Essential Bible Background: What you should know before you read the Bible Paperback -

J. Carl Laney is Professor of Biblical Literature at Western Seminary where he has served since 1977. Prior to that, he taught part-time at Dallas Theological Seminary (1975-76) where he completed his doctoral studies (1978). Carl has ministered overseas as visiting professor at seminaries in the Philippines and the Netherlands. He has also served as interim-pastor for twelve different churches including a congregation on the island of Guam. Carl enjoys preaching and teaching God's Word in a church as well as seminary setting. Laney is the author of 15 books, including The Divorce Myth, Marching Orders, A Guide to Church Discipline, Concise Bible Atlas, Everything I Know about Success I learned from the Bible, The Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary, God and Messiah's Coming Temple. He has had numerous articles published in theological journals and Christian magazines. Biblical geography, history, culture and archaeology are Laney's special areas of interest. He has traveled extensively in the Middle East and Mediterranean world and has participated in excavations in Israel. Since 1992 he has been taking students to Israel to study the Bible in the Land where it was written. At Western Seminary he teaches the Bible (Genesis through Revelation) and courses dealing with the historical, geographical and cultural backgrounds of the Bible. Carl and his wife, Nancy, have four children and six grandchildren. Laney's hobbies include backpacking, fishing, and working on his two WWII military jeeps-a 1942 Navy Shore Patrol jeep and a 1944 U.S. Army jeep.