Michael Kinch
- The content of this book was good. It was presented in an easy to read format and the the author covered his material fairly well. He brought forward some excellent points that I had not considered previously. I was disappointed in the format of the book in that it did not have any page numbers. Even when I copied sections and pasted it in my notes there was no page numbers listed. The other thing that disappointed me is that the study guide is sold as a separate volume.
- This book was a fascinating read to me. I read this book in preparation for a sermon that I will be preaching in a couple of weeks. I had not read Trevor Burke previously and was surprised at the quality of his writing. His research is solid and well documented. The book is divided in 12 chapters and a study guide at the end. In each chapter Trevor adequately covers his chosen topic and section of scripture. His study guide is more extensive than what I had expected and exceeds what I have seen in other theological books. I read this book over a period of 4 days and I honestly could not get enough of it. Now that I have read it, my plan is to go back over it, chapter by chapter and study it at a slower rate using the study guide as a reference. I have rated this book with 5 stars because I feel the author has hit the mark in achieving his goals in writing this book. The only thing that I would change is to make it longer with more chapters covering other sections of scripture.
- I downloaded the Ancient Context Ancient Faith Series (3 Volumes) by Gary Burge on Friday. The Bible and the Land - Encounters With Jesus - Jesus the Middle Eastern Story Teller. I had seen one of these books in a Christian bookstore some time ago and considerered purchasing it. The problem was that it was not a lenghty book. Each of these volumes is just over 100 pages with a total of all three at 352 pages. Personally, I like larger volumes but I was definitely not disappointed in what I have read so far. In about a day and a half I have worked my way through "The Bible and the Land" and am currently about half way through Encounters With Jesus. If you are considering this set I would highly recommend adding it to your library. Though it is not a large set and there are a lot of pictures and maps scattered throughout, the pictures really add to the quality and understanding of the text. I was pleasantly surprised with this set and I am looking forward to obtaining more from Gary Burge. I have purchased other volumes both in digital and print format and have been disappointed in it once I got into it. This set is not like that, it is undersold and over delivers.