Books Needed for December, January, February

 Henry Eyster Jacobs - A Summary of the Christian Faith

We will use this after each of three Advent services in December. I hope to have a study guide for the book. If that works out, I will cite Jacobs based on these page numbers.

Jacobs' Summary of the Christian Faith is a masterpiece - clear, plainly written, and faithful to the Scriptures.

 John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is the most read book, after the KJV Bible, in the English language.

My high school English teacher said we were ignorant if we had never read Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. That gnawed at me for a long time. At my favorite antiquarian book store in Phoenix, I found  Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress from the Limited Editions Book Club. That edition is so beautiful that we have given it to friends to read and enjoy. If you want that edition, let me know and I can fill you in on its merits and the cost in the used market. The club went out of business. Some of their books cost $2,000 to $3,000 used because they are in such demand. Pilgrim's Progress is one of the bargains.

 Stephen W. Paine Beginning Greek: A Functional Approach

can be found at a decent price, $20 - 35, used, from Amazon, Alibris, or other sources.

 This is a basic commentary on John's Gospel. It is available as a free PDF, Kindle, and author's cost print book.

Stephen W. Paine Beginning Greek: A Functional Approach will be our textbook for the Gospel of John class, which starts Ash Wednesday. We will start slowly, assuming we have newcomers. This is also useful for those who have taken the course before or taken some Greek elsewhere. We will concentrate on the content and reading. 

We learn grammar and vocabulary by reading, not by memorizing lists of grammar rules (snore) and vocabulary (not relevant to the brain). No culture teaches babies how to speak with grammar rules and vocabulary flash cards. Moreover, those who read a lot of worthwhile books will acquire knowledge of grammar and an impressive vocabulary.

Hooked on reading worked for me - Miller's Analogy Test, ACT, SAT, Grad Record Exam. Those tests won me a lot of free tuition - Augustana College BA, Notre Dame MA, PhD. 

Greek and Latin are essential for knowing our culture because all the great English writers were raised on Latin and Greek.