A Newcomer's Guide to the Bible
Themes and Timelines
by Dr. Mike Armour
A Newcomer's Guide to the Bible serves thousands of readers whom other introductions overlook.
The typical guide to the Bible aims at readers who already have a basic familiarity with Biblical terms and events. But half of our population comes to adulthood without even cursory knowledge of the Bible. In many cases, the most common Biblical terms are foreign to them.
When these adults develop an interest in Christianity, as millions of them do, they find that the average Bible class is "over their heads." They also discover that basic reference materials about the Bible often exceed their level of understanding.
A Newcomer's Guide to the Bible was written for just these people. In fact, several who reviewed the manuscript initially were exploring the Bible for the first time. Some were avowed atheists
These early readers quickly discovered that the Guide presents the themes and structure of the Bible in a style that is easy to read and simple to grasp.
Whenever it introduces a technical or theological term, it takes a moment to explain it. It presumes a reader with zero knowledge of Biblical terminology.
For those who already know much about the Bible, the Newcomer's Guide serves as a great refresher study. Richly illustrated with charts and maps, it provides a full, comprehensive picture of the Bible's unfolding themes, weaving them together into a seamless whole.
Even mature Christians often report that the very simplicity of the book gave them perspectives and insights that they had never experienced before.
Over two and a half million copies of A Newcomer's Guide to the Bible are in circulation in some two dozen languages. And the Guide has been adopted as a textbook in public schools of Russia, Ukraine, and Romania.
Read the dramatic, intriguing story behind the origin of this book. It has a history unlike any other Christian book in history.
Companion Volume
A Self-Study Workbook for A Newcomer's Guide
A Newcomer's Guide to the Bible was originally written as a classroom textbook for schools and universities in Russia.
Almost immediately after its release, however, hundreds of adults requested copies for themselves. And since they did not have the benefit of classroom instruction, they also asked for a self-study workbook to accompany the Guide.
In short order, the workbook was published, with answer keys in the back for the quizzes and exercises around which it is organized.
The workbook proved so helpful in the Slavic languages that it was made available as a companion volume when A Newcomer's Guide to the Bible was published in English. Although it can be purchased separately, it is not a standalone volume. Learning exercises in the workbook assume ready access to A Newcomer's Guide itself.
