Yay for Australia Day! To celebrate, we've launched our Sale today. A number of titles are now 50% off! And all our Good Book Guides are 25% off. Check out www.thegoodbook.com.au/sale for the full list of discounted titles.

GBC Publisher Tim Thornborough explains why our abundance should rightfully supply the need of others and why the ‘resource rich’ West should honor the Lord with its wealth.

Turnover is Vanity, Profit is Sanity, Cash is Reality goes the age-old wisdom of the business world. For most companies that is true - because their primary aim is to make profit and cash for the owners. But not for The Good Book Company. We take seriously Jesus’ words to us that we should be seeking above all things a treasure in heaven. That's why we measure our true progress by the volume of resources that we ship to people, and which are actually a use in helping people teach and preach Christ, or understand more deeply all that He is and has done for us.

We are very conscious that God has put us in a privileged position, so we aim to do three things:

– Set the lowest possible retail price for our books and study resources, and offer significant discounts for bulk purchase.

– We pay realistic but modest salaries to all our staff.

– We aim to re-invest any profit we make in resourcing areas of ministry that could never be self-supporting.

The Western world has been 'resource rich' for years. There is a large choice of bible-study booklets and evangelistic tools available to people and churches, and no end of training opportunities to sign up for. Although the quality varies, we are still rich in these things in a way that our brothers and sisters in the wider world are not. Even worse, many parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America are flooded with poor quality cast offs from western publishers, inappropriately high level books, or by ruinous false teaching. They are crying out for basic, reliable material that teaches the Bible carefully, accurately and consistently.

That's part of the idea behind our Pray, Prepare, Preach series of simple preaching guides, which we are in the process of developing. These low-cost guides will help pastors round the world teach the Bible more clearly week by week to their congregations.

We are also involved in the costly and time-consuming business of enabling translations of key material to be published in languages and for people groups that are hungry for solid spiritual food.

And closer to home, we are working on evangelistic and discipleship resources to reach less literate sectors of our community. Our Access for All brand places the emphasis on materials that have crystal clear, simple English that is not patronizing or childish in its tone.

We seek to fund all these ministries out of our other publishing and training activities. So you can be confident that what you pay for a book or a study guide is not only an investment in your own spiritual health, but also contributes towards bringing the life-giving message of Christ to many others.

Jesus tells us to be careful how we hear (Luke 8:18).  Yet many Christians approach the Sunday sermon with little to no game-plan for listening well.

How do you translate the gospel into real-life actions each and every day? How can we bring the sacred and secular parts of our lives together? When can frequenting the pub count as furthering the gospel?

Steve Timmis, author of Gospel Centred Church recently did a series of posts on Twitter on ‘living ordinary life with gospel intentionality’. Here they are gathered together …

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … buying from local shops.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … frequenting a local coffee shop or pub.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … playing for a local sports team.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … always tipping generously in local restaurants.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … being the kind of neighbour everyone wants to have as a neighbour.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … volunteering at a local charity shop along with a couple of others from church.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … doing ordinary things in community.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … opening your home to, and sharing your food with others.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … walking the same route to work at the same time or catching the same train each day.

Living ordinary life with gospel intentionality means … we do EVERYTHING for the sake of the gospel!

If you've never heard of Christianity Explored and wonder what it's all about, how it works, how to get started even, this is the post for you.

Here are seven reasons to try Christianity Explored:

1. Christianity Explored is thoroughly based on the Bible. Those who go along are invited to discover who Jesus really is by exploring Mark’s Gospel. Exploring all of Mark’s Gospel means that people hear the whole gospel and not just the edited highlights. CE presents this gospel in all its fullness so that God many be glimpsed in all his greatness.

2. CE doesn’t shy away from truths that are often neglected – like the significance of sin, the centrality of the cross, the sufficiency of grace, and the necessity of repentance. Again and again course participants have found themselves challenged (in a non-threatening manner) and given new insights into what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

3. The informal structure of Christianity Explored: a simple meal, a Bible study, a talk (or DVD) and a discussion, means that those who go along are often more willing to ask questions and explore the gospel of Mark in an open and relaxed way. Course participants feel they are being listened to, not lectured or preached to and there is plenty of time during the course for people to ask whatever questions they may have.

4. The flexibility of the course materials means that it can be run in all sorts of environments. Courses are already being run in youth clubs, prisons, home groups, hotels, universities, restaurants, in the workplace, and even as part of marriage preparation! Many non-Christians may find the idea of meeting at a church a barrier to finding out more about Christianity, but the nature of CE means it can be run literally anywhere! We even know of a course currently being run in a Pizza Hut!!

5. CE materials have been put together to make running a course as easy as possible. Not only is there a Leader’s Guide but we’ve also developed a How to Run the course book which provides you with everything you need to successfully run a course. Practical advice on promoting, preparing for and running the course, transcripts of the original talks, and a CD-ROM containing written transcripts of all 14 talks all make running the course less daunting and much more do-able.

6. If the thought of giving a series of talks – even if you have the transcripts – scares either you or your diary, then we’ve produced a two-disc DVD (which includes nearly four hours of material) in which Rico Tice delivers them for you! Filmed on location around the UK, the DVD set features subtitles, a trailer, a preview and a 40-page guide to using the series. We’ve also found that course participants are far more likely to challenge and openly discuss what has been said having watched the DVD, rather than disagreeing directly with the course leader.

7. We have a specially designed selection of promotional material that makes it really easy for you to promote your CE course both inside and outside church. From postcards (which can be run through inkjet and LaserJet printers), to an eye-catching 15ft x 3ft weatherproof banner (and everything in between), we’ve got all you need to make your course unmissable! (okay, so this one isn't really a reason to run CE (and it's quite a shameless plug for our posters), but hopefully if you've got this far in the post, you'll realise advertising the course is pretty important if you want people to come!)

Welcome to our new website!

We've upgraded our Australian platform to make it even easier for you to access our resources. The platform should be quicker and more intutive. It also supports a lot more wizardry, so we'll be able to bring you some exciting special offers and great deals.

We trust and pray that this leap forward will help us to support you better – whatever your ministry.

PART TWO of a look into how words like propitiation lose their full meaning when we exchange them for simpler (non)equivalents.

Continued from part one...

There are other, hidden dangers too. In his essay, alluringly entitled “Invitation to the Pain of Learning”, Mortimer Adler writes,

Whoever passes by what is over his head condemns his head to its present low altitude; for nothing can elevate a mind except what is over its head; and that elevation is not accomplished by capillary attraction, but only by the hard work of climbing up ropes, with sore hands and aching muscles.

The long-term effect of jettisoning difficult words is to fix ourselves myopically on our present course, unaware that beauty is beckoning us, just beyond the periphery of our vision.

The joy available to us in opening a book is that, in spreading wide the pages, we open for ourselves a new world we never knew existed. And is it surprising that, in describing this new world to us, an author will have recourse to words that are strange, unfamiliar, exotic and new?

John Piper elaborates:

Doesn't it make sense that, if we are to grow in our understanding and in our ability to reason clearly and deeply, then we must try to read those ‘great books’ which go beyond our present ability to fully comprehend?

Not only that, but when we bleed our writing of anything difficult or unfamiliar, we can actually become theologically unfaithful.

Douglas Wilson has this to say:

Simply presenting the truth of God in a computer printout fashion, without the passion, life, satire, love, and emotion found in Scripture, is a way of being unfaithful to that content.

And if that isn’t enough to persuade you, Wilson offers the real kicker. We will become boring:

Because we have pursued an ‘objective’ style of communication (having believed that this was possible), we have created a deracinated and boring form of speech.” When you knock off enough rough edges, every bit of wood looks stultifyingly the same.

Finally, if the Bible itself had been subjected to an editorial policy of pruning every tricky word or concept, it would never have made it past the first focus group. The Apostle Peter, commenting on Paul’s letters, does not apologize for the steep learning curve:

There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:16). Peter’s solution is not to censure the writer for using big words. Instead, he urges us to wrestle with them.

An acquaintance of mine has recently been having fun teaching new words to his two year-old daughter. When his friends were over for dinner, he pointed at his shoulder and asked her, “What part of the body is this, Emily?” and she replied, “Clavicle! Clavicle!!!”. His friends were slack-jawed. The reason for her apparently supernatural linguistic ability is simply this: a two-year old can learn and say “clavicle” just as easily is she can learn and say “collarbone”. It’s still only three syllables, after all. So why not use and teach the more evocative, specific term? It's good to use and teach the vernacular as well, but - in terms of the capacity of the human mind - there’s absolutely no reason not to use and teach the accurate, technical, anatomical one. In fact, there’s every reason to do so.

Well, that’s all for now. I really must prosvonit my dad.

Barry Cooper has written course material for Christianity Explored, as well as training and speaking. He is the presenter of the Discipleship Explored DVD, launched in October 2008. He is currently on sabbatical in Chicago working towards an MA in Christian Studies.

PART ONE of a look into how words like propitiation lose their full meaning when we exchange them for simpler (non)equivalents.

Some words are hard to translate. There is just no simple equivalent in the English language.

Consider, for example, the word “prozvonit”. In Czech and Slovak this beautiful word means: “to call another person’s mobile phone, allowing it to ring only once, thus provoking the other person to return the call, and saving the caller from having to spend any money.”

Honestly, how have the British coped so long without being able to concisely communicate the sentiment so elegantly embodied by that single word “prozvonit”? It’s no wonder we lost the Empire.

And what about “hilasterion”? This beautiful Greek word means: “the satisfaction or appeasement which makes it possible for a just God to forgive sinners”. For a while, there was no equivalent in the English language. So, about 700 years ago, we decided to invent one: “propitiation”.

But sometimes words fall out of favor. In a winsome desire to make the meaning of the word more accessible to more people, we swapped the difficult word “propitiation" for simpler words like “atoning sacrifice” or simply “sacrifice”.

However, as it turns out, the simpler words we substituted were not strong enough to bear the weight borne by the original word. (If they were, of course, we wouldn’t have needed to invent a new one in the first place.) And so, as our substitute words quiver and buckle, they fumble and drop the muscular and frankly terrifying resonance of “propitiation”: the idea that we are sinners in the hands of a justly angry God; that God’s wrath must be appeased if we are to escape an eternity in hell; that God in his unfathomable love sent his only Son Jesus Christ who willingly paid the price for our sin so that we wouldn’t have to. 1 John 4:10 expresses it with stunning economy: God “loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Unfortunately, the word “sacrifice”, though more readily understood by more people, just cannot bear the depth and breadth of meaning carried by the word “propitiation”. And so, over time, we lose more than just the alienating, old-fashioned, overly technical word itself. We lose the meaning too. And in losing the meaning, we lose the implicit warning. As words fall out of favor, so too do the concepts attached to them, as surely as a millstone carries whatever is attached to it to the bottom of the ocean.

The reason I bring all this up is because, as a writer, I am sometimes asked by editors to make the words I use as simple as possible. After all, we want to reach as many as possible, while alienating as few as possible. There is some good sense in this, obviously. Language should be a bridge, not a fence.

But is it always true that simple words make sturdy bridges? Isn’t there a danger that, in our eagerness to communicate, we end up using simple words that do not actually convey what we want them to mean? We may have made a bridge, but is it taking people to the right place?

To be continued...

Barry Cooper has written course material for Christianity Explored, as well as training and speaking. He is the presenter of the Discipleship Explored DVD, launched in October 2008. He is currently on sabbatical in Chicago working towards an MA in Christian Studies.

Tim Chester, series editor of the Good Book Guide series, Bible teacher and church planter, explains why – when it comes to reading God’s word – there’s no one conclusive formula…

Reading and interpreting God’s word isn’t a neat process. My thoughts go off in all sorts of directions. While we should teach people key hermeneutical principles, we can’t give a step-by-step procedure. So I teach Bible interpretation by doing it with people.

What’s more, I’ve found that I learn so much more when I look at a passage with other people. It’s great. Time and again we gain an understanding of the text I would never have got to on my own. So many people think by talking ideas through with people. It seems crazy that our dominant model is someone sitting alone at a desk with a pile of books!

I have also begun using this model to some extent in our meetings. It’s a bit harder because people come with very different levels of understanding. I always do plenty of preparation and come with a clear idea of where I want to get to so it’s not quite the same. But I avoid going through a list of questions and instead invite people to interact with the text together.

What kind of questions do I use?

I don’t really have a one-size fits-all formula but I would usually start with something like:

• ‘What in the passage do you find striking?’
• ‘What in the passage do you find confusing?’

I often use those questions at the beginning of a study even if I’ve got a series of passage-specific questions. Doing so reveals how people are responding to the passage which means I at least know the starting point from which we need to work. But it can also mean people start out on the journey to the message of the passage which affirms their ability to handle the text.

One aim I always have when reading the Bible with people is to give them the confidence to read the Bible for themselves.

Another important question is ‘why?'

• ‘Why does it say this?’
• ‘Why here?’
• ‘Why does it say it in this way?’

I think people often miss this out. But it is key to getting to the heart of a passage and a key step in understanding its implications for us. It’s also a straightforward question for people to engage with.

Application (or, so what?)

In terms of application, one thing I have started doing is asking when we might use the passage or retell the story. For example, I was looking at Thomas in John 20 recently and ended by asking, ‘When might you retell this story of Thomas?’ The two main responses that we played around with were, as you might expect:

(1) A sceptical person in the context of evangelism. (The disciples weren’t gullible, some were sceptics like you, but they were persuaded by what they saw.)

(2) A Christian who is fearful. (The worst-case scenario is death, but death is no longer the last word, so Jesus can say, ‘Peace be with you’.)

In conversation people identified specific individuals in both categories.

We have often started a Bible study with some fictional (or semi-fictional) cameos of individuals with questions or issues. We discuss how we might respond. Then we study the Bible passage. And finally we return to the case studies to see how the passage speaks to those scenarios. Not only does this help application, but it creates at the beginning an expectation that this passage is going to have something relevant to say to real life.’

A Christianity Explored course leader, Jonathan Thomas, explains why, despite having run the course ten times or more, it has never become boring…

Once again we are going through Christianity Explored in our church, and once again I am so encouraged by and confident of the material. Last weekend I went and spoke at a Christianity Explored training day and again I was reminded how clear and deliberate the course is. I love the course for a number of reasons:

1. Christianity Explored believes in the sovereignty of God

• Despair when someone doesn’t become a Christian.
• Pride when someone does become a Christian.

2. Christianity Explored let’s a Gospel tell the gospel

I love the fact that we just walk through the Gospel of Mark and let it speak for itself. Indeed, the hope of CE is that people will meet the living Jesus as He walks off the pages of Mark.

3. Christianity Explored is heavy on integrity

This course does not hide stuff, over-emphasise stuff, or distort the gospel in any way. I love the fact that you can be 100% confident that you are telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

4. Christianity Explored is based within relationship

Meals, small group discussion and 1-1 friendships are vital parts of the course. People don’t just come, sit and listen. Relationship is a key.

5. Christianity Explored is a creative course

The DVD’s are great (if a little cheesy at points!). But more than that, the talks are full of passionate logic, challenging sayings, and good illustrations.

6. Christianity Explored goes through the pain barrier

Although I never want to do this in my flesh, I do believe that we need to do it. That is, we need to be honest about that which the Bible is honest about: the severity of Sin, the reality of judgment, and the physical nature of hell.

7. Christianity Explored makes sure that Jesus is the hero of every week

Hallelujah! I LOVE the fact that this course is not based on a personality other than Christ. I hate sitting in an ‘evangelistic’ event where you come out thinking the speaker is brilliant. This course constantly points to Jesus, and always shows how He is our saviour and Lord.

8. Christianity Explored understands that how people enter the faith is how they carry on

If we use the Bible sparingly and ignore painful truths when we are sharing the gospel with someone, that is how they will act when they are saved (this is taught and caught behaviour). In this course people are shown clearly the importance of Scripture and a desire to believe all that it teaches – no matter how painful.

9. Christianity Explored gives clear opportunities for people to become Christians

Although I am weary of ‘come up the front and give…’, I do think it is important to challenge people to respond to the gospel. I believe the course has got this just right. And that people are asked to respond to the true gospel.

10. Christianity Explored reminds me of the gospel

You’d think that doing the course nearly 10 times I would get bored of it. Actually, each time I am reminded of how sinful I am and how loved I am in the gospel. No matter how many times I hear it or say it, I cannot help but be encouraged by the phrase (stolen from Tim Keller apparently),’I am more wicked than I ever thought, but more loved than I ever dreamt.’

Find Out More

Responsibility. In today’s culture it’s become something of a dirty word. It’s tainted with the ‘spectres’ of answerability, obligation, loss of freedom, and even blame. But it’s also something we value (and even expect) from those we trust.

The lead article in the March issue of Youthwork magazine (a monthly UK publication for Christian youthworkers) asks the question: Where does the responsibility lie for young people’s spiritual growth – with youthworkers, the young people themselves or God? It’s a stimulating article which raises some interesting questions, especially about the overlap between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. It looks at the role of the youthworker, the wider church and the young people, and considers how they can all ‘team with God’ in the spiritual nurture of young people.

But one omission particularly struck me. This four-page article makes no mention of parents. Not even once.

Compare that with these quotes from Ian Fry, the director of the Youth & Children’s Work course at Oak Hill Theological College in North London:

God says that the prime responsibility for the spiritual nurture of children and adolescents lies with parents.

Christian youth work involves partnering with parents. The notion that young people are ‘handed over’ by parents for the children’s and youth leaders to evangelise and nurture ‘in church’ must be resisted. At the very least, youth workers are to supplement what parents are modelling and teaching in the home. At the very best, youth leaders gifted by God to teach adolescents will be rendering vital assistance to parents in their God-given responsibility.

You can read the whole of Ian’s article, and ten others by children’s and youth workers in the UK, in FAQs: Biblical answers to youth and children’s leaders questions.

Here at The Good Book Company we aim to provide resources that will support parents in their spiritual responsibility. In particular, Table Talk is designed to help parents to explore a little bit of the Bible each day with their children as part of family devotions. Table Talk is also linked with XTB – Bible-reading notes for 7-11s – so that children can learn to read the Bible for themselves. Our hope is that these resources will be a help and support to parents as they seek to bring their children up to know and love the Lord.

Alison Mitchell, Children’s Editor, The Good Book Company

Welcome to The Good Book Company's new website in Australia!

We've been around for 20 years in the UK where we have specialised in selling and promoting home-grown Australian resources to the whinging poms for their general edification and encouragement. And we'd like to say 'a big thank you' to the believers and churches in Australia who have been part of making such brilliant books and tools to help British Christians grow towards maturity in Christ.

During that time, we have been steadily building up a range of our own resources for helping Christians and churches grow and reach out to others, and we decided that the time was right to humbly offer a selected range to our brothers and sisters down under.