A New Discipline: Core 52

Recently, I have been accepted on three separate launch teams to review books for WaterBrook and Multnomah Book Launch Team @waterbrookmultnomah#partner.   I'm excited to  read and review once again.  Summertime is the perfect time to read and begin new disciplines.  Most people choose to do this in January, when making resolutions is all the fad, but summertime is a perfect time to choose to do or learn something new or in the case of Mark E. Moore's new book... build your bible IQ.

Core 52 : A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide To Build Your Bible IQ In A Year,  written by Mark E. Moore, teaching pastor at Christ's Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona, formerly a New Testament professor at Ozark Christian College for twenty-two years, presents the reader with a 52 week plan to learn 52 core texts and concepts of the bible.  Moore lays out a five day plan for each week's topic. Day 1. Read the essay and the three key points to check for comprehension.
                      Day 2. Memorize the core text and review verses from the previous two weeks.
                      Day 3. Read a story or other passage from the bible that illustrates the text of the week.
                      Day 4. Read through three trajectory passages.
                      Day 5. Put it into practice by making time to include an action step, directly applying                          what was learned in the week's lesson.
Moore states that "if you can carve out fifteen minutes a day, five days a week, for one year, you'll know the vast majority of what every preacher preaches."  He backs up this statement by telling the reader he has applied the Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule to the bible.  The Pareto principle says 20 percent of one's effort yields 80 percent of the results.  Moore encourages his readers by affirming his plan, "with this core, you can go further faster, moving from curiosity to confidence."

After reading through a few weeks of topics I have found that Moore has done a fine job of melding the old and new testament together to explain various concepts.   He also uses the bible passages in context as they should be used to make his points, which is important to have reliable bible learning. Some bible study writers pull bible verses and passages out to illustrate a point being made but do not hold the text to the integrity it was intended, I have not found this to be so in Moore's book.

One  comment I might make is that both the church Pastor Moore is currently at and the college he formerly taught at as a professor are non-denominational christian organizations.  I make this observation because I myself am a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  I have many friends from various denominational backgrounds.  Through biblical discussions we often vary on some of our viewpoints concerning theology and bible interpretation. I found a few topics in Core 52
that not surprisingly did not align with my Lutheran beliefs, however that does not change my mind that Moore has written a solid tool for learning some core foundations of the bible.  I would just suggest that anyone reading the book that stumbles upon a section that seems to differ from what their particular denomination or previous teaching has upheld, do further study and/or ask their pastor for clarification.

Overall, Moore has developed a good resource to build some daily bible study discipline and common bible knowledge.  I feel that  Core 52 : A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide To Build Your Bible IQ In A Year, when used wisely according to each person's beliefs, can be a helpful aid in becoming more confident in bible knowledge.

**I received an advanced reader copy from WaterBrook and Multnomah and was asked to read the book and to publish an honest review which I have.

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