The Story, NIV: The Bible As One Continuing Story Of God And His People (1996) - Plot & Excerpts
I stumbled upon this one at the bookstore and I wanted to buy a copy to give away. This edition is light-weight and the pages are breezy and flippable. This is not the whole of the Scriptures, but the excerpts are very substantial chucks of the Bible, giving special attention to the Gospels. I haven't used this extensively, but I liked what I saw of it. There are no chapter or verse numbers; it's just the text of the NIV.The reason it caught my eye is that it would get people to see the Bible as, well, a story, and be able to pick up the gist of it. The Bible is a big fat book, but The Story makes getting the wider contours more accessible. It seemed like a good idea. Make an abridged Bible that emphasized the main story from creation to end of time and could be read as a novel. Of course a lot would have to be cut, but even a third of the bible is a lot of material and an amazing chronicle of God's interaction with people over a couple thousand years. Then I read it. I've read the entire bible in various translations several times. I've led groups through "The Bible in 90 Days" (also by Zondervan). And so I was more struck by what was left out than what was kept. Gone are the begats. Also gone are almost all calls for God's people to take care of one another. No call in the Law to be mindful of widows, orphans, and strangers in the land. No prophetic denunciation of oppression of the weak by the powerful or of the poor by the rich. No call from Jesus to love one another (though most of John 13 is included) or to love our enemies (most of the ethical content of the Sermon on the Mount is cut). One would never guess from "The Story" that the prophets denounced anything other than idolatry or that anyone but Paul wrote letters to early Christians. One wouldn't see the chaos that made the Israelite tribes long for a king. Of course some people would celebrate the cuts. Some would commend the near absence of calls for social justice. Others might applaud the removal of the book of James with its insistence that faith must be lived out in righteous action (also cut is the call to bear fruit in John 15). Still the pattern is disturbing. And it makes "The Story" seem like a betrayal of The Bible.
What do You think about The Story, NIV: The Bible As One Continuing Story Of God And His People (1996)?
The stories are not chronological and I found myself flipping back to see what I had overlooked.
—Stephanie
I love the uniqueness that Max Lucado takes you thru the Bible. Its never a disappointing read.
—yvette
Interesting reading the Bible this way -- though of course, there is a lot you miss out on!
—Laura
Good over view of the Bible, but I really recommend the real thing!
—katie
