Made Harder Series

[Crypto 534]

I've seen several of the books in the "Made Harder" series such as can been seen

Here:

http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/madeharder/

 

and Here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=James+E.+Faulconer&search-alias=books&field-author=James+E.+Faulconer&sort=relevancerank

And was wondering if anyone has read or used them. I was thinking about possibly getting one or some of them for scripture study, but was unsure if it would be worth it or not. I would like to hear about your thoughts, or reviews of them.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Crypto

[Guest]

I think we need to more faithfully study the standard works as a church before we add things like this.

[Crypto 534]

Its mainly a book filled with questions to prompt deep thought. It looks to be used with the standard works (as in is nearly useless without reading them side by side). Which is why I was curious about what people think about it.

Thanks for your thoughts :) You replied really quickly! 

Edited September 9, 2015 by Crypto

[Vort 14645]

To a great extent, these are questions that anyone doing a careful reading of the scriptures would just obviously ask. I think the books are useful as a sort of list of helpful hints for the young (in scripture-reading terms), but I'm not sure I would explicitly include them in a Sunday School lesson. Great starting point for asking questions to generate understanding.

[james12 444]

James E. Faulconer wrote another little book about scripture study called (unsurprisingly), Scripture Study: Tools and Suggestions. It does not contain questions about every verse like the Made Harder series does, but instead it outlines important methods of scripture study.

 

So many just skim the surface of the scriptures over and over again as if they were cheap novels. His little book will tell you how to really study each word, how to ask questions from a number of angles, how to outline a section for clarity, how to study words in the Bible without needing to learn Hebrew and Greek.

 

I highly recommend it. Take what he provides in this little book and dig deep into a passage of scripture on your own. Studying in this manner has almost always brought me new and significant insight. 

[Just_A_Guy 10477]

I hear lots of good things about the Made Harder books, but when it comes to using limited funds to purchase study aids--there are other books that are much higher up on my wish list.

 

Incidentally - Ben Spackman's running commentary on this year's NT curriculum is spectacular (and, free!) (though he accepts donations).

[Crypto 534]

Interestingly enough the article of Ben Spackman's I first looked at starts off with a quote from the very series I was asking about. It seems like a good supplement. Thanks for pointing it out  :)