A new Bible to be released in September is the result of both a sense of mission and a bit of frustration by Bible teacher Iva May.
As she tells it, Iva was frustrated because she had difficulty discovering the connections between the books of the Bible, along with their contexts. She wondered if there was a different way to arrange the content that would allow her to see the connective tissue of God’s grand story in the Bible.
Iva explains: “Imagine trying to assemble a puzzle without the picture on the box, with the straight-edge pieces and corner pieces missing. You’d be frustrated. That’s how I felt for more than 20 years reading my Bible. I had a bunch of little Bible pieces before me, but I didn’t understand how they were connected.”
Iva began developing new resources as she was discipling women in several small groups. She took a seminary course—Chronological Bible Storying—that trained students in the methodology employed by missionaries who worked with primarily oral learners. Iva recognized that most Americans are post-literate, secondarily oral learners who can read but who would rather get their information from media. She was also convicted that without a meta-story, an overarching narrative that makes sense of self and the world, Christians would be prone to follow a lesser story written by a godless culture.
Iva adapted what she learned in the course for her discipleship groups and started using her materials in 2002. These experiences and her view of the importance of new resources for Bible learning led Iva to begin the Chronological Bible Teaching (CBT) ministry. The One Year Chronological Study Bible, published with Tyndale, was developed out of that ministry.
The One Year Chronological Study Bible is so versatile we call it the “five-tool” Bible: a truly unique combination of tools to transform your reading and study.
- It’s a one-year Bible, so it comes with the expected promise that if you read each day’s selection, you’ll complete the entire Bible in just one year.
- This chronological Bible tells the story of God like you’d expect a story to be told—in the order the events took place.
- There is study content included with each daily reading, providing regular opportunities for insight and reflection.
- The historical context is explained through a clear framework of 14 Eras, along with a series of helpful articles, charts, and maps.
- With the clear and accurate New Living Translation, The One Year Chronological Study Bible presents the Bible story in a way that can be understood and applied.
More information on this Bible’s features:
Chronological Framework: This unique Bible framework provides a simple structure that builds the story, with each era encapsulating a passage of time. Graphics representing each era capture the big-picture action within that era. The storyline becomes clear as readers connect God’s speaking—His promises, commands, warnings, and prohibitions—to His activity. You’ll find these graphics at the bottom of most pages in the Bible, with the pertinent icon highlighted within each particular section of Scripture.
Discover the Story: Fourteen era overviews capture the story narrated within each era and help readers see the story arc of the Bible.
Daily Introduction: A brief introduction for each day’s reading provides a snapshot of the developing story.
Discovery Questions: Each day’s reading concludes with a set of thought-provoking questions that aid readers in retention, application, and drawing connections throughout the story.
Understand the Story: Sixteen articles address particular themes and track God’s activity through the story. Each article connects God’s activity from one era to both past and future eras.
Era Highlights: Presenting an overview of the story arc of the Bible in summary fashion, the era highlights provide a list of facts for each era and are an excellent tool for helping readers with retention.
