(Part 1)

JBTM Book Reviews
160
theology and dean of the School of Religion at Liberty University and dean of the Liberty
Baptist Theological Seminary. Towns holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and a
DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary. Hindson and Towns have served together on the
faculty of Liberty University for more than thirty years.
Hindson and Towns believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is more important
than any other book. The authors have almost one hundred years of combined experience
teaching biblical survey courses. Their reason for writing this book was “to provide a collegelevel
textbook that is accessible to students and layman alike.” Therefore, the authors have
not provided “technical discussions of authorship and genre” (xi). The authors, however,
provide a concise, non-technical discussion of the structure and genre of each book as well
as a brief and helpful discussion of the characteristics of Hebrew poetry.
The introductory chapters include a discussion of the historical development of the Bible
and a discussion of how to interpret and apply the Bible to life. The remainder of the book
is primarily a summary of the message of each book of the Bible. Although the differences
between the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible and the English Old Testament are
noted, this textbook follows the English Old Testament.
While mentioning the difficulties of precisely identifying the author of most the Old
Testament books, Hindson and Towns consistently provide reasons for accepting the
traditional authorship of each book. Internal evidence from the biblical text is regularly cited
as support for traditional authorship.
In addition to a summary of the message of the book, each chapter provides a concise
discussion of the background and structure and an outline of the book. A chart summarizing
the key facts of each book is provided at the beginning of each chapter. A reflection section that
encourages the reader’s personal spiritual growth is also included. Each chapter concludes
with a short discussion of practical ways to apply the book’s message. A listing of books is
provided in “For Further Readings” to aid readers who desire to engage in further study. Also,
study questions are provided that can be used as discussion starters or review questions.
The “Reflection” and “Practical Application” sections are features that are not included in
many college textbooks. These sections demonstrate that the authors are not just concerned
with providing information, but also concerned with the spiritual developmental of the
readers. Laypersons who may have some difficulty applying the biblical passages should find
these sections helpful.
The inclusion of the word Illustrated in the title of the book is certainly appropriate.
In addition to numerous photographs of relevant geographical locations and archeological
artifacts, the text contains multiple maps, charts that summarize key concepts, and
illustrations of items such as the tabernacle. An index of names, an index of subjects, and a