Christianity in EnglishコミュのThe Bible.

Hi Chibirin.
Thank you for gave me some advice.
I'll check soon.
From my understanding...
Are those books closer to Catholic or in general?

I checked book and name which are you told me.
It's my understanding that those are catholisism...how about do you know Protestant way? I'd like to check both side.
If you know,please tell me...

Actually, a very good book to help you get the over all flow of the Scriptures:

The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Paperback)
by Craig G. Bartholomew (Author), Michael W. Goheen (Author)

# ISBN-10: 0801027462
# ISBN-13: 978-0801027468


It is a book written from a Protestant perspective, but is quite commensurable with Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox views.


I also know of many "Introductions" to the New Testament, but they are all meant for first year seminary students (or someone at the level of familiarity). They would be good for further study, or consideration of the books, but since you are trying to understand the 'whole' and not the particulars, you would only want one as a reference. Let me know if you do, and I can suggest some.

Some other books to consider:

The New Testament Story (Paperback)
by Ben Witherington III
# ISBN-10: 0802827659
# ISBN-13: 978-0802827654

Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship (Paperback)

# ISBN-10: 0802841325
# ISBN-13: 978-0802841322




some books that fit under the aren't explaining the bible per se, but are helpful in explaining parts of christianity:


Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense (Hardcover)
by N.T. Wright (Author)

# ISBN-10: 0060507152
# ISBN-13: 978-0060507152

Knowing God (Paperback)
by J. I. Packer (Author)
# ISBN-10: 083081650X
# ISBN-13: 978-0830816507

St. Augustine's Confessions

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Paperback)
by Os Guinness
# ISBN-10: 0849944376
# ISBN-13: 978-0849944376

Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology (Paperback)
by Daniel L. Migliore
# ISBN-10: 080282787X
# ISBN-13: 978-0802827876


maybe difficult for you, since it discuses technical terms at times, but very very profound:

Between Cross and Resurrection: A Theology of Holy Saturday (Paperback)
# ISBN-10: 0802826784
# ISBN-13: 978-0802826787

For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy by Alexander Schmemann
# ISBN-10: 0913836087
# ISBN-13: 978-0913836088

An excellent and easy-to-understand introduction to the four Gospels for seekers and beginners would be this:
http://www.kyobunkwan.co.jp/Publish/cat122.htm

Though this is a Japanese book translated from the French original, I am sure that it will still help you to understand the four Gospels in English and what they mean to our lives today.

The book contains 40 chapters on selected verses from the four Gospels, from Mary being told of the birth of Christ to his rising from death and the beginning of the early church, with information on historical backgrounds of the Bible text, as well as pages on "Living Today" and prayers in each of the chapters.

The authors of the book are Catholic, but it was published in 1997 by both a Catholic and a Protestant publishers together for readers from both traditions, and is available at Amazon Japan (http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4764279045/mixi02-22/). Words of recommendation are given in the book by a Japanese Catholic leader and a Protestant expert on Christianity.

See also two mixi reviews on this book: http://mixi.jp/view_item.pl?id=765916

A discontinued but plain English edition of this book, Experience Jesus Today: Understanding the Gospel, published from the American Bible Society (ABS, another member of the United Bible Society, a leading international Bible organization) in 1995/2000, can be occasionally found at Amazon.com or some other online bookstores (see http://www.fetchbook.info/compare.do?search=9781585164653&startFrom=1).

A Catholic version of this book was published in 1993 by Novalis, a Catholic publisher. The ABS seem to have changed it into something for readers from a wider range of church traditions.

The next step may be a copy of the booklet that contains the main points of The Drama of Scripture, which can be downloaded at http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/dosbooklet.pdf . If the book is too difficult to read, this booklet will give you an easy-to-understand introduction to an overview of the entire Bible that is read as a drama.

The British and Foreign Bible Society (http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/), another member of the UBS, is involved in the British version of this book, saying, "This book provides a stimulating way to help Christians revalue the place of the Bible in their lives and their lives within the context of the Bible. We want to see Christians discovering what it means to live appropriately in every aspect of life, including their work and leisure, and their involvement in the community and politics."

And the authors, Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, provide the contents made downloadable in PowerPoint files for classes at their "Biblical Theology" website for visual presentations.

For more details, see websites:

1. The Drama of Scripture:
http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/l3.php?id=230

2. Biblical Theology Home Page (where the PowerPoint files can be found):
http://www.biblicaltheology.ca/

3. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK, the publisher of the British version of this book):
http://www.spck.org.uk/reading_groups/drama_of_scripture.php

4. Baker Publishing Group (the publisher of the American version of this book): http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=0477683E4046471488BD7BAC8DCFB004&nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=634BF99B7E9D45E9A0A38732B8688B94

The Learning Bible, an English Bible in a plain spoken English (Contemporary English Version) published by the ABS, would be a great help for those who want to learn English and the Bible at the same time. See Amazon.com website: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Bible-Contemporary-English-Version/dp/1585160172 .

Another way of learning English with the Bible would be to use audio Bibles read out by native English speakers. Excellent dramatized Bibles in MP3 CDs are available from HOSANNA (http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/). Audio CEV Bible is available and can be ordered from HOSANNA by phone with an international credit card.

Among different English translations of the Bible, the New Revised English Version (NRSV) is the only version being used by the Roman Cathoic, Eastern Orthodox, and mainline Protestant churches. The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible (http://www.renovare.org/readings_renovare_bible.htm) is a good example of this, and I am using that Bible. It is in written English and more literative, and therefore may be the next step after the Learning Bible.

Another popular version of English Bible is the New International Version (NIV). It is the most widely read English Bible, particularly among conservative Protestants.

The NIV is the same version that is being used in the Alpha Course, an international practical introduction to Christian faith. (ALPHA AUSTRALIA: http://www.alpha.org.au/) It's a lot of fun and, with some prior knowledge of the Bible, you can learn a lot from the course. Questions of Life is the course book of the Alpha Course, and is written by its leader, Nicky Gumbel.

John Stott's Basic Christianity is listed among the suggested readings for the Alpha Course.

The NIV Bible Companion (http://www.hodderchristianbooks.co.uk/Title/9780340862803/The_NIV_Bible_Companion.htm) is a good portable commentary for NIV Bibles,and was written by Alister E. McGrath, a world-renowned theologian in Britain. (My mixi review on this book: http://mixi.jp/view_item.pl?id=749180) "An astonishing achievement," wrote Nicky Gumbel in the cover of this book.

Prof. McGrath writes CHRISTIANITY: AN INTRODUCTION (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/book.asp?ref=9781405108997&site=1), an academic and comprehensive introduction on Christianity, which contains a good introduction to the Bible in chapter 2.

Among more recent books on the life of Jesus is an excellent piece entitled, The Life of Christ: Rediscovering How His Life, Death, And Resurrection Changed the World (http://www.bibles.com/products/ABS_NEW/121247.aspx). Its contents are reliable and easy to understand, and has beautiful, colorful designs and graphics. Written by the American Bible Society and published by Time, Inc. Home Entertainment in 2008. Highly recommended!