Donald Trump knew exactly what he was doing when, stood outside St. John’s church, he held a Bible and posed for a photograph in June 2020. All around the USA people were protesting and rioting in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The church building had even been set on fire the night before. Wanting to stake a claim upon truth and authority amidst such protests, Trump utilised the Bible as the authoritative Word of truth, as his prop, to try and secure his grip on the situation.
Whatever we may think about those events across the pond, the Bible, as God’s Word, is truth. It is authority as divinely breathed out and it is stability as the unchanging Scripture. It’s a source of life, a means of delight and a place of joy. It is useful for everything positively and negatively in living the Christian life (2 Tim. 3:17).
What better way to start a new year than to spend some time thinking about the Bible! For this edition of the Evangelical Magazine we’re putting the spotlight on the Bible with several of our articles. Robert Letham explores how the books of the Bible came to be recognised, Matthew Horspool explains how the Torch Trust helps people with limited vision to read the Bible and Mike Adams spends some time considering how those who struggle to read might engage with God’s Word. Caroline Taylor reminds us of the impact of Mary Jones’ long walk for a Bible, my article ponders the order of books in the Hebrew Bible and we begin a new series looking at the different genres of the Bible. In this edition, we look at the historical books with Charlie Hadjiev.
Speaking of a new series, since it’s a new year, we have several new series for you to look forward to. We’ve got our ‘Living with…’ series which will explore how Christians live in challenging circumstances. ‘Spending time with God’ will expose us to the diverse ways in which different people spend their devotional times, whilst ‘Courage around the world’ helps us to see those working for the gospel in situations that require God given courage. We’re nearing the end of our ‘Prototype church’ series and Ben Slater directs our thoughts this time round.
There are many other excellent articles, interesting updates and reviews, all of which will no doubt help encourage and inspire your life of faith for Jesus. May God use it all for his glory.