Making Sense of the Bible

Denominations from evangelical to mainline continue to experience deep divisions over universal social issues. The underlying debate isn’t about a particular social issue, but instead it is about how we understand the nature of scripture and how we should interpret it. The world’s bestselling, most-read, and most-loved book is also one of the most confusing. In Making Sense of the Bible, Adam Hamilton, one of the country’s leading pastors and Christian authors, addresses the hot-button issues that plague the church and cultural debate, and answers many of the questions frequently asked by Christians and non-Christians alike.Did God really command Moses to put gay people to death? Did Jesus really teach that everyone who is not a Christian will be assigned to hell? Why would Paul command women to “keep silent in the church?” Were Adam and Eve real people? Is the book of Revelation really about the end times? Who decided which books made it into the scriptures and why? Is the Bible ever wrong? In approachable and inviting language, Hamilton addresses these often misunderstood biblical themes leading readers to a deeper appreciation of the Bible so that we might hear God speak through it and find its words to be life-changing and life-giving.–Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity After Religion

Making Sense of the Bible Streaming Video Session 1

In Making Sense of the Bible, Adam Hamilton invites us into an honest conversation about the Bible. The six-session study begins with foundational questions such as, How and when was the Bible written? Who decided which books made it into the scriptures and why? How literally must we read it? And, is the Bible ever wrong? In approachable and inviting language, Hamilton addresses these often misunderstood biblical thems leading you to a deeper appreciation of the Bible so that we might hear God speak through it and find its words to be life-changing and life-giving.

Dive into the Old Testament with Adam Hamilton for a better understanding of the texts and how they were compiled as you gain an appreciation for scripture’s foundation of our Christian faith today.

Run Time: 10:30 Streaming Video Frequently Asked Questions

Not a Silent Night – Streaming Video Session 2

Imagine Jesus from Mary’s point-of-view—proud of her son, in awe of his gifts and mission, guided by love for him as a person and so much more. Adam Hamilton begins at the end, with Mary at the crucifixion and resurrection; travels back in time as she witnesses his life and ministry; and ends at the beginning, with the Christ child born in a stable, Mary’s beautiful baby. This year, experience Advent and Christmas with Mary. Session 2 imagines what Mary was thinking and feeling as she watched the Crucifixion from the foot of the cross and suggests some things we can learn about Christmas by doing so. Run Time: 12:23 Instructions: To stream a purchased video, login with your cokesbury.com user account, click on My Cokesbury.com, and select Downloads/Subscriptions. Streaming Video Frequently Asked Questions

Not a Silent Night – Streaming Video Session 3

Imagine Jesus from Mary’s point-of-view—proud of her son, in awe of his gifts and mission, guided by love for him as a person and so much more. Adam Hamilton begins at the end, with Mary at the crucifixion and resurrection; travels back in time as she witnesses his life and ministry; and ends at the beginning, with the Christ child born in a stable, Mary’s beautiful baby. This year, experience Advent and Christmas with Mary. In Session 3, we go back to Jesus’ boyhood and the one childhood story about him that is given in the Bible: Jesus’ staying behind in Jerusalem and being discovered by his frantic parents while he was sitting among the teachers. Run Time: 11:51 Instructions: To stream a purchased video, login with your cokesbury.com user account, click on My Cokesbury.com, and select Downloads/Subscriptions. Streaming Video Frequently Asked Questions

Not a Silent Night [Large Print]

Large Print Edition.

Imagine Jesus from Mary’s point-of-view—proud of her son, in awe of his gifts and mission, guided by love for him as a person and so much more. In this book, Adam Hamilton begins at the end, with Mary at the crucifixion and resurrection; travels back in time as she witnesses his life and ministry; and ends at the beginning, with the Christ child born in a stable, Mary’s beautiful baby. This year, experience Advent and Christmas with Mary.

The five sessions are:

1. Beginning with the End
2. The Piercing of Mary’s Soul
3. Amazed, Astounded, and Astonished
4. Mary, Full of Grace
5. It Was Not a Silent Night

The Call [Large Print]

With Adam Hamilton, we have traced the life of Jesus from his birth The Journey, through his ministry The Way, to his death and resurrection 24 Hours That Changed the World. What happened next?

Follow the journeys of Paul, beginning with his dramatic conversion, as he spread the Gospel through modern-day Greece and Turkey. Travel to the early church sites and explore Paul’s conversations with the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. In this six-week study, you are invited to experience faith through Christ’s greatest teacher and missionary.

?Endorsements

“Adam Hamilton has proven to be a faithful guide to applying the Bible to modern life in a sane and balanced way, and I trust him as an interpreter of the Apostle Paul for today.”
-Philip Yancey, author of Vanishing Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew

“Pastor and teacher Adam Hamilton succeeds brilliantly in introducing the life and ministry of Paul. Adam’s interweaving of personal testimony and ministry insights provide important lessons for Christian disciples today—something Paul himself would have readily welcomed.”
– Dr. Mark Wilson, Asia Minor Research Center, Antalya, Turkey

“Adam Hamilton demonstrates theologically and spiritually how indispensable the apostle Paul is to both the early Christian and 21st century church. This book is a wonderful gift for the church, and I recommend it with utmost Christian enthusiasm.”
– Dr. Israel Kamudzandu, Associate Professor of New Testament and Biblical Interpretation, Saint Paul School of Theology

“I regularly lead groups of seminary students, alums, clergy, and laity on immersion trips to Greece and Turkey. This book will certainly be on my reading list.”
– Jaime Clark-Soles, Associate Professor of New Testament, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, Perkins School of Theology

The Call Leader Guide – eBook [ePub]

From the road to Damascus to the sun-drenched lands of modern-day Greece and Turkey to a Roman prison, go with Adam Hamilton as he follows the journeys of Paul in this six-week DVD study about Christianity’s greatest teacher and missionary. You’ll see exactly where some of the most dramatic events in the spread of Christianity took place, and through Hamilton’s insightful and colorful teaching style, you’ll quite probably likely gain a better understanding of Paul’s missionary travels than if you had covered the many miles in person. The Call is a complete churchwide program with study components for adult, youth, and children’s ministries. In addition to the DVD, a Leader Guide featuring flexible format options is available to make the study meaningful for any size group. This 96-page Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through The Call Bible study program. Includes session plans and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options. This guide centers around the book, the videos, and Scripture.

The Call Youth Study Book

With Adam Hamilton, we have traced the life of Jesus from his birth The Journey, through his ministry The Way, to his death and resurrection 24 Hours That Changed the World. What happened next?

Follow the journeys of Paul, beginning with his dramatic conversion, as he spread the Gospel through modern-day Greece and Turkey. Travel to the early church sites and explore Paul’s conversations with the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. In this six-week study, you are invited to experience faith through Christ’s greatest teacher and missionary.

Everything needed to conduct a six-session study of Paul’s travels and teachings geared to youth, including current examples that have meaning to young people grades 6-12. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.

When Christians Get It Wrong Leader Guide

More and more young adults have opted out of Christianity and the church. The reason? Christians.

When young adults talk about the problems they have with Christianity and the church, they often name certain attitudes and behaviors they believe are practiced too often by Christians: judging others, condemning people of other faiths, rejecting science, injecting politics into faith, and being anti-homosexual. With his familiar style, Adam Hamilton tackles these issues and addresses the how’s and why’s of Christians getting it right when it comes to being Christ in the world.

When Christians Get It Wrong Leader Guide offers session goals, leader helps, activities, Scriptures, and more, and is intended to be used with the DVD.

Creed – eBook [ePub]

We’re used to answers popping up on a screen right in front of us. But when the questions examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life, finding the answers takes more than simply typing a few words and pushing a button. Adam Hamilton believes that powerful answers to many of our complicated questions are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs. In Creed, he explores not only what Christians believe, but also why they believe, and why it matters, which in turn leads readers to confront and examine their own core beliefs and go beyond reciting the Creed’s familiar words. The book is part of a six-week churchwide program includes a Leader Guide, DVD, youth and children resources, and a Leader Kit (includes “I Believe” card pack). Chapters include: God Jesus Christ The Holy Spirit The Church at the Communion of Saints The Forgiveness of Sins The Resurrection of the Body