Before we left for Guatemala I ordered a few Lesslie Newbigin books. One of them is a small little book called “A Walk Through the Bible
The great things about this book:
- Its only 85 easy to read pages. Seriously, where else can you get a quick summary of the Bible from an experienced and highly respected missionary theologian who has not only done his research but spent more than his fair share of time “in the field.” You can probably read it in one sitting fairly easily.
- It teaches how the biblical narrative is in the context of world history. This is perhaps the most helpful part of the book. He quotes a Hindu friend of his,
“I can’t understand why you missionaries present the Bible to us in India as a book of religion. It is not a book of religion – and anyway we have plenty of books of religion in India. We don’t need any more! I find your Bible a unique interpretation of universal history, the history of the whole of creation and the history of the human race. And therefore, a unique interpretation of the human person as a responsible actor in history. That is unique. There is nothing else in the whole religious literature in the world to put alongside it.” (Emphesis mine)
- He helps us understand the major sections of the biblical narrative. Since we only have 85 pages, he doesn’t go into great details, but he gives a great birds eye view of the narrative of scripture and how it all fits together.
- You can give it to anyone to read. Since its so short and isn’t all wrapped up with theological mumbo jumbo, pretty much anyone could read it. It’s not reserved for high brow academics and theologians. I’d give it to almost anyone who was interested in what the Bible was about.
So, there it is. Go and get this book