Tools to Unearth the Bible's Treasure
Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach
“In our work with university students in London, we’ve seen people get the Bible right and watched their eyes light up with excitement at new truths and seen their lives changed by the word of God. It’s been a privilege to witness that. But we’ve also seen people get the Bible wrong and end up in trouble or even losing their faith altogether. And that breaks our hearts. That’s why we’ve written this book.”
Dig Deeper is so welcome because it is so straightforward. In a generation of widespread Biblical illiteracy, Beynon and Sach attempt to put together a toolkit that will allow the lay-Christian to grapple with the Bible on its own terms. They succeed. As such, it is surprisingly difficult to write a review for this book; nothing new or revolutionary is brought to the table here. However, as it is essentially a manual teaching us how to read the Bible, this is probably a good thing.
The great achievement of Dig Deeper, then, lies in its striking accessibility. It is written fantastically well, deceivingly so; never once does the book feel dry or academic and never once does it feel patronising. Toeing this line in the “how to read the Bible” genre is quite remarkable. The restraint of Beynon and Sach is further to be admired. For each tool, far more could have been written and more depth given. The danger of doing so, on the other hand, would be putting off the lay-Christian. The decision to not do so exposes the virtuous ruthlessness of Beynon and Sach in sticking to their purpose; it can be read in a single sitting quite comfortably.
My heart did not burn within me as I read Dig Deeper, its aftertaste was slightly underwhelming and my walk with Jesus did not seem to be changed by reading it. But this shows the genius of the book. It does not want to change my life itself, it wants my life to be changed by Scripture. And through placing the tools for this to happen in the reader’s hands, it does this.
6/10