The Bible is a great story. It is a true story. It is the story that makes sense of us, of every moment, whether those moments are utterly confounding or seemingly insignificant.
Stephen J. Nichols' book, Welcome to the Story: Reading, Loving, and Living God's Word, is a book all about the Bible, making it an excellent resource for a new Christian. It's not long, it's written in a clear and simple format, and it provides a sweeping overview of the narrative of Scripture. Though I found nothing unfamiliar in my read of it, a new Christian would, I'm sure, find it deeply practical and beneficial.
Nichols writes in what neatly summarizes Welcome to the Story:
This book invites you to enter in, to participate in, the story of the Bible. To do so, we must first see and grasp the story. We can put the puzzle together much more easily if we are looking at the picture on the box. This book aims to show you the big picture so you can make sense of all the pieces.
The first five chapters examine this big picture of Scripture, looking at four major themes (or acts):
1) Creation
2) Fall
3) Redemption
4) Restoration
The next chapter looks at the characters in Scripture, and how to view them. The final four chapters are exceedingly practical, looking at how to not miss the point of the story, how to love the story, how to live the story, and then the "now what?" aspect of the story - or, how do we put all of this together? There's an appendix of sorts in the back, called "Cheat Sheet for Reading the Bible," which applies "the five friends of biblical interpretation and application," or the journalist's five friends - who, what, where, when, and why - to the daily reading of Scripture.
Nichols' writing is accessible for pretty much anybody, sprinkled with a dose of terribly corny jokes. His overview of the story is accurate and concise, and I enjoyed it the most out of this book. But I love how Nichols emphasizes the personal aspect of Scripture, how we're invited to enter in and participate in that grand story. The Bible is not just to read and forget. It's to read and live and love. And that comes out clearly in Welcome to the Story.
We don't passively watch the story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration play itself out. We're not off in the gallery peering down on the stage. We are part of the story. We're not off the field, in the bleachers watching God bring his plans to fruition. God has made us part of the game. We're suited up and we're on the field.
Buy Welcome to the Story here.
*I received a copy of this book from Crossway through their Beyond the Page review system. I was not required to give a positive review
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