shorter tutorials on specific ideas or skills that will help your Bible reading in some way
Grammar Review
This is a brief review of the grammar of the English language. This review will aid you to better recognize the tools that the Bible uses to communicate meaning. This review is also a helpful preparation for learning to do a sentence flow, which is an important interpretive tool.
Sentence Flow
In this tutorial, you will learn to do a sentence flow. A sentence flow is a helpful tool to carefully examine a Biblical passage, paying careful attention to the language uses to communicate meaning. Thus, a sentence flow will help you to more accurately learn the meaning of any Biblical passage.
Contact
I can't promise that I will be able to respond to all communication. And I guarantee I will ignore all spam or haters. However, if you would like to contact me, feel free to email me at my first name (mentioned in the first few seconds of the intro video above (all lowercase)) at the address of this website (all lowercase).
