The How-To Book of the Bible, a review

The How-To Book of the Bible by Karl A. Schultz

Paperback, 351 pages. OUR SUNDAY VISITOR (September 30, 2004)

ISBN: 1592760953

I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down with this book—actually, I was hooked! And another thing: I wish this book was available during my years of Bible study.... If you think the subtitle—Everything You Need To Know But No One Ever Taught You—is a little pretentious, it isn't. This book really does live up to its claim: it answers all of those questions you may have had about the Bible. Which translation is best? Why? Protestant Vs. Catholic Bible? And what about the Old Testament? How to understand puzzling passages? And more, much more. If you are a curious person and are always willing to learn something new, chances are you will love this approach to understanding and tackling the Bible. Furthermore, even if you have participated in Bible study for many years, I believe you will find something in this friendly volume that you didn’t know before!

The book is divided into three sections following an explanatory introduction, presenting to the reader the way the book works. It is in the introduction for instance that the first question appears: Why read the Bible? A solid argument for the importance of the most influential book of Western Culture follows, along with spiritual reasons. Here we also become familiar with the format of the book and icons used throughout, along with several considerations to be made.

The three sections are entitled "How to read the Bible", "How to read the New Testament", and "How to read the Old testament". Each section contains from six to eleven chapters. It would be smart to read the book in the order presented, but it is also possible to fully enjoy it by just picking it up and reading a page chosen at random. There is a useful bibliography of sources, but I would have liked to see an index. It would have been more useful to those using this book as an aid to a Bible study. Yet, the book is so well and clearly sectioned that the table of contents should serve a similar function.

Editorial Review:
Perhaps you know very little about the Bible … or enough to realize there’s so much more to discover! Maybe your previous attempts to read the Bible have not been fruitful, and you don’t get much out of the readings at Mass. You observe the role the Bible plays in the lives of others and feel that you’re missing something. The How-To Book of the Bible, by Karl A. Schultz, is your key to unlocking this treasure. Unlike other Bible-related books, this one not only introduces you to the Scriptures but also helps you develop a deep, fulfilling, and lasting bond with the Bible.

I believe this would make a fantastic choice for a high school homeschool student who needs a year of Bible. The format and language will appeal to the young student and in comparison with the dryness of the texts available to homeschoolers, this will shine. I would love to see a workbook companion for this, complete with tests and an answer key!

Reviewed by Ana Braga-Henebry, M.A.