Cover to Cover

In his introduction, Dr. Logan states that he had two goals in mind when embarking on "Cover to Cover". The second of these was to stimulate interest in the Bible as a whole, from cover to cover, rather than the commonly read passages the Bible. God rarely places all the data regarding a subject on one page of Scripture, so the author contends that to get what he calls "the panoramic view" of a theme, strands of truth have to be drawn in from various areas of the Word of God. Clark has used his extensive Bible knowledge to explore different aspects of a range of subjects. Readers will be encouraged to broaden their own approach to the Scriptures, by familiarising themselves with the whole Book rather than being specialists in limited areas of the Bible. When Joshua was very elderly, there was "yet very much land to be possessed" (Josh 13.1). If that is true of your approach to the Bible, this book could motivate you to forge into new territory. However, the primary aim of the book is to present concise expositions of major Bible themes. Some of these are fundamental to Christian belief, described as "Central Themes". After first establishing that our only point of reference is the Bible, the inspired Word of God, Dr. Logan then explores its teaching about the Author Himself, His archenemy the devil, and other crucial subjects. There is the disclaimer that none of the themes is developed as an "in-depth study"; nevertheless, there is a fairly comprehensive treatment of each issue, with few stones left unturned; the book does not merely skim the surface of these great truths. A shorter section of the book is devoted to "Contrasting Themes", demonstrating that very often in the Bible, things that are apparently at variance, such as light and darkness, are placed in juxtaposition to elicit valuable spiritual lessons. Again, these are threads that run from "Cover to Cover" and for our benefit, the author has skilfully teased them out of the various areas of the Word where they feature. While the first two sections of the book are not bereft of practical matters that are crucial to Christian living, it is in the third section entitled "Challenging Themes", that matters are drawn from the inspired writings to demonstrate God's demands on His own people as to their attitudes and conduct. Ultimately it arrives back at the point where the treatise commenced; what is our attitude to this precious revelation from God that we call The Holy Bible? Clark appeals for a disciplined approach to both the reading and study of the Scriptures, with helpful advice at a very practical level.