Making Sense of The Bible: Understanding and Applying God's Message in Your Life

In this Introduction to the Bible, designed for college students or general readers, Dr. Rogers provides a solid introduction of the basic message of the Bible and the underlying theme that ties the various parts of the biblical narrative together. Rogers suggests a biblical theology of inspiration that is supported and illustrated within the biblical text itself. Standard introductory considerations such as the production and divisions of the biblical text, the Bible as it relates to ancient history, a brief history of English translations, basic tools and methods of Bible study, and examples of textual studies are included as well. What sets Rogers’ material apart from other similar books is his discussion of the nature of the biblical text, especially as it concerns the role of culture, both ancient and contemporary, in the interpretation and application of God’s message.

Dr. Rogers’ book, Making Sense of the Bible, impacted me at several different levels. In clear, simple language it answers the great questions of life by telling the story of the Bible itself, the story of God’s relationship with humanity, and the story of God’s constancy and love. The second half of the book took me many steps beyond the basics and gave me tools for a richer, deeper understanding of the scriptures, its text and context.

Rogers’ expertise in the art of communications, the history of translation and the necessity and methods of contextualization—especially his concept of “expanded functional analysis”—will be highly informative and useful to every student of the Bible. Most impressive, too, is his willingness to apply his methods to some of the most controversial Biblical issues of the day.

This book will be exceptionally valuable reading for every beginning seminary student, as well as every new and mature believer. It will also be extremely useful for pastors, Bible teachers and missionaries. I highly recommend this book to all who sincerely want to make sense of God’s holy word, the Bible.

C. Neal Johnson, Ph.D., J.D.
Senior Fellow, Business as Mission, Center for Marketplace Missions
Belhaven College, Jackson, Mississippi

The Bible didn’t just drop into our laps. It has a history and a context which must be understood to be properly interpreted. Rogers uses his rich experience as a missionary to get us to think deeply about the relationship of culture and revelation and interpretation. Even when you disagree with his interpretation, you cannot avoid the difficult questions with which he is wrestling. The Bible has a context and so does the reader.

Randy Harris

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