I’ve been listening to Dr. Michael Rydelnik on Moody Radio for almost a year. He is the professor of Jewish Studies and Bible at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Many people call his radio program, Open Line, the “Bible study across America.”
For two hours every Saturday morning, Dr. Rydelnik takes live, on-the-air calls from people all over the country (including myself one time) and answers their Bible questions. He also answers questions sent in by email and online through his website. The questions are often very thought provoking, enough that you need to have your Bible right next to you so you can read along as the conversation unfolds. It is an enlightening, educational, and highly entertaining program. I have learned so much from Dr. Rydelnik.
So, when he published his latest book, 50 Most Important Bible Questions, I ordered it immediately. It has been an extremely good purchase. The book is divided topically. Dr. Rydelnik tackles questions about:
- The gospel and salvation
- The Bible in general
- The book of Genesis and the creation story
- The Old Testament
- Jesus the Messiah
- The Jewish people
- Seeming contradictions and mysteries of the Bible, and
- Biblical practices and common concerns (communion, Sabbath, worry, abortion, e.g.)
Dr. Rydelnik answers each question with very easy-to-follow language. He breaks down each question into manageable pieces, thoroughly explaining his commentary and amply backing up his thoughts with cross-referenced Scripture. He also gives analogies where appropriate to help the reader better understand. And he ends each question with his “Final Thoughts” to sum everything up and put a nice bow on it.
For example, his first question is, “What is the Gospel?” This is a question I answered here on Steppes of Faith several years ago, and Dr. Rydelnik’s explanation fits perfectly. Instead of a simple, “It’s the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection,” Rydelnik helps the reader understand a deeper meaning of the gospel, explaining that Jesus indeed “really, truly, honestly died (page 24) and that His resurrection did more than just conquer death. He finalizes the question by giving what he believes is a good answer to anyone who might personally ask you, “what is the gospel?” in 25 words or less.
With many light-hearted moments mixed with simple, straight-forward explanations, you will come away from 50 Most Important Bible Questions with a greater, more in-depth understanding of the how’s and why’s of some of our most common and pressing Bible questions.
If you are looking for a new addition to your Bible reference library, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It also makes a great gift. Dr. Rydelnik says he will soon be working on 50 more questions. You can guarantee I will be one of the first ones in line.
Currently $11.00 paperback and $9.59 eBook on MoodyPublishers.com 11/22/2021
