Help on hand for Scriptures most difficult topics

Are there some parts of the Bible you just can’t get your head around? Sexism, sadism and slavery are just some of the topics to appear in the Bible that many Christians struggle to make sense of.

Biblefresh and CPAS are offering people the chance to brush up on their understanding of the Bible with a tour starting on October 28 in Glasgow.

The Get A Grip tour will be joined by a host of academics and teachers who will tackle some of the more complex areas of Scripture, such as genocide and violence in the Old Testament.

The tour has been put together in response to Biblefresh research, which found that 65% of Christians wanted help in understanding ‘hot potato’ texts within the Bible.

It is hoped that the tour will give Christians more confidence, after separate research by the Bible Society in 2009 found that 28% of church leaders felt less confident about scripture in the face of aggressive secularists like Richard Dawkins.

Krish Kandiah, executive director: churches in mission at the Evangelical Alliance, said: “I meet many Christians who are confused about the God they meet in the Old Testament. They don't know what to do with parts of the Bible that appear to support sexism, slavery and slaughter, which can discourage them from reading it.

“Get A Grip is an initiative to help the church recover confidence in the whole of the Bible. Through events around the country, and a beautifully produced booklet packed full of bite-sized pieces, we aim to equip Christians to get a grip on God's Word.”

Ann Holt, director of programme at the Bible Society, added: “Our recent experiences at Bible Society have confirmed how hungry people are to learn how to handle the whole Bible. The Get a Grip events with reputable Bible scholars will be of inestimable value to those who want to help the Church do Bible better.”

In addition to the tour, Get A Grip booklets have been produced to give Christians a better understanding of confusing Bible passages, with contributions by Rob Parsons, Joel Edwards and Michele Guinness.

The events take place in Glasgow, Cardiff, London and Durham this autumn and include a lecture, a Question Time-style panel and reflections on recapturing a love for the Bible. Tickets cost £10.

Dates and venues:
28 October – International Christian College, Glasgow
3 November – Cardiff Institute for Contemporary Christianity
7 November – Kings College Chapel, London
8 November – St John’s College, Durham

For more information, and to register, visit: www.biblefresh.com/get-a-grip

Get A Grip bookletDelegates receive a free copy of the booklet. Additional copies are available (from www.biblefresh.com/get-a-grip) for £2, with £1 of this going to Bible translation in Burkina Faso.