The Simplicity and Beauty of the Bible - Understanding the Bible: Head and Heart by Bob Dowell, PhD

Putting Things Into Perspective

Dr. Bob invites readers to peruse the Bible in PROSEPOE, the new and unique approach utilized in Understanding the Bible: Head and Heart.   He explains that prose speaks to the head, that poetry speaks to the heart, and that PROSEPOE—the juxtaposing of prose and poetry—speaks to both the head and heart simultaneously, thereby providing a perfect format for communicating the dual dimension of Bible narrative, its informational dimension and its spiritual dimension.  PROSEPOE enhances the head's understanding of what it hears and the heart's understanding of what it feels.

Believing his work to be providentially guided, Dr. Bob labored ten years bringing to fruition Understanding the Bible: Head and Heart. Because of length, it is divided into three parts  (Part One: The Old Testament, Part Two: Matthew through Acts, and Part Three: Romans through Revelation).  The work is interpretive Bible summary employing the new genre PROSEPOE, whereby each chapter is dually presented, first in prose then in poetry, for purposes of connecting head and heart in dual understanding.

Dr. Bob views Bible narrative as two dimensional, an informational dimension and a spiritual dimension, thus lending itself perfectly to the PROSEPOE dual interpretative format.  The spiritual dimension can be communicated more effectively through poetic mode because the poet's focus is on experience, on engaging the heart.  And is not the spirit more effectively engaged through the heart?

For example, when Jesus addresses the apostles with the question—"Who do you say I am?"—And Peter correctly answers—"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"—Jesus replies—"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man [through the head], but by my Father in heaven [through the heart]" (Matt 15: 15-17).  As Paul later testifies, "it is with your heart that you believe"  (Rom 10:10).

Premise:  spiritual understanding comes primarily through the heart, and the heart is more readily touched through poetry, a genre known to have done so through the ages.  Thus, I submit poetry, by nature experiential, a prudent choice for communicating the spiritual dimension of Bible narrative.  Prose explains.  Poetry transports.  Together, as PROSEPOE, they connect head and heart!

Check out Dr. Bob's PROPOSE theory by viewing it in practice. For a quick sampling of Part One: The Old Testament, the chapter on Jonah entitled "The Big Fish that Swallows" is recommended; for a quick sampling of Part Two: Matthew through Acts, the chapter on John entitled "In the Beginning" is recommended; and, for a quick sampling of Part Three: Romans through Revelation, the chapter on James entitled "Faith without Works" is recommended.

You can get you copy of Understanding the Bible: Head and Heart by Bob Dowell, PhD at Amazon in paper back, Kindle Edition and at Barnes and Noble.

For more information, readers can visit the author's website at Bible and Heart or communicate directly with him via email: dbob48@gmail.com.

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