Playing With Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul

This was a required text that I read for a ministry preparation class. I must say it is an excellently written book, straight from the author's pen, and right to my heart. I was encouraged to engage in different and more significant ways with Scripture and it has played an important part in re-igniting my heart for God's Word. This is an outstanding book and I could not give a greater recommendation for you to own, read, and re-read.

In Luke 24, we read of the resurrected Christ appearing to a couple of disciples on their journey to Emmaus. They were discouraged about the crucifixion and were blind to the fact that they were in fact talking to Jesus himself on the road home from Jerusalem. The Lord explained to them what the Scripture said concerning the Messiah, and in time, he left them. But at the end of his time with them, he allowed them to see that they were speaking with Jesus himself. They responded in Luke 24:32, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Does your heart “burn” when you read the Scripture? If not, Walt Russell, the author of Playing with Fire, contends that it should. In this wonderful resource, Russell teaches the reader how to effectively interpret the Bible so that she can make personal application to her life using the whole counsel of Scripture. This book will enable you to unlock the truths of the God’s word in a whole new, and accurate, way.

Walt Russell did a great job by organizing all 66 books of the Bible into individual genre and further explained each of the genres. The goal of this book is to inspire Bible reader to experience a spiritual transformation through a deeper discovery of the power within God’s Word. I am so glad to have come across this book.

The author is a colleague of my husband's. Frankly, I had a bit of an attitude about this book ten years ago after a day long seminar because I was ignorant and felt Russell might be overly confining God. Spring semester 2008 it was my text book for Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation at Biola University. Midway through the book I found myself apologizing to Walt Russell for my previous attitude and utter ignorance and told him how much this book has helped me correctly read, understand and apply the Bible in my life. He received my confession with great amusement and humility. This book will help you understand how we all mis-read and mis-apply scripture in ingnorance. Russell is rock solid in his qualifications & knowledge as a scholar and this is a great book written for the common man. Easy read; IMPORTANT read.

We have used this book for our discipleship program at our church and it has helped our congregation out greatly. One of the best books on hermeneutics out there. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Professor Russell for your work on this book. It has blessed my church greatly.

This book is effectively teaching me how to read the Bible in order to be shaped by it. It’s been the most impactful books I’ve read in the past few year.

'Playing with Fire. How the Bible Ignites Change in your soul' comes highly recommended. In an age when most Christians are only looking for 'self help' books this book I refer to as a Reference book. I tell my students that this book has information that can be referenced over and over each time they intend to study a new book/genre of the Bible. Work has rewards. When a person invests time and effort into the study of God's Word there are life long rewards. Playing with Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul

"Playing With Fire" is filled with lots of good information about how to interpret the Bible accurately. I have not seen or read a hermeneutic book that equals this one!