Session 2

www.bookoffaith.org

About the Initiative
The Challenge
For many of us, the encounter with Scripture is limited to the excerpts that are read on Sunday morning. Many of us—and many of our neighbors—are biblically illiterate, unsure of how to engage Scripture. Many of us are unaware of the rich Lutheran insights that have been helpful in understanding the many ways that God engages us through the Bible. The challenge of Book of Faith is to address these realities directly and to experience more fully the power of the Word.

The Goals
Individual members, congregations, synods, agencies, institutions and the churchwide organization will:
• Learn together about Lutheran approaches to Scripture which have been so helpful over the centuries
• Enter fully into a conversation which is deep and broad, reaching across all ages and the many cultures that inform who are as a people of God and...
• Experience more fully the power of the Word.
The Objectives
• 100% of ELCA synods commit to the Initiative by signing on as Book of Faith Synods
• 75% of ELCA congregations commit to the Initiative by signing on as Book of Faith congregations
• 15,000 people trained with enhanced skills for teaching the Bible
• 10,000 lay leaders trained (an average of 3 sessions with 50 participants per synod)
• 5,000 rostered leaders trained (an average of 75 per synod)
• Strong participation by ELCA agencies, institutions and networks
• A healthy and thriving social networking site
The Background
The 2005 North Carolina Synod Assembly endorsed a memorial from the Philadelphia Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dallas, NC asking that the ELCA encourage the development of an “ongoing effort to address issues surrounding the authority of Scripture.” Read the memorial. This memorial inspired the ELCA Church Council to present a resolution to the 2007 Churchwide Assembly that called upon:
“members, congregations, synods, church-wide ministries, and institutions and agencies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to engage in a five-year collaborative initiative with the goal of raising to a new level this church's individual and collective engagement with the Bible and its teaching, yielding greater biblical fluency and a more profound appreciation of Lutheran principles and approaches for the use of Scripture.”.
In response, the ELCA launched the Book of Faith Initiative, a five-year collaborative effort which began in 2008 and leads up to the ELCA's 25th anniversary in 2012.
[Used by permission from the North Carolina Synod website].

Book of Faith Historical Documents
ELCA Church Council Proposal
ELCA Assembly Affirms 'Book of Faith' Bible-Study Initiative (news release)
ELCA Council Commends Renewal Initiative Focused on the Bible (news release)
"The Living Power of Scripture in the Midst of Change" by Dr. Diane L. Jacobson
Scriptural Theology and the ELCA: Challenges and Resources by Dr. Erik M. Heen

The Book of Faith Initiative Is...
The Book of Faith Initiative encourages and enables deeper and broader conversation about Scripture at the grassroots level. The Book of Faith Initiative is an invitation to do what we have always claimed we do: read, study, reflect, and meditate upon the Bible together. Book of Faith is designed to initiate a conversation in your setting about how to get people to do what the tag line says: Open Scripture and Join the Conversation.
The Book of Faith Initiative Is Not...
…a top-down, curriculum-based approach
…a program, a course, a kit, a method or a technique
…only for adults
…asking all congregations to adopt a specific Bible study curriculum
There is no one way to implement the Book of Faith initiative.

http://www.enterthebible.org

Why Enter the Bible?
Do any of these sound familiar?
• "The Bible can really be tough to understand."
• "I don't know enough about the Bible to talk about it. I don't want to look dumb!"
• "I don't think the Bible is that relevant to my day-to-day life."

Enter the Bible is for you! It was designed to help you to understand what you read and explore the stories, people and places in the Bible. And because it was written by Luther Seminary faculty you can trust what you read!
Whether it's for personal devotions, exploring the Bible or participating in a group study, you'll dig deeper into the Word with summaries, outlines, background and videos.

We believe Luther Seminary is called to serve the church by teaching the Bible and teaching how to better teach the Bible. We are happy to share this resource with you!

Who is Enter the Bible for?
If you want to grow in your faith, add depth to your Bible study or truly discover the people, places and events in the Bible? This resource is for you. You may have studied the Bible for years. Or you may a new reader. Either way you'll find information that will deepen your understanding of the Bible.
This resource is
• Designed to help you to understand more about the Bible and how it relates to your faith and life.
• Written by Luther Seminary faculty. It's information you can trust.
• Contains information and context for your group study or personal devotions.
Spread the Word!
• Let your friends and family know about this resource that will help them grow in their faith.
• You may also e-mail pages to your study group to share what you're learning.

Session 1

Good websites to see translations.
Crosswalk.com
BibleStudyTools.com is the largest free online Bible Study website for verse search and in-depth studies. Search verses using the version you like with over 29 translations including King James, NIV, NASB, The Message, New Living, American Standard, ESV, and many more versions. Online Bible Study Tools also features Christian study resources including; Bible in year reading plans, parallel Bible so you can view and study multiple translations, commentaries including the popular Matthew Henry Commentary, concordances like Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Naves Topical Concordance, and many other additional resources including dictionaries and encyclopedias. For a more in-depth study, our website offers an online Greek and Hebrew Interlinear Bible for the New and Old Testament, lexicons for original Greek and Hebrew translations of Scripture, as well as Church history. Use our online study tools for quick online verse search or to start a daily Bible reading plan and study Scripture deeper with our library of resources.

Scripture 4 all
The Christian faith is founded on documentary evidence. It has pleased God to give us His revelation in languages not our own. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, with part of it composed in Chaldee. The New Testament was written in Greek.
It is generally acknowledged that the inspired 'Original' is the only infallible evidence for divine truth. Consequently the nearer we can get to that, the safer we are. Only a small percentage of those interested in reading the originals are in fact able to do so, which is caused by their lack of knowledge of Hebrew and Greek.

Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity – is of supreme importance for the history of the book.

Biblical Words Pronunciation Guide

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America