As a parent, I like to check out the new Bible resources for my kids from christian publishing houses. Bethany House has just published this new young reader's edition of Dr. William H. Marty's book The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible.
From the Back Cover:
From Genesis . . .
"In the beginning, God created everything out of nothing."
What do all the Bible stories actually mean?
Will the Bible be too boring for me?
Why is the Bible so long?
Have you ever asked--or been too embarrassed to ask--any of these questions? This young reader's edition of The Whole Bible Story
will help you understand what the stories in the Bible are actually all
about and how every single one of them fits together to tell one big
story about God and his love for people--including you!
Along
with the story of the Bible in words you can easily understand, in every
chapter you will find great bonus material like exciting illustrations,
fun facts and trivia about the Bible stories, simple lists of important
characters and places, and easy-to-follow ways to apply the themes to
your own life.
After reading The Whole Bible Story, you will understand what's so exciting about the Bible and why God's Word matters to you!
. . . to Revelation
"God has all of history-- past, present, future-- in his hands."
My Thoughts:
Like the title says, this book is the young reader's edition of Dr. Marty's book The Whole Bible Story which was written back in 2011 for adults. This book gives a concise overview of the whole Bible in 19 chapters with a total of three hundred pages. It is for kids ages 9-12 years of age. Each chapter has a Who's Who section that tells all of the main characters for the chapter, a Where are We? section that lists all the main places covered during the chapter, and an Interesting Stuff section that lists interesting facts to know before you read the chapter. The chapter ends with a What's the Point? section that wraps-up the main thoughts from the chapter.
There were things I liked about this book and some that I was not thrilled about. First, I liked the fact that the book gives an overview and lays out all the history of Israel for kids in a way that they can understand. I especially enjoyed this with Israel's kings for the northern and southern kingdoms. With so many changes of leadership, it was great to have it all laid out in order.
Now for the things I didn't like... I understand that this book is for 4th thru 6th graders, but I don't believe making the Bible "hip and modern" will draw kids in much more than just telling what the Bible says.
For example: In the Who's Who section for the chapter--From Creation to Babel,
"God (the Lord)--God creates the world and then his people go and mess it all up
Adam and Eve--the first couple ever created; they run around naked
Satan--he shows up and ruins all the fun
Cain and Abel--two brothers who brought new meaning to 'sibling rivalry'
Noah--the guy who made the first cruise ship... for animals" (p. 7)
I was not impressed with the "funny." I guess when it comes to God's Word, I believe that we should show respect not add to the disrespect that is already prevalent in our culture. I'm all for humor, but not something that borders on irreverent.
Another issue I had with this book was the writing made it seem like God was caught unaware of what was about to happen, or that He didn't know that beginning from the end. In the story about when Adam and Eve sinned against God and hid from Him, this is what the book said:
"God showed up, wanting to see his favorite creations, and wondered where everyone was." (p. 11)
It's subtle, but God never wondered where they were. He is all-knowing and knew exactly what they had done and where they were. One more example is from the times of the kings. On page 157, the author writes this about the evil king Manasseh.
"Manasseh even sacrificed his own son to a god and talked to astrologers and people who claimed they talked to the dead. He shed so much innocent blood, God couldn't wait to get him off the throne." (p. 157)
It almost implies that God's hands were tied until Manasseh died and then finally He could get someone else on the throne of Israel. I don't know about you, but I don't want my kids to see anything except that God always has a plan, and His plan is always accomplished. Was He pleased with Manasseh's evil deeds? No, but Manasseh was on the throne to accomplish what God had plan for Israel.
I think I've probably said enough. The way Scripture is handled matters a great deal to me. And while there were a few things I liked about the material, there was far more that I disliked. So, I would not recommend this book to others.
Rating: ★
About the Author:
Dr. William H. Marty
Dr. William H. Marty has taught at Moody Bible Institute for 40 years. His main emphasis has been teaching an Old and New Testament survey to freshman at the Chicago campus, and the fruit of his focus on teaching the storyline of the Bible has been published in The Whole Bible Story. Dr. Marty has also written The World of Jesus and The Jesus Story and coauthored A Quick-Start Guide to the Whole Bible. Bill lives in Chicago with his wife, Linda, and they have two children and two grandchildren. Bill is an active triathlete and has competed at the national and international levels.
***I received this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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