Elizabeth Johansen’s Old and New Testament study workbooks, written for her high school Bible classes and published by her daughter through Wordsmith World, offer a structured inductive approach as new American Bible Society data links reading guides to more complete reading of Scripture.
-- Wordsmith World is highlighting two Bible study workbooks by the late Elizabeth Johansen, a former high school Bible teacher, following new research that connects structured study tools with deeper reading of Scripture. The Old Testament Study Guide contains 65 lessons and the New Testament Study Guide contains 45. Both workbooks follow an inductive approach that asks readers to observe what a passage says, interpret its meaning, and apply it to their lives, and both are available on Sqrindle.
According to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2026 report, released in April, nearly three-quarters (74%) of people who use a Bible reading plan or guide have read most or all of the Bible. The same report found that overall Bible use among American adults returned to 38%, its 2024 level, after a one-year rise in 2025.
Elizabeth Johansen grew up on a ranch in the Texas Panhandle and taught Bible classes at a local high school, covering the Old Testament in the fall semester and the New Testament in the spring. For most of her career she used commercially available workbooks, but a few years before retiring she wrote her own and began using them in her classes.
Elizabeth died in 1985. In 2019, her daughter, author Betty Johansen, typed both workbooks into her computer, and in late 2024 she began offering them for sale on Sqrindle. Betty was also one of her mother’s students.
“I probably learned as much about the Bible in the nine months of Mother’s class as I’ve learned in all the rest of my life,” Betty Johansen wrote on her blog, Eagerly Waiting.
The workbooks were designed for high school students. Alongside short-answer questions, both include thought questions that require readers to study assigned Scripture passages, develop their own beliefs, and express their conclusions. The format also lends itself to discussion in small-group Bible studies. The Old Testament guide covers the historical, cultural, and spiritual context of the Old Testament writings, while the New Testament guide focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus and the growth of the early church.
The inductive method behind both guides moves through three steps: observation, interpretation, and application. Readers first look closely at what a passage says, then consider its meaning in its historical and cultural setting, and finally reflect on how its teaching applies to their own lives.
“Few activities in life are more rewarding than Bible study. As you work through these lessons, I hope you will deepen your understanding of and love for the Lord Who created you, Who loves you, and Who sent His Son to redeem you,” said Betty Johansen.
More information about the workbooks is available at https://bettyjohansen.com/2025/02/01/unlocking-gods-wisdom-with-bible-study-guides/
About Wordsmith World
Wordsmith World is a Big Spring, Texas, publisher of Christian books by former teacher and author Betty Johansen. Its titles include The Bible in Brief, a historical summary of the Bible’s story, and the Christian mystery novels Lilli’s Song, Hawaiian Wildflower, and Darkness Under His Feet. Johansen also writes about faith and Scripture on her blog, Eagerly Waiting. More information is available at https://bettyjohansen.com/
Contact Info:
Name: Betty Johansen
Email: Send Email
Organization: Wordsmith World
Address: Texas, Big Spring, Texas 79720, United States
Website: https://bettyjohansen.com/
Source: NewsNetwork
Release ID: 89209477
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