The Good Book

Encouraging people to read the Bible has been a goal at least since the book of Deuteronomy was written. The refrain was picked up by Paul in his epistles and the church fathers added their voice in various ways even to the point of coming up with a three-year cycle of Bible reading so believers could work their way through the Bible over three years.
I have found that it is difficult to both read and understand the Bible when I try to read it through in a year. So, I like the idea of a Bible reading plan that provides a way to read the Bible and get an overview without having to read 4 or 5 chapters a day. That is what Deron Spoo has provided in The Good Book. Kyle Idelman writes in the preface that this book “…takes you on a journey through the forty most essential themes in Scripture.”
The author takes twenty chapters from the Older Testament and twenty chapters from the New Testament to give an overview of the Bible. He is not the first provide a Bible reading plan that takes the reader through the Bible. (I used E-100 a few years ago.) However what Deron Spoo adds is a brief commentary after each reading that puts the chapter in a specific context and within the context of Scripture.
After the reading in Jonah Deron connects the Older Testament and the New Testament with a chapter called Why Two Testaments? He shows that, though there is a 400-year gap between the two testaments, they fit together and the New Testament continues the story begun in Genesis 1.
I might ask why one of my favorite books did not at least get a chapter but, by and large, the author has chosen well and does a good job of tying everything together. The illustrations he uses are helpful in picturing the state of the world. For example, he tells us that the largest man-made object on our planet is the Fresh Kills Landfill and says it is telling that largest man-made item on the planet is a pile of garbage. We have made a mess of God’s creation.
Each reading concludes with a commentary and thoughts for reflection making this book a good Bible study resource. It would make a good small group study. It could encourage people to read the Bible and give opportunity to dig in.
I do have few concerns. In the author’s commentary on Genesis 1 Deron writes, “Many people wonder whether Adam and Eve were the only people God directly created. In later chapters of the Bible, their descendants went off and met other people east of Eden. Where did these people come from?”
There are explanations about the people East of Eden that don’t imply that God also created other people besides Adam and Eve. If God created other people I would have to wonder not only if Jesus died for them but also whether they ever sinned. I, for one, would not want to marry a person who never sinned. Although I have met many spouses who think they are perfect I think we all trace our ancestry back to Adam and Eve.
There was one other issue that gave me pause. Maybe in a group discussion the author could have cleared this up but right now all I have is his commentary and I don’t know where he is going with it. My concern comes from the commentary on Romans 8 entitled “Is God Ever Mean?”. I understand the author’s concern to present a balanced picture of God but I wondered if Deron was downplaying the reality of judgement. I do not believe God is mean or vindictive but at the same time I believe he is holy and just.
All in all, I think this book will be helpful the those who are biblically illiterate or alliterate. I believe the Bible is a living book and we can get caught up in that life if we read it. This is one pastor’s effort to get people to read the Bible.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley.com with the understanding I would read it and write a review.

Deron Spoo has written an excellent book that can be used in so many different ways. It can be used as a personal devotional, a Christian Education class, a Bible study, etc.

My only disappointment, minor because I may have read something into his introduction. I was under the impression that he had created this book of stories to help an unchurched (ignostic he calls them) to understand the Christian faith better. In reality the title says it all, 'the Bible's biggest ideas.

The book is written to all levels. A person who has read the Bible and studied it can gain some new insight. I know that I looked at some scriptures in a way that I would not have before. On the other hand, a person who is unchurched can pick up the book can gain an understanding of what it truly means to be a Christian and what we believe.

Forty ideas are presented. 20 from the Older Testament (Old means we do not use it any more, older means it still has value), and 20 from the New Testament. One might have their own scriptures that they might include, but I feel that Mr. Spoo has chosen with care what he thought were the best ones. I am sure it was hard to narrow it down to 40 ideas.

If you are looking for a book that argues theology, this is not it. Nor does it deal with the issues that as Christians separate us into denominations. It does, however, introduce the key concepts of Christianity in nice bite sized pieces.

High recommendations from me on this book.

In an increasingly impatient world, we often get challenged by the request: "Just get to the point!" This is a popular method to get us to come down to the very basic of basics. Unfortunately, it could be a challenge when it comes to the Bible. How can anyone get to the point about the sixty-six books of the Bible? Moreover, the Old Testament alone is already a huge amount to work through. Perhaps, the next best thing is to summarize big ideas of the Bible. This book attempts to summarize the beginning of the world; how the world fell into sin; making sense of God in the suffering; learning about what tough love means; the coming of Jesus; and what it means to live for Jesus, through Jesus, for the world.

This book makes the Bible a personal expedition for us to journey along and to find ourselves in the big story of God. It helps us move from Genesis to Revelation without being bogged down by the many chapters and verses. Many people do not read the Bible in its entirety partly because it seems impossible to read such a thick collection of books. Many of the passages are also difficult to read. Though the wisdom of old reminds us about the Power of the Word of God, we still fail to appreciate the Bible partly because we lack the rails to the whole story. Through forty selected chapters, it is hoped that this book will not only give us a gist of where the Bible narratives, teachings, and stories are heading, we are encouraged to read the Bible eventually. Like a mini-walk through the Bible project, this book contains an overview of some of the key ideas of the Bible. Key ideas such as:


We are created in the image of God
The world is in sin, including us
God initiates communications with us
The reason for the Ten Commandments
Suffering is real but God has not left us helpless
Jesus
We are not to Worry
Jesus' Death and Ressurection
The Church
Heaven
God's love
,,, and many more


It is hard to summarize the Bible in any way. This book is definitely a modest attempt to do that. Forty has been a popular number these days since Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life was published. Perhaps, it has also got to do with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Thus, this book can be read like a 40-days devotional in order to get at the key ideas of the Bible. While nothing beats the reading of the actual Bible, this book will encourage us to start with baby steps, and gradually to read the real meat.

Deron Spoo is pastor of First Baptist Church in Tulsa Oklahoma. He has a television devotional called "First Things First" that reaches 100,000 people each week.

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of David C. Cook Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.