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The Form of the Word: Making Sense of Scripture in the Body of Christ
Has reading scripture become stale or lifeless in your church?
Do competing understandings of the Bible cause division in your congregation?
In The Form of the Making Sense of Scripture in the Body of Christ, New Testament scholar Steven E. Fowl offers the expertise of a teacher and the guidance of a pastor to help readers come to a deeper and more expansive understanding of the biblical story.
This clear and accessible book is and lay leaders who need a framework for approaching the Bible with their congregations in these polarized timesChurches and and small groups looking for a deeper and more faithful understanding of God’s salvation as explored in scriptureCongregations looking to make sense of Scripture and be the body of Christ together.
You’ll come away with a clear and expansive framework for linking together the Bible’s diverse texts around the person of Christ and God’s redemptive work in the world.
Breathe new life into your community’s reading of scripture as you discover the shared language and essential understanding your congregation needs.
Do competing understandings of the Bible cause division in your congregation?
In The Form of the Making Sense of Scripture in the Body of Christ, New Testament scholar Steven E. Fowl offers the expertise of a teacher and the guidance of a pastor to help readers come to a deeper and more expansive understanding of the biblical story.
This clear and accessible book is and lay leaders who need a framework for approaching the Bible with their congregations in these polarized timesChurches and and small groups looking for a deeper and more faithful understanding of God’s salvation as explored in scriptureCongregations looking to make sense of Scripture and be the body of Christ together.
You’ll come away with a clear and expansive framework for linking together the Bible’s diverse texts around the person of Christ and God’s redemptive work in the world.
Breathe new life into your community’s reading of scripture as you discover the shared language and essential understanding your congregation needs.
139 pages, Paperback
Published June 27, 2025
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About the author
Stephen E. Fowl
27 books5 followersDr. Stephen E. Nowl is the chair of the Department of Theology at Loyola University Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 17, 2025
As a former high school debate and later an analyst, I have come to appreciate that my deep conversations in the past decade go awry most often when I fail to define “what I mean when I say” a word or phrase or idea with my conversation partner. That translates to my church and our society at large too. As Inigo Montoya, the great Princess Bride philosopher, says, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Dr. Stephen E. Fowl’s primary purpose in The Form of the Word: Making Sense of Scripture in the Body of Christ, is to give churches that common foundation and language from which to have larger conversations. I appreciate his forthright statement that such is his goal in the introduction and that his intended audience is pastors and lay leaders. Equally clear in the introduction and throughout the book is his helpful metaphor of the Scripture as both a drama in which God is bringing his creation back to himself, and a guide through which we too may see ourselves as part of that ongoing reconciliation.
Dr. Fowl writes with a clarity and simplicity I frankly did not expect from a seminary dean; a broad range of church audiences should find this book helpful. Another strength is Dr. Fowl’s ability to walk across the broad biblical narrative arc in a way that is likely to be approachable by those first experiencing the Word and refreshing to those like me who have been in church since the womb.
A final word of affirmation from this former debater—Dr. Fowl clearly explains what he is discussing and what he is not. Given our current times, a discussion of ancient Israel in the Bible will bring up conversations about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Dr. Fowl draws lines around what is and is not within the bounds of his scene setters with enough grace and clarity that churches should be able to make wise decisions about discussions in their congregations.
The Form of the Word is a brief, approachable, level-setting introduction to the Bible as a complex but unified whole, a single narrative of God’s redemptive love of humanity comprised of smaller parts that nonetheless form a coherent arrow pointing right back to the amazing God who gave it to us.
Dr. Stephen E. Fowl’s primary purpose in The Form of the Word: Making Sense of Scripture in the Body of Christ, is to give churches that common foundation and language from which to have larger conversations. I appreciate his forthright statement that such is his goal in the introduction and that his intended audience is pastors and lay leaders. Equally clear in the introduction and throughout the book is his helpful metaphor of the Scripture as both a drama in which God is bringing his creation back to himself, and a guide through which we too may see ourselves as part of that ongoing reconciliation.
Dr. Fowl writes with a clarity and simplicity I frankly did not expect from a seminary dean; a broad range of church audiences should find this book helpful. Another strength is Dr. Fowl’s ability to walk across the broad biblical narrative arc in a way that is likely to be approachable by those first experiencing the Word and refreshing to those like me who have been in church since the womb.
A final word of affirmation from this former debater—Dr. Fowl clearly explains what he is discussing and what he is not. Given our current times, a discussion of ancient Israel in the Bible will bring up conversations about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Dr. Fowl draws lines around what is and is not within the bounds of his scene setters with enough grace and clarity that churches should be able to make wise decisions about discussions in their congregations.
The Form of the Word is a brief, approachable, level-setting introduction to the Bible as a complex but unified whole, a single narrative of God’s redemptive love of humanity comprised of smaller parts that nonetheless form a coherent arrow pointing right back to the amazing God who gave it to us.
October 5, 2025
This book lays the framework for a congregation to approach scripture as a cohesive unit. It does not get into interpretation but leaves that to each church. It helps guide loving disagreement. It takes the reader through a cursory view of scripture laying a framework for how to read the big picture through a salvation lens.
Each chapter opens with a prayer and includes extensive scripture reading and discussion questions.
This would make an excellent first-time visitor gift.
Each chapter opens with a prayer and includes extensive scripture reading and discussion questions.
This would make an excellent first-time visitor gift.
October 9, 2025
The question this book addresses is, How is all of Scripture cohesive? To explore the shape of the biblical narrative, chapters are generally chronological, but each chapter is thematic, so they pull together threads from across Scripture.
My favorite element about this book's tone is how the author side-steps divisions with a "mere Christianity" approach, particularly about Creation, Israel, and Eschatology. Up front, he says there is more that could be said, or said differently, about each topic.
This slim volume is designed to launch your congregation into further discussion. It focuses on reading the actual Scripture passages together. Each chapter is framed by opening and closing prayers adapted from Scripture or a prayer book.
**received a copy of the book from the publisher**
My favorite element about this book's tone is how the author side-steps divisions with a "mere Christianity" approach, particularly about Creation, Israel, and Eschatology. Up front, he says there is more that could be said, or said differently, about each topic.
This slim volume is designed to launch your congregation into further discussion. It focuses on reading the actual Scripture passages together. Each chapter is framed by opening and closing prayers adapted from Scripture or a prayer book.
**received a copy of the book from the publisher**
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews