cover image A Nonchurchgoer's Guide to the Bible: A User-Friendly, Nonsectarian Introduction to the All-Time Bestseller

A Nonchurchgoer's Guide to the Bible: A User-Friendly, Nonsectarian Introduction to the All-Time Bestseller

Michael Gantt. Good Books, $15.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-1-56148-181-1

Gantt, a former pastor with advanced theological degrees who is now a corporate executive, has created for the non-professional a comprehensive guide to the whole Bible. Given the extent of our national biblical illiteracy, however, even churchgoers will find plenty to learn here. Carefully placing the Bible and its books in their structural, cultural and historic settings, Gantt maintains a perspective that is both quite conservative and yet very objective. His thesis: ``The most important thing to remember... is that the Bible is much easier to read if you approach it as a collection of books rather than as a single book... and [if you] take the text at face value and let it speak for itself.'' Offering many practical tips to guide readers toward an ``overall view'' of the Bible, the book is user-friendly thanks to its pleasing, conversational style. (Nov.)