After studying the Bible for many years, I found this course and study material informative, concise and interesting. I believe that the lessons offered through the Gospels can be found in all major Religions of the world today. When read as stories, these 'nuggets of wisdom' gently slip through consciousness and into the deeper self. It is my belief that Wisdom does not belong solely to Christianity or Buddhism or Islam. When compared to other teachings, the Bible's encouragement towards gentleness and compassion speaks very clearly to our cultural and historic heritage, as many of us in North America were born into some expression of Christianity. We grew up understanding 'God', 'Church', and 'Heaven'. The Bible's four Gospels contain stories for children and adults, offering pause for reflection in almost any circumstance.
During my study of this course, 'The Four Gospels', I was struck with the unique nature of this Holy Book, and our western approach to Spirituality. Unlike so many other spiritual disciplines, our brand of Christianity allows for interpretation. We can, with full measure, allow these stories and lessons to sink into our hearts and spirits, and then re-tell the story in our own words. Anyone can do this! And if by some miracle, others appreciate our way of writing and interpreting the word of God, we find that we have brought a small spark of vision to the world.
The interpretation of the Four Gospels, in my opinion, did away with the disputable verses, questionable translations, and went straight to the point of giving examples of lives well lived, lessons learned, and illustrations of "good and evil" actions.
I don't usually like 'Americanized' bible translations, because they often become too simplistic. This book, while clearly not written for the Bible scholar, was 'juicy' and readable.
By Rev. Ann-Marie Blanchard
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