F.A.Q.
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:
The aim of the Bible Course is to help everyone to feed themselves from God's Word. The course consists of 9 interactive sessions and it can be done on your own or in a group setting. The course follows the story-line of the Bible from cover to cover (Genesis to Revelation). Along the way, it shows how to interpret the Bible and apply its message to our lives today. It introduces useful tools, vital skills and key concepts that enable Bible reading to be accessible and enjoyable. Each session starts with 15-20mins of teaching (online video clips or DVD sets). Then 20 mins for a study exercise that looks at a relevant passage from the Bible. Then a second teaching video with a final exercise to finish. There are daily Bible readings between sessions that help you to prepare for each week and to start the habit of a life time - reading the Bible everyday.
The Course is accessible to a full range of people - from non-Christians who want to look into the Bible, new Christians learning to read the Bible and long term Christians wanting to deepen their understanding. Some people have become Christians through doing the course. Others have been discipled and grown deeper. It has been successfully used by small groups meeting in homes or multiple groups in larger venues. It has been used as a discipleship tool for new Christians and as a training resource for teachers, preachers and leaders.
The Bible is an amazing book - in fact its God's book! But it is also a big book - in fact its 66 books. And its an old book - it was finished almost 2000 years ago. The Bible can seem inaccessible and intimidating. Many people think it is as dated as a Typewriter and as hard to understand as Latin. But the Bible is actually a great communication from God for us - its not meant to be complicated or confusing. So the Bible Course helps people access the Bible for themselves. It gives confidence by teaching what the Bible story is all about and how to read the different sections of the Bible and make sense of it all. The Bible is a written text that requires regular reading. But we live in a digital and visual age. So the Bible Course uses digital and visual means (DVDs and visual manual) to introduce people to the text of the Bible so they have confidence to start reading it for themselves.
Andrew Ollerton started the course in Cornwall (UK). As pastor of a growing church, he saw lots of people becoming Christians and trying to read the Bible. But they often struggled to get into it and Andrew spent much of his time overcoming similar hurdles with different people. He started to put together material that could help more than one person at a time and out of that the Bible Course has evolved. It has now been used in lots of churches across the UK. Some of the feedback can be seen on the Testimonies page
The words 'Holy Bible' literally mean 'a book like no other'. The Bible Course gives clear reasons in the introductory session for believing the Bible to be uniquely inspired by God. So the course is from the Evangelical tradition that believes the Bible is God's book - written by humans but inspired by God. The Course shows that the Bible is God's book and it is all about God's Son - Jesus Christ. The Bible Course is inter-denominational and is a resource that any individual or group is welcome to use.