The 30-Minute Bible

"If you want to better understand the Bible—a library of sixty-six books written by dozens of authors over hundreds and hundreds of years—then The 30-Minute Bible by Craig G. Bartholomew and Paige P. Vanosky is the book you need. They clearly and succinctly present the overarching theme contained within the Bible's pages by helping you understand the ebb and flow of the story it tells. You will come away from reading with a greater understanding of and appreciation for this all-time classic."

-Michael Buckner Fanning, pastor at The Fellowship of San Antonio, president of MBF Enterprises 

"The Bible can be a daunting tome. Its length, complexity, and journey through thousands of years make comprehending it seem like a daunting task for even the most dedicated of readers. The 30-Minute Bible takes the fear out of even opening to the first page. One of the gifts of reading Scripture is discovering how relational God is. The approachable nature of this book reflects God's desire to relate to us through God's Word even today. To be able to spend thirty minutes a day to hear God's eternal voice in our world is nothing short of a gift."

-Margaret Grun Kibben, chaplain, US House of Representatives 

"It is impossible to live well, to be a self, without knowing the story we inhabit. For followers of Jesus, that story comes from the Bible. Whether you are new to the Bible or looking for a fresh engagement with it, The 30-Minute Bible is a version I highly recommend. Use it and you move from simply knowing verses to seeing the Bible bursting with a story—and an invitation for you to make meaning of your life via that story."

-Todd Hunter, Anglican bishop and author of Christianity Beyond Belief 

"Bible teacher Paige Vanosky and noted Bible scholar Craig Bartholomew have given us a labor of love born out of their lives committed to teaching, sharing, living out, and wrestling with the Bible. The 30-Minute Bible helpfully takes one of many thematic threads from Genesis to Revelation, from creation to final consummation, and shows how the theme of God as King is woven through the rich tapestry of the holy Scriptures. Their gift to any first-time or veteran student of the Bible is extending God's own invitation to every person of any age, background, and context to walk into the world of the Scriptures, encounter the living God, and engage in a lifelong apprenticeship that begins with a thirty-minute introduction but which lasts into eternal life."

-Neal D. Presa, Village Community Presbyterian Church, Rancho Santa Fe, California 

"With an engaging style that is still scholarly enough to serve up something worth learning, The 30-Minute Bible presents an overview that does justice to the grand story told by the Bible without getting bogged down in the issues forever debated in academic circles. There is a place for such things, but God's Word is meant for God's people—all of them—and this book aims at the needs of the vast majority of Christ's followers who will never have the time to decipher the nuances in the theological viewpoints of the four Gospel writers. The authors have given us solid biblical knowledge from a broadly ecumenical point of view that teachers from any Christian tradition can use with confidence. This book is for people who very much want to take God seriously and find a pathway to greater understanding of God's Word so that they can better follow Jesus. This book is for those who are convinced that God actually does communicate to real people in the context of their real lives. It will be a worthy resource for teachers and for groups wanting to get a sense of the big picture."

-Jack W. Baca, senior pastor of the Village Community Presbyterian Church, Rancho Santa Fe, California 

"The 30-Minute Bible has amazingly condensed the long and complex story that is the Bible into this small inviting book, suitable for Christians and non-Christians alike. It provides a clear, cohesive narrative of the journey of God and his people. If you are curious about the Bible, or if you seek answers about life that you have not yet found, then I highly recommend this book."

-Josh McDowell, author of Evidence That Demands a Verdict 

"Bartholomew's scholarly expertise and Vanosky's expertise teaching the Bible to everyday people from diverse backgrounds pair nicely in this helpful resource that captures the story line of the Bible in six acts (and thirty short chapters), emphasizing God's kingship. Readers who are new to the Bible or are unsure of how it fits together will enjoy this book."

-Kevin S. Chen, associate professor of Old Testament, Christian Witness Theological Seminary 

"This is an important and meaningful book at this moment in our history. It can be helpful in understanding the big story of Scripture, and I pray it would be useful to many. I would encourage the greater public, particularly those who love the Bible, to read The 30-Minute Bible."

-John Perkins, president emeritus of the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation and author of One Blood, He Calls Me Friend, and Count It All Joy 

"The Bible is an extremely complex book, made up of many books written in a variety of literary genres over a long period of time. It is easy to get lost amid this complexity. And so it is part of our missional and theological task today to provide clear maps that tell the story as lucidly as possible to enable God's people to place different parts of the Bible within its overarching narrative structure. In The 30-Minute Bible Bartholomew and Vanosky provide just such a map. It can help even beginners to not just understand the Bible's story but be shaped by it instead of the false, idolatrous stories of our culture."

-Michael W. Goheen, professor of missional theology at Covenant Seminary, St. Louis, and director of theological education at the Missional Training Center, Phoenix 

"There can be no more urgent task for the church today than to recover the biblical story. Here in thirty accessible, informative, and satisfying bites, Bartholomew and Vanosky clearly set out the key developments in the biblical story from creation to new creation. This book will enable the reader to see how the Bible fits together, to identify the big themes, and to recognize how Jesus fulfils God's purposes for humankind and for the world. And, crucially, it will also enable readers to find their own place in the unfolding drama of God's great story. As a pastor, this is the book I have been waiting for! I want to put a copy into the hands of every family under my care."

-William Olhausen, rector of St. Matthias Church, Dublin, Ireland 

"Paige and Craig have written the book that we always knew we needed but could never find. This is an essential tool for discipling God's people to take up our role in God's story!"

-Chris Gonzalez, pastor, Missio Dei Tempe, and cofounder of the Surge Network