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Weekly Brief is your 1-minute smart and fast report to keep you informed of important Bible-related trends, statistics, articles, and pivotal happenings on the Web and at Bible Gateway. Forward to your friends and share with your followers to encourage them to subscribe.


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Bills Passed in Two States to Allow Bible to be Taught in Public Schools

The Idaho Senate approved a bill to expressly permit use of the Bible in state public schools as a reference. Read more from The Spokesman-Review. And the Kentucky Senate Education Committee unanimously passed a bill that would allow Bible literacy courses to be taught in that state's public schools. Read more from WKYT.

Two Bible Teachers Died: Jerry Bridges and Gary Smalley

Jerry Bridges, 86, the author who challenged more than a million readers to take seriously God’s command for holiness, died March 6. Read more from Christian Today. See books and curriculum by Jerry Bridges in the Bible Gateway Store.

And Gary Smalley, who wrote more than 60 books on relationships and worked closely with Focus on the Family, also died March 6. He was 75. Read more from Christian Today. See books and curriculum by Gary Smalley in the Bible Gateway Store.

500th Anniversary: Erasmus’ Greek New Testament Changed History

On March 1, 1516, the Dutch priest Desiderius Erasmus published the Greek New Testament's first ever "critical edition," credited with changing Bible translation, preaching, and even the course of church history. Read more from Baptist Press. See biblical Greek resources in the Bible Gateway Store. Also read The Mounce Reverse-Interlinear™ New Testament (MOUNCE), as well as The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), or other Greek New Testaments on Bible Gateway.

See more Bible-related articles in this week's Bible News Roundup.

See previous editions of Bible News Roundup and Weekly Brief.

Do Away with Banner Ads on Bible Gateway—Here's How

Bible Gateway is staying the same in offering free access to the Bible and related resources. But in addition, try our new membership program Bible Gateway Plus that features a banner ad-free experience for you and instant access to more digital Bible study books! Learn more and try it for 30 days FREE!

Making Sense of the Bible: An Interview with David Whitehead

The Bible can seem like an intimidating book, but it may be easier to understand than you think. Bible Gateway interviewed pastor David Whitehead about his book, Making Sense of the Bible: How to Connect with God Through His Word (Bethany House, 2014). Read this interview.

Good God and Suffering: An Interview with Lucas Miles

For people facing tragedy, all of God's goodness witnessed in his creative work and the message of the cross fades as they entertain thoughts that he allows pain and heartache in their lives. But should God be seen as the source of our pain? Is he really the one who initiates suffering? Bible Gateway interviewed Lucas Miles about his book, Good God: The One We Want to Believe In but Are Afraid to Embrace (Worthy Publishing, 2016). Read this interview.

3 Ways to Wisdom: A Guest Blog Post by Gwen Smith

Do you wonder how you can make a difference in the world when you feel like just an ordinary person? In her book, I Want It All: Exchanging Your Average Life for Deeper Faith, Greater Power, and More Impact (David C. Cook, 2016), songwriter Gwen Smith says God created you for exceptional impact, power, and blessings. She encourages readers not to dismiss God’s plans for their lives. Read this excerpt from the book.

International Women’s Day: Resources For and About Women of Faith

We took advantage of International Women’s Day (March 8) to not only celebrate the contributions of women to history and culture, but to also consider the ways in which women shaped the history of the Bible and Christianity, and continue to lead and influence the faith today. Read more.

Browse Christian books for women in the Bible Gateway Store.

Studying a Biblical Character

In this 17th lesson about studying the Bible, pastor and author Mel Lawrenz says, "Scripture is like a great drama with one main character, God, and multitudes of supporting characters. The Bible contains truth that is incarnate in God himself and in the real-life stories of the people God moved. A character study explores the biography of a real biblical person and the inner qualities that made him or her great or evil, or both." If you want to study the Bible better, read this installment of his series on our Blog and encourage your friends and followers to receive it by email.

Also read previous articles in the How to Study the Bible series on such topics as the best way to approach your study; how Scripture examines us; the roles observation and curiosity play; how to develop a biblical vocabulary; what a topical study is; and much more.

See Bible reference books in the Bible Gateway Store.

Letters to the Church: Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians

The “Pauline epistles”—letters written by the influential apostle Paul—are particularly central to Christian belief. Join us each Monday as we take a look at a different epistle. This week we're looking at Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. He was a prisoner when he wrote this and it stands out as one of his most personal letters. Read more.

Is Easter Based on a Pagan Holiday?

There never has been a direct association of the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus with a pagan deity. The celebration of the day of resurrection fell on the month of Eastre (West Saxon) or Eostre (Northumbrian). So it was a time of year that was the association, the name of a month. Read more.


ENJOY SAVINGS on Lent and Easter resources in the Bible Gateway Store!


Share the Bible Gateway “Holy Week” Infographic in Your Church

“Holy Week” is the name given to identify the final days leading to Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection. As Holy Week unfolds, a large cast of characters play out a powerful emotional drama. But the story’s depth makes it somewhat complex. To help you track the people, places, and events of Holy Week day-by-day, Bible Gateway has prepared an infographic that visualizes each of the different strands of the Easter story as they lead to Easter Sunday. Print this Infographic and distribute it with your church bulletin in advance of Easter.

You Can Still Choose a Lent Devotional Experience

During Lent, whether you're a longtime Christian or are simply curious about Jesus Christ, use these free email devotionals to help you focus your journey toward Easter. Read more.

Sequel to the Movie God's Not Dead

The movie God's Not Dead 2 will be in theaters in April. It's based on the just-released book Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question by Rice Broocks (W Publishing, 2016), which examines the evidence for the historical Jesus and exposes the notions of skeptics that Jesus was a contrived figure of ancient mythology. Read more.

Bible Spotlight: New Life Version

This feature in the Weekly Brief is intended to help you become aware of the plethora of Bible versions available for you to freely read on Bible Gateway. This week, learn about and read the New Life Version (NLV).

Free Course: How to Choose a Bible Translation

Learn how to choose the best Bible translations. Discover how we know the Bible we possess is really God’s Word. This new online course is a $20 value but right now you can get it for free. Learn more.

ChurchSource Pastor to Pastor: The Leader’s Greatest Commandment

Jenni Catron, in her book The Four Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership: The Power of Leading from Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength (Thomas Nelson, 2015), writes: "The more I’ve studied and read about leadership, the more formulas I’ve tried and the more strategies I’ve created, the more I’ve found my leadership theory keeps coming back to [the] original [love] commandments of Jesus." Read the rest of this book excerpt.

Reading the Bible in multiple languages and multiple versions is always just a click away online at Bible Gateway and in print from the Bible Gateway Store, where you'll save money while supporting the ministry of Bible Gateway when making a purchase.

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