In some capacity, we are all responsible for teaching the Bible--formally as a minister, a Sunday school teacher, a parent teaching children, evangelizing, teaching yourself while reading the Word, etc. But, how do we do fulfill this responsibility? Today's episode provides a launching point to answer that question. This episode lays out the different ways to teach the Bible; upcoming lessons will dive into specific tools useful to each type of teaching. 
NOTE: We are going to begin publishing episodes every 2 weeks instead of every week, to give you time to fully digest and explore each tool we present, as well as to give us more time to produce better episodes. Thank you for sticking along with us as we slow down our pace!

"I love studying the Bible!" Andy Naselli's joy exuded in this interview on his perspective on the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. Dr. Naselli was the assistant editor of the study Bible, and in this episode he helps us understand the important qualities it contains and how to read it properly. We hope you "catch" the enjoyment of reading the Bible and that this tool can be of use to you!

The Bible was not written in a bubble. Abraham, Moses, David, and every other mentioned and unmentioned person that lived in ancient times was part of and influenced by their culture. However, now that we are so far removed from this ancient Near Eastern culture, we often forget about the impact it had on the Bible. The Bible was written FOR us, for our salvation and guide to glorify God, but it was not written TO us. It was written to people who think like Babylonians, who interact with Egyptians and Canaanites and Assyrians every day. We must be cautious, then, to not filter what we read through present-day American culture, but to be mindful of how the text would have been received by an Israelite. How do we do this? How can we jump back in time into the minds of these people? The Cultural Study Backgrounds Bible is an excellent place to start. We got the privilege of speaking with Dr. John Walton, who was the general editor for the Old Testament portion of the study Bible. Listen along as he discusses the importance of reading the Bible through its correct cultural lens.