This book review marks a first for this blog – I was actually sent a review copy. If anyone else wants to send me books to review, you are more than welcome! It took me a while to get through this one, not because it is long, but because I wanted to try out some of the Bible study methods for myself as I went through it.

Overview

Deane devotes the first six chapters to some basic principles on the why and how of Bible study. These are full of excellent advice, essentially giving a brief introduction to hermeneutics (without the long words).

The Methods

The bulk of the book is devoted to describing and illustrating forty methods of Bible study. The point is probably not to read and try them all, but rather to peruse them looking for one that will work for the type of Bible study you want to embark on. Each is described in a page or two, and then a concrete example is given of a study performed using the method.

The methods are organised into groups. The "basic methods" mainly revolve around giving you a set of questions to ask of the passage under study. They are often based on mnemonics. Sometimes the questions can feel contrived and may not be applicable to every text, but the benefit is learning what sort of questions you should be asking of the text.

The "major Bible study methods" give solid advice for tackling small or large portions of Scripture, as well as thematic studies on topics, character or words. A section on "creative Bible study methods" mixes things up a bit and gives some different approaches. I liked the idea of reading the same book (or 7 chapters of the same book) every day for 30 days.

The section dealing with "Studying Specific Passages" is especially valuable, since a failure to recognise the variety of genres of biblical literature can mean that we find it hard to "get anything out" of our personal Bible study. There is a final section of methods suitable for children, which are mainly simplified versions of some of the earlier ideas.

Summary

In many ways you could say that a lot of these forty methods are different mixes of the same basic ingredients. These include re-reading the passage several times or in different versions, paraphrasing the text, asking plenty of questions of the text, exploring cross-references and reading it in context. Adding these to your arsenal of Bible study techniques is probably more valuable than slavishly following any particular "method".

I can see this book as being a very helpful resource for Bible study group leaders, or those who desire to go deeper in their personal study of the Bible but find it a challenge. The book has a good website where you can find out more about the book and explore more resources.

Overall its value is in its very practical approach to Bible study. It is written at a slightly more entry level than a book like Fee & Stuart’s excellent How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth which is more focused on hermeneutics.