Reading Between the Verses

A Modern Reader’s Guide to Scripture’s Toughest Questions

Reading Between the Verses

For Christians, seekers and doubters who get stuck on the hard parts.

Reading Between the Verses by Daniel E. Smith: an open Bible lit gold under a library of shelves, with the title highlighted in yellow.

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Most of the Bible, you know how to read.

Then there are the hard parts.

  • Violence in the Old Testament.
  • Prayers that go unanswered.
  • Suffering.
  • Passages that seem to disagree.
  • Judgment and hell.

Take on the whole armor of God...

In the beginning was the word, and the...

Blessed are the pure in heart, for...

For God so loved the world, that He...

How the book reads a hard passage

Skip past
  1. 1. The history and language behind it
  2. 2. How Christians have read it over the centuries
  3. 3. Room for you to think
  • Violence in the Old Testament
  • Unanswered prayer
  • Suffering
  • Passages that disagree
  • Judgment and hell

Inside the book

  1. Violence in the Old Testament

    The history and language behind the hardest stories, and how the church has wrestled with them.

  2. Unanswered prayer

    When prayers seem to go unheard: the passages behind the question, and how Christians have read them.

  3. Suffering

    The passages that wrestle with pain, and the ways Christians have read them over the centuries.

  4. Passages that seem to disagree

    Texts that seem to contradict each other, set in their history and language, so you can see what each one is saying.

  5. Judgment and hell

    What the words behind judgment and hell meant to their first readers, and the range of ways Christians have read them.

Every chapter ends with discussion questions, for personal study or a small group.

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About the author

Daniel E. Smith

Bible teacher and writer

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Read a chapter first

Get a sample chapter and its discussion questions, ready for personal study or your small group.

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Reading Between the Verses by Daniel E. Smith

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Format

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For small groups and churches

Every chapter ends with discussion questions. Order copies for your group or church.

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Questions

Who is this book for?

Christians, seekers and doubters who read the Bible and get stuck on the hard parts. It works for personal study or for a small group.

Do I need to be a Christian to read it?

No. It is written for seekers and doubters as well as believers. Each chapter sets out the history behind a passage and how Christians have read it, then leaves room for you to think.

Does it work for a small group?

Yes. Every chapter ends with discussion questions.

What formats are there?

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Is this a real book?

Not yet. This is a sample page for a concept book, made for Bookkreative's portfolio. The cover is a concept and the author is made up. Nothing is published or on sale.