This book has a great layout, with little columns off to the side featuring bits of extra info. The print is large and the layout is uncluttered, so even though there's lots of ground to cover, you can skim thru without getting a headache. Each chapter has a good amount of information, not too much to bore the reader and not too little to make it not worth reading. Written in a carefree but informative style.

With a title like "Bible for Blockheads," you might tend to think this book is a bit too dumbed down for all but the totally biblically illiterate. And though it's true that a newcomer to the Bible can immediately profit from this book, it has much more to offer than first meets the eye.

Connelly is sensitive to the historical and literary context of each book, letting it speak for itself and address the original audience's concerns, rather than simply supporting church dogma. Sure, it has cute pictures and avoids technical theological language, but behind its simplicity lies a rather profound understanding of the nature and purpose of a biblical text.

A refreshingly straightforward everyman's guide to the Bible.

Accurate, clear and enjoyable. Three ingredients necessary for cutting through the fog of yesteryear's grandiloquent, ho-hum reference works.

Connelly offers a general overview of each Bible book and sets a context allowing the passage to make sense. He provides the skeleton on which the story comes to life to reveal the intended meaning of the authors to farmers, kings and surfers.

In covering the big three bases, Connelly has hit a home run with "The Bible for Blockheads".

I bought this book for every member of a Bible class that I am teaching, for women new to the Christian faith. They wanted to study the Scriptures but were intimidated by going through them alone. This study was more than I can ask for. It asks thoughtful questions that cause one to pause and consider the Scripture before moving on. It even has a leader's guide in the back of the book. For the price and the content, this book is great. Don't expect long expositions on the passages, just catalyst questions that make the reader apply the meaning of the Word to everyday life. Great for discussion oriented small groups or personal study. Buy this book for every member of the group, because everyone needs their own personal copies. Great Job, Mr. Connelly!

Wisdom From a Pastor's Heart by Doug Connelly is a practical devotional guide for men and women seeking to nurture their faith in God. The book is a compilation of thought-provoking insights that address a variety of relevant issues, such as marriage, parenting, suffering and forgiveness. Each section of Wisdom From a Pastor's Heart will enrich and enlighten the reader.

Very good overview of pre, mid., and post trib. rapture and everything related. E.U., Danial's dreams and other religions are not covered here. Not for the very new Christian.

I read Eadie's book and found it facinating, and vivid in imagination, that would make one truly believe. At frist, I didn't want to read this book because I thought it was filled with jealousy. I did read it, though, and was amazed at what I learned about the difference in being Mormon and Christian. If you use the BIBLE as your baseline for facts (as Connelly did who compared the points quite nicely), then we are being "deceived". At the same time, I feel that there are truths to what Eadie says "God is Love". If you want the "other side of the truth", you'll certainly want to read this book.

Douglas Connelly's new book has the fascinating subtitle What the Bible Really Says. I was very disappointed to find that it is overflowing with things the Bible really does not say. Connelly's title is misleading because the vast majority of his book is speculation--very interesting, but speculative. Here's an example: "The second genealogy of Jesus recorded in Luke's Gospel [sic] most likely traces Jesus' heritage through Mary," (36). When Matthew 1:1-16 is compared to Luke 3:23-38, one cannot help noticing many differences, including the name of Joseph's father. But one thing is certain-the name before Jesus' in both trees is "Joseph." In both cases "Joseph" refers to the husband of Mary: "Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born" (Matt. 1:16) and "Jesus being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli" (Lk. 3:23). Theories that "Joseph" was the name of Jesus' maternal grandfather are interesting, but not substantiated by scriptural (or traditional) evidence. Another example on page 82 reads: "One common misconception about [Joseph & Mary finding Jesus in the Temple] is that Jesus was teaching the religious leaders of Israel. Luke makes it clear that Jesus was listening to the teachers and asking them questions (Luke 2:46). In this setting, Jesus was the learner, not the teacher." This opinion is not only unfounded, but called into question by the fact that Jesus frequently taught by asking questions (Matt. 5:46-47, 6:27, 7:3, 22:41-45; Mk. 8:36; Lk. 6:9). Jesus may have been "the learner" or "the teacher" or both. All who heard Him that day were astonished by "His answers," (Lk. 2:47). Connelly speculates about every subject imaginable, from Joseph's age to what Mary was thinking at any number of moments. This information is not found in the pages of the Bible. I don't mind good historical fiction, but the book is called Mary: What the Bible Really Says, not Likely Stories of the Life of Mary. Connelly's book has some good features. He considers Mary, too often ignored by Protestants, a model of persevering obedience, active reflection and meditation, and courageous vulnerability. All Christians, he believes, would indeed do well to imitate her virtues. But the title of the book belies its speculative content. The majority of the book is not What the Bible Really Says.

I found this book to be a great start for people who are not sure what to think of Mary. Connelly really made it clear what kind of life she lived and explained what it took to be the mother of the Son of God.