Understanding the Bible: A Lay Teacher's Guide to Apologetics and Exegesis

Having grown up in a family that attended church regularly, belief in Christianity would seem to have been a simple thing for me. However, as a teenager I began having serious doubts about the existence of God. I continued my church attendance throughout the years, but I fear that some of that was simply from having done so during the entirety of my life.

The Bible and the existence of a being that was capable of speaking the universe into existence have always fascinated me, and I have regularly read scripture on my own and listened to many teachers over my span of now 60 years on the earth. I began teaching about 25 years ago because I truly felt that God was calling me to do so. This was never considered by me to be a vocation, but rather a passion. However, many times the passion was for learning and not for what I now consider to be the true goal of studying scripture.

In the middle of my life, I made several bad decisions and placed my career, personal life and ministry at great risk. It was at this point that I knew that I could not pull my life together on my own. Thanks to God and several extremely gracious friends, family members, and a church that would not allow me to wallow in my depression, I began a more in depth study of scripture and, more importantly, of the God who inspired it.

The study of apologetics was brought to my attention during this time about ten years ago. At first it was my thought process that this would allow me to speak with and to a broader audience of people. What I learned was that scripture was not the only way that God reveals to us who he really is. He does this through his creation and through his people. He shows who he is through archaeology, history and science. He truly is bigger than I had ever imagined.

I have never gotten to enjoy formal theological training. What I have learned about God has come from being taught by well meaning preachers and teachers, personal study, and the Spirit showing me where to go next. My education has come from watching, reading and listening to liberals and conservatives, believers and atheists, scholars and the wholly uneducated. What I have learned is that we can learn from everyone, but that it is always measured against the truth revealed in the scripture.

Through this web site, I hope to encourage others who do not have the ability to obtain formal training to allow God to teach them. Along the way, I hope that there are some things that I am able to share with others that they can learn and grow from. You will find nothing in any of my writings, and hopefully in the future videos, that is new. Everything should be grounded in the scripture, and if anyone reads or listens to something with which they disagree, discussion will always be encouraged. Critique is welcomed. I have no qualms about saying that I am far from the most intelligent person you will ever meet or interact with. In other words, I am nothing special. The God that I interact with is SOMEONE who is very special. He is worth getting to know. This is the purpose of Bible study and apologetics. Getting to actually know God in a personal way.

We are his image bearers. The only images of the Creator that are allowed in his inspired scripture. The goal of getting to know him is to more accurately reflect that image to the rest of the world.

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