Hearing God's Call and Following Jesus

The talks in the first section of the book, after an introduction, work through Peter, Jonah, Solomon, Isaiah, and Elijah as examples of people who were called by God at different times and in different circumstances in their lives and responded in ways that make them examples to follow. The second section deals with Peter, Andrew, and the women disciples of Jesus as examples of those who followed Jesus as their lives and circumstances permitted. These two cycles of talks, when brought together, demonstrate how uncertain passages of Scripture can be made clear by reference to other parts of the Bible and how the very different circumstances and lives of scriptural figures can be understood as shedding light upon our own lives in the modern world.
The general goal of this approach is not only to help people understand the particular passages of the Bible that are discussed, but also to show them, in a practical way, how they can approach passages and teachings in Scripture that might seem very foreign to them in a way that will bring the passages to life and make them easier to apply to the lives we live today. The final section of the book, entitled "Hearing the Voice of God in Scripture," offers some basic understanding of, and appreciation for, the special nature of the Bible as a collection of independent works, but also offers concrete suggestions for how people can understand the Bible as an integrated whole.
Together, these two different parts of the book support attempts by laypeople to read the Bible intelligently, and religiously, at the same time.

Paul S. Russell is the Academic Dean at St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological College in Berkeley, CA.