Academic’s book translated and republished

Nathan Brown
Book editor
Signs Publishing Company
Warburton, Victoria, Australia

An Avondale academic’s bestselling book about the Bible has now been published in Spanish.

Can We Still Believe the Bible? has now been translated and published as Todavia Podemos Creer en la Biblia?

Dr Bryan Ball’s Can We Still Believe the Bible? has now been translated and published as Todavia Podemos Creer en la Biblia? by Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s publishing entity in Argentina.

Bryan, an honorary senior research fellow at Avondale College of Higher Education, revised Can We Still Believe the Bible? to coincide with this year’s 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version. Signs Publishing Company, the church’s publishing entity in the South Pacific, reprinted the revised edition after twice reprinting the original.

Inspired by teenagers at a local Seventh-day Adventist church, Bryan first wrote Can We Still Believe the Bible? in 2007. It is available for $19.95 from Adventist Book Centres.

Academic celebrates anniversary of “the book that changed the world”

Sonja Larsen
Public relations assistant
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

An Avondale academic has revised a book about the Bible to coincide with this year’s 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version.

In reprint: Can We Still Believe the Bible? now features two new chapters. Author Dr Bryan Ball revised the book to coincide with this year’s 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version.

Dr Bryan Ball’s Can We Still Believe the Bible? And Does It Really Matter? (Signs Publishing Company) features two new chapters, “The book that changed the world” and “The genius of Genesis.” The honorary senior research fellow writes to show readers the Bible is credible, substantiated and the Word of God.

“The King James Version has influenced the English-speaking world for four centuries, and in much more than matters of faith and religious belief,” says Bryan, a former president of Avondale College of Higher Education and of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific. “No other book has played such a major role in the development of Western civilisation.”

Bryan notes the Bible’s foundational role in Western civilisation—promoting values such as freedom and integrity. He believes Western civilisation’s decline may be because it is turning away from the Bible. So, he contends the question, “Can we still believe the Bible?” really does matter. “There has never been a time when truth is of so little consequence. The one million dollar question is, ‘Who do you believe?’”

Evidence such as archaeological discoveries, fulfilled prophesy and historic manuscripts substantiate the Bible and its authenticity, says Bryan. He sees the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version as an opportunity to remind us of the importance of the Bible to our life and to the values of our society.

Inspired by teenagers at a local Seventh-day Adventist church, Bryan first wrote Can We Still Believe the Bible? in 2007. Thousands of copies have been distributed as an evangelistic resource since then.

Can We Still Believe the Bible? is available for $19.95 from Adventist Book Centres.—with Nathan Brown, book editor, Signs Publishing Company

Profile: Dr Bryan Ball

Nathan Brown
Book editor
Signs Publishing Company

Honorary senior research fellow: Dr Bryan Ball.

Dr Bryan Ball is an honorary senior research fellow at Avondale College of Higher Education. He is also a former president of Avondale and of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific. Connections asks Bryan about the revised edition of Can We Still Believe the Bible?

What is the significance of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible?

The King James Version influenced the establishment of Protestantism in the English-speaking world. It remained the only English version for nearly 300 years. Today—400 years on—it is still the preferred version in some parts of the world and its influence on millions from many generations and from many countries has been incalculable.

What is the role of the Bible in the living of our faith?

It is the Word of God as traditionally understood. As such, it reveals God’s perspective on humanity and human history and His way of putting right the obvious and deep-rooted sickness in the human race. It does this by confronting us with the reality of ourselves and all of humanity—and the reality of Jesus, the divine answer to the human dilemma of sin and its consequences.

How does your experience as a former church leader influence what and how you write?

Some of my other books have dealt with more historical aspects of Christianity, but this one came from my observation of changing attitudes to the Bible in the church, particularly among young adults, and to declining awareness of the crucial importance of the Bible to the survival of authentic Christian belief and lifestyle.

How do you use the Bible in your daily life of faith?

I tend to read longer passages at one sitting—sometimes a book at a time, often several chapters in succession. Maybe that’s one advantage of being retired! I also read from different versions, although my favourite is the New King James Version. That dates me, but I like it for its genuine attempt to reflect the precise meaning of the original languages.