BOOK DESCRIPTION
Teaching the Teacher: A First Book in Teacher Training was originally written to help Christian teachers understand the Bible well enough to communicate its message clearly and faithfully to others. John Gresham Machen, James Oscar Boyd, Walter Scott Athearn, and Harold McA. Robinson organized the material around the major periods of biblical history, using the persons, events, institutions, and religious developments of the Old Testament as the foundation for training those responsible for teaching Scripture.
The book moves from the world before Abraham through the patriarchs, Israel’s bondage in Egypt, the Exodus, Moses, the conquest of Canaan, the judges, the rise of the monarchy, David and Solomon, the divided kingdoms, the exile and restoration, the Persian period, Israel’s religious life, and the biblical expectation of the coming Messiah. These subjects provide more than historical information. They give the teacher material through which to develop the ability to organize biblical history, explain important events, identify their significance, and communicate Scripture in a way that helps students understand how the biblical record fits together.
THIS IS NOT A REPRINT OF THE ORIGINAL 1921 BOOK.
More than a century has passed since Teaching the Teacher was published. While its central purpose of preparing Christians to become better Bible teachers remains valuable and relevant, modern readers benefit from clearer organization, updated language, fuller historical explanation, and teaching methods suited to Christians living today.
This edition is a 21st-century update of the original work’s purpose. Biblical history remains the backbone of the teacher training, but the chapters are not intended merely to retell familiar accounts. Each major period is used to help the teacher understand what happened, why it mattered in its historical setting, how the events relate to the larger biblical record, and how that material can be explained accurately and clearly to others. The objective is to develop teachers who understand Scripture before attempting to teach it and who can communicate biblical truth without sacrificing accuracy for simplicity or interest.
Where necessary, the language, teaching methods, theological expressions, and interpretations of the original work have been revised to conform more closely to the historical-grammatical meaning of Scripture. Christian teachers must allow the Spirit-inspired written Word to determine what a passage means rather than relying upon allegory, imaginative interpretation, religious tradition, mystical impressions, or lessons imposed upon the text. Effective teaching begins with careful study of context, history, grammar, literary form, and authorial intention and then presents that meaning in language appropriate to the learner.
My prayer is that this updated edition of Teaching the Teacher will help Christians become better students of the Bible and more capable teachers of others. May it deepen their knowledge of biblical history, strengthen their ability to organize and explain Scripture, increase their respect for the inspired Word of Jehovah, and equip them to teach biblical truth with accuracy, clarity, patience, and conviction.
BOOK DETAILS
- Publisher: Christian Publishing House
- Publication Date: September 15, 2026
- Language: English
- Print Length: 318 pages
- ISBN-13: 979-8174627338
- Item Weight: 1.21 pounds
- Dimensions: 6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937) was an American Presbyterian theologian, New Testament scholar, educator, and influential defender of historic Christianity. Educated at Johns Hopkins University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and universities in Germany, he later taught New Testament at Princeton Seminary. In 1929, Machen helped establish Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, where he continued his work as a scholar and teacher. He was known for his vigorous defense of the authority of Scripture and the essential doctrines of the Christian faith during a period of growing theological liberalism. His best-known works include Christianity and Liberalism, The Virgin Birth of Christ, and New Testament Greek for Beginners. His writings continue to influence conservative Christian scholarship and biblical education.