Self-Guided Tour of the Bible by Christopher D. Hudson is a remarkable resource! This is an excellent resource for someone new to studying the Bible and also an excellent resource for those who would like a fresh perspective of the Bible. Hudson approaches the exploration of the Bible like exploring a museum by dividing the study of Bible into 9 exhibit halls that provide a quick overview of the Bible, basic geography of the Bible, a time line of Biblical history, the main characters of the Bible, a breakdown of the books of the Bible, an exploration of how Jesus is interwoven throughout the Bible, a complete section on the life and teachings of Jesus, prophetic studies of heaven, hell, and eternity, and a summarization of the overall message of the Bible through the major themes in the Bible. This is one of my most favorite resources that I have come across in a long time of Bible study. It is full of insight and wisdom and suggestions for how to approach the study of different aspects of the Bible and how to apply what you are learning to your life. My most favorite part of this book is the section on the life and teachings of Jesus and the chart given of 37 parables that Jesus used giving both the scripture references where they are found and an overview of the lessons they taught. This chapter is followed by the chapter that tells the story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation and how Jesus is interwoven into every aspect of the Bible. When I first approached reviewing this book, before I ever even opened it, I expected to have more visual pictures of places in the Bible. This books does have many pictures that show the actual places in the Bible and many depictions of Biblical events. I would have liked to have had more pictures of the actual places in the Bible where events occurred, but I think Mr. Hudson did an excellent job of interspersing visual objects throughout the book and the inclusion of the robust amount of detail and context made up for any lack from my preconceived expectations of what I would encounter in the book. Rose Publishing has provided me with an advanced reader copy. I will be purchasing a bound copy of this book to keep next to my Bible!

Self-Guided Tour of the Bible

By Christopher C. Hudson

My personal library has many (25+) books which are brief or complex Bible study helps. Not one of them compares to this 247-page treasure. After I saw it in the Rose Publishing catalog, I decided to order it since the description sounded like it might be useful in a general online Bible study I was developing.

As one of the reviewers of Rose Publishing editions, I received this book free in return for an honest review. After spending about 30 minutes looking over the pdf version, I called my regular bookstore and ordered a copy. I only have one objection to the book: it only comes in paperback. However, this keeps the price below $20, so the trade-off may be acceptable if it wears well.

Near the beginning of the book, the author suggested that you "think of this book as a resource." I would add it is a well-organized resource. The chapters are a walk through a "Bible museum" divided into Exhibit Halls. Each exhibit hall covers a specific aspect of Bible study.

Biblical places are fully covered with pictures, maps, and charts. Further charts showed bodies of water, mountains, and deserts.

In another exhibit hall, a chart shows Bible and world events. It shows Bible characters who may have lived at the time of King Tut. During the time of the Trojan War some very interesting leaders arose in Israel. The Mayan culture was growing in Central America during the time of some of the kings of Israel. Jonah lived at the time of the first of these European events that still occur today. The Colosseum in Rome was begun a year after a great tragedy for Jerusalem. (I know I got carried away with this paragraph but I'm a history nut.)

Three thousand characters are named in the Bible. The book includes facts about 100 men and women. The book discusses "the Biggest Character of all - GOD!" It goes on to discuss the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Exhibit hall 7 discusses Jesus throughout the Bible from the prophecy in the Garden of Eden to Revelation. The 8th exhibit hall "peeks into the future - Heaven, Hell, and Eternity."

At the end of the tour, Exhibit hall 9 discusses the 8 basic themes of the Bible repeated in both the Old and New Testaments because "humans are hard of hearing...(and) prone to forget."

Those of us who use Bible helps with our studies and teaching are always concerned with the doctrines expressed. In my general reading of the book, the authors seemed to emphasize our agreements rather than our points of conflict.

The author urges us to "Read, Engage, and Apply" the Bible. I would suggest that this book would help a beginning Bible student or a Bible pro do all three.

The Self Guided Tour of the Bible is one of the most creative and engaging books ever written to get you plugged into God's Word. The message, structure, and history of the Bible become easy to access and use in everyday life. Suddenly things you read in the Bible or heard about the Bible come to life!

Once you pick it up you will not want to put it down,

M. Wayne Newcomb, Founder Abba's Glory Inc., Retired Pastor and Bible College Dean

I'm a big fan of books about The Book, especially well-written books that present the big picture of the world's best-selling book of all time. "Self-Guided Tour of the Bible" is one of the best books I've read in this genre. Christopher Hudson has done a marvelous job of taking the reader on a tour the Word of God in all its glory.

There is a boatload of resources here for Bible readers of all levels. Whether you are new to the Bible or have been reading the Word for decades, this book will enrich your understanding of and love for Holy Scripture.

I enjoyed every chapter, but I found two chapters especially beneficial. I commend the author for including Chapter 8, "Heaven, Hell and Eternity" because he actually provides a biblical explanation of not only heaven (which Christians should love to do) but also hell (which Christians have become increasingly reluctant to do). And Chapter 9, "Summarizing the Message: Major Themes in the Bible" gave me much delight. The author has identified eight "central ideas that permeate the Bible." This list alone is worth the price of the book. If you read the Bible carefully and completely, you'll find these eight themes taught repeatedly throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. I love that the author included this section, and it is a wonderful demonstration of his gift of teaching.

I give this book my highest recommendation. If you want to deepen your love for God by reading and studying His Word, this book will help you to accomplish that, for the glory of King Jesus.

Imagine you are in a museum with a bunch of different rooms. You go from exhibit to exhibit learning and understanding more with each room you venture into. Well, that's exactly what Christopher D. Hudson did with Rose Publishing's "Self-Guided Tour of the Bible". Each of these nine "rooms" or sections in this book covers different topics such as an Overview, History, Geography, People, Major Themes and more. Each section skillfully navigates the reader to a greater understanding of the Bible. This book will likely be viewed as a book that is geared more toward people who are unfamiliar with the Bible, but at the same time, we often need a reminder of some of the points that are made in this book. Easy to read and very visual, this book is something I would highly recommend. I really like how it goes over how to study the Bible as well and includes ideas on how to study the different genres that are used throughout the Bible. I really appreciate how Rose Publishing allows for copies of individual pages to be made so you can use this in a classroom or small group setting. To me, that shows me a publisher that wants to share the gospel with the world. Love it! I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.