Jack W. Hayford, Exec Editor
Hardcover: 2176 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Special edition (September 4, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0529100142
ISBN-13: 978-0529100146
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 2 x 9.6 inches
Jack Hayford is one of the few charismatic Bible teachers whom I respect. He's intelligent and insightful without sounding like a pompous "ultra-spiritual" self-appointed preacher of new and deep hidden things. You know the types i mean. And Hayford doesn't have the humble brag tendencies that so many teachers, charismatic and otherwise, tend to have.
This is a solid Bible. I wanted to review it because it's a Bible-study written from a spirit-filled perspective.
The Table of Contents include the usual things one finds in Bibles, such things as:
Introduction, Editors and Contributors, Bridging the Testaments, Charts, In-text Maps, Harmony of the Gospels, Concordance, etc.
But it also includes such charismatic signposts such as
Kingdom Dynamics with index
Word Wealth with index
Praying the Word with index
Truth in Action with charts
Dealing with Last Things -- The Rapture, Second Coming, and Millenium
In Studying the Book of Revelation
Holy Spirit Gifts and Power
The Key to Suffering: Unlocking God's Glory
Worshiping and Intercession: The Calling of All Believers
Aflame with Passion for World Evangelism
The Believer's Potential and Pathway for Ministering Healing to the Nations
Understanding Messianic Jewish Ministries
How to Lead Someone to Jesus
The introduction of each book of the Bible is informative and gives information about the author, date, background, purpose, content, personal application of the book. The book also shows how Christ is revealed, how the holy spirit works in the book, and how the book compares with other books. Each book ends with a chart called Truth in Action which shows the truth the book teaches and how the reader can turn that truth into action. Throughout the books, there are insets of Kingdom Dynamics and Word Wealth. Word Wealth shows the deeper meaning of certain words, Kingdom Dynamics was a bit less clear. Sometimes it shows how the kingdom of God worked in that part of the Bible story, and sometimes it is a cultural description.
The pages of this Bible are made in two large columns separated by a smaller column which cross-references to other verses. At the bottom of each page are verse commentaries. There are footnotes throughout which shed light on Bible verses. The Bible has the feel of a study Bible, because the verse commentaries explain the theology, cultural implications, and doctrine which are in the verses. On the whole -- from what i could see- there are some commentaries on some verses that are full of spirit. Other commentaries seem born out of human reasoning, American cultural Christianity, and a desire to explain what might be misunderstood passages. For the most part, I accepted these explanations but there were moments when I did give them the side-eye.
It's a good book, but i suppose i wanted it to be more global. The commentary lacks theology from the larger global Christian community. That is a shame, i think. The editors and contributors are primarily American Christians so we don't get insights from Asian, African, European etc Christian cultures. So basically, this book will be good for American Christians who want a deeper knowledge of the Bible but its limited focus on American Christianity, let alone American Charismatic theology, will make it less helpful to more knowledgeable American Charismatics. I recommend this Bible.
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