God inhabits the Bible. It has the astounding power to shape and reshape lives. The stories of people like Francis of Assisi, Antony of Egypt, Martin Luther, and Martin Luther King Jr. vividly demonstrate this.

So why are more of us not being transformed by Scripture today?

Many of us simply need to learn to read Scripture in a whole new way. In these pages Chris Webb encourages us to transform our Christian life by reading as lovers rather than as theorists — allowing the Bible to utterly captivate both our minds and our hearts. He shows us how we can learn to read Scripture afresh, as a book infused with the living presence of God. We will discover how our reading will realign our reality individually and communally, taking us beyond the pages into a renewed way of life.

When we open the Bible, it does not point into the far distance and say to us, ​“God is there!” Instead the Spirit draws near and whispers through each line, ​“Look: I am here.” Come, discover a reading of Scripture that opens our hearts to the living Word of God.

“Christopher Webb has accomplished what few have succeeded in doing: he has given us courageous openings onto what a life hid with Christ in God can be like. As I read this book, I felt the words on the page calling out to me, inviting me into a deeper, fuller way of living … a way of living that is joyfully creative and soul-expanding. I commend to you The Fire of the Word.… It is a book which will both teach and delight. Tolle, lege — take, and read.” — from the foreword by Richard J. Foster

2011