Help! My Bible Is Alive!

Reviewed by:

Linda Taylor, assistant professor of Professional Writing at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Book Title:

Help! My Bible Is Alive!

Author:

Nicole Unice

Publisher:

NavPress

Publication Date:

2019

Format:

Print book

Length:

194 pages

OVERVIEW

Subtitled “30 days of learning to love and understand God’s Word,” this book is laid out in 30 separate short chapters divided into six sections of five days each. The book’s purpose is to help people understand how to study the Bible on their own.

The first section discusses some of the hurdles people face when approaching the Bible, such as how confusing or irrelevant it seems. Using references, questions, and places to fill in blanks, Unice helps those truly seeking to study their Bibles begin to get over those hurdles in order to move into deeper study.

The sections are laid out to help readers go a bit deeper in Bible study with each passing week, moving from various questions to consider and tools to use, and then into understanding how to seek out the principles and applications in the passages.

Unice also discusses and compares Bible translations, explains the features of study Bibles (notes, introductions, maps, cross references), and then shows how to use those features when studying Scripture. At the end of the book, she also discusses the various genres of writing in the Bible, which also gives a clue as to how to understand them (parables, poetry, narrative, wisdom, and letters).

The book is Scripture-focused and challenges readers to not only learn how to study God’s Word but also to respect it as God’s final authoritative words to His people. As so much of culture (and sometimes current Christian writing) seems to veer toward creating opinions based more on social agendas than on what God’s Word says, it is refreshing to find a book so focused on helping readers learn how to closely study God’s Word and let Scripture speak for itself.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5):

5 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience:

Anyone stuck and unable to study the Bible for any number of reasons—just not knowing how or where to start or not understanding how to get anything out of it. While Unice goes even to the basics of understanding how to read verse references (for beginners to the Bible), more advanced Bible readers will appreciate how the book walks through close reading of Scripture and guides to understanding how to dig out principles and applications from various passages.

Christian Impact:

Spending time in God’s Word daily is vital for Christians. Believers need to become familiar with their Bible and understand how it speaks—as long as they use the tools suggested here and are truly letting the Holy Spirit guide. When we hear things in our culture and even from other Christians, we need to be able to seek out answers for ourselves by studying God’s Word. This book shows how.

Other Notes (Optional):

The book includes blank sections in order for the reader to actually do the study as guided by the author. Thus, it is excellent for personal study. A group would also benefit, with each person having his/her own copy and meeting once a week (after doing a section of the book on their own) to discuss what was learned. After all, as important as individual study is, we still need one another to help us gain a fuller picture as well as hear how people in various life situations are acting on the applications they glean from Bible study.