Jon Nielson (1)

First sentence: Biblical theology is a discipline that seeks to discover theology (truth about God and his work) through the gradual and progressive revelation of his saving plan in the story of the Bible. This is often done by tracing certain themes or ideas through Scripture from beginning to end--Genesis to Revelation. The core conviction of those who practice the discipline of biblical theology is that the Bible is a unified work--a book inspired by one divine author (God) and given to show more human beings to help them understand his broad saving plan, which ultimatetly was accomplished through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Tracing God's Story is one of three books in an introductory theology series. Two have been published so far. The first book, Knowing God's Truth, I reviewed last month. It was an introduction to systematic theology. Though written by the same author, the approach, of course, is different.

The book "traces" the big picture story of the Bible in eight scenes:
1) God's creation and a crisis
2) God's promise of a people
3) God's people grow
4) God's kingdom--rise and fall
5) God's people--captive and coming home
6) God's salvation
7) God's church
8) God's eternity

The tracing centers on redemption and salvation. It neither follows the structure of Genesis through Revelation nor a chronological approach. It is a blended approach.

There are suggested memory verses for all sixteen chapters. Each chapter is broken into smaller sections or chunks.

There are also suggested readings for each section of each chapter. These readings reminded me of the old school reading guides found in The Student Bible (and the like). It does not assign readers chapters from every book of the Bible. But it does at least assign chapters from all the major genres.

The narrative style is accessible, well thought out, clear.

I do think Tracing God's Story would be a good choice for curriculum.

How does it compare to Knowing God's Truth???? Honestly, I like Knowing God's Truth better. Not necessarily because I love systematic theology more than biblical theology, but perhaps because I am personally already so familiar with the story of the Bible--reading it cover to cover--that I got less out of it. I do think it would still be great for almost every reader. The goal is not necessarily to have readers read every chapter of every book of the Bible in order to grasp the big picture. It picks a few chapters here and there from all the major categories and then summarizes how they fit together. Of course, it encourages readers to go back and read more, more, more. Perhaps this is enough so readers can taste and see. Whenever I see reading plans that pick and choose which chapters from individual books to read, I always can't help thinking but you're missing out on this and this and this and this and this and what about that how can you skip that. But again, I think this is a me problem. show less

First sentence from the introduction: This book is designed to help you think more deeply about the most important topic--the most important person--in the entire universe: God himself.

First sentence from chapter one: What comes to mind when you hear the word theology?

Knowing God's Truth is an introduction to systematic theology. Unfamiliar with theology? with systematic theology? No worries, this book was written for you. This book breaks everything down into basic building blocks so that show more anyone can understand the foundations of the christian faith. For those more familiar with theology and/or systematic theology, this one is a good refresher course. I'm guessing that even those with many years of study behind them have strengths and weaknesses.

One thing that makes this one stand out is that it accessible, organized, precise, concise, logical. Each chapter is broken down into smaller chunks. Each chapter also BUILDS IN prayer time. I've never seen a book quite like this one that encourages readers to pray as they are reading/studying. It also includes summaries reviews at the end of each chapter. It is a thing of beauty in how simple yet uncompromising it is.

There are twelve chapters.

What is Theology?
The Doctrine of Scripture
The Doctrine of God
The Doctrine of Man
The Doctrine of Sin
The Doctrine of Jesus Christ
The Doctrine of Salvation
The Doctrine of Heaven and Hell
The Doctrine of the Church
The Doctrine of Angels and Demons
The Doctrine of Last Things
The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

My only small complaint--and it is by no means a deal breaker--is why save the Holy Spirit for last???? Why not place the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit either before or after Salvation? I do think one needs to study the Holy Spirit before one studies the doctrine of the Church.

I would recommend this one to essentially anyone and everyone. I think it would be good for individual use. But I also think it would be excellent for group(s). I could see it coming in handy for private Christian schools as curriculum. I could see it being a great fit for Christian homeschoolers. I could see it being good for Sunday school classes or bible studies. I think it would work for small Christian book clubs. (Though I don't know how many small Christian book clubs read nonfiction.) show less

We as readers are empowered to grasp the text and wrestle with themes like never before.

Going into it, I knew I would be provided some resources and context, but I didn't realize the extent of it all until I started diving into studies on particular texts. The verse cross-references, facts, and study notes truly help develop the text and the themes/contexts already being developed.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was that, though many theological concepts and topics are addressed, it show more never felt like I was given information that was so far over my head I would never understand it. The student study bible not only provides us the resources, but it's provided in a way that easy to hold onto, and relevant to understand.

You will truly feel equipped to dive into the Word of God like never before. The Bible I received absolutely did not disappoint and now I see what the hype is all about. I would definitely recommend this Bible to any who are looking to further their knowledge of God's word, wish to study various topics, and hear popular theologians and pastors exegete on the word of God in the provided study notes (which definitely help!).

I was given this book by NetGalley. www.netgalley.com show less