The Whole Bible Story by William H. Marty (a Bethany House Publishing Blogger Review)

**Bethany House Publishers provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for posting a review with my honest (positive or negative) opinion of it.**

This is the whole title of the book:  The Whole Bible Story:  Everything that happens in the Bible in plain English.

I scanned other reviewer’s “takes” on this book, and I have to say, I agree with most of the comments—however, most of what people wrote as being negative about the book, I actually consider a positive.

Perhaps people would lump me into their impression of a “new believer” because I haven’t read all of the Bible.  I’ve only read chunks of it; some entire books and only a few verses in other books.  But there’s nothing “new” about my faith.

I get stymied and bored with all the begats.  I don’t understand the crazy laws.  I get frustrated with how stupidly many of the people behave so I can’t imagine how God feels/felt about them!

So, yes, I, too, think Dr. Marty’s book is a kind of  “Cliff Notes” for the Bible. I really don’t know what other people were expecting out of a 300 page book?

So, no, within 300 pages, Dr. Marty didn’t include every single event found in the Bible; he shared the highlights he felt were most important.  If I knew the Bible as well as Dr. Marty, and I was able to write a book such as this, mine (as well as anyone else’s) would be very different because life experiences influence the importance of events and our interpretation of them. 

And, yes, a lot of what Dr. Marty wrote is totally random and disjointed—just like the stories he wrote about that are in the Bible.  Be honest, does everything in the Bible make sense to us?  No.  At least not to me.

As a matter of fact, I kind of compare some of the stuff that goes on in the Bible as being much like one of the odd-ball dreams I try to explain when I wake up where all kinds of weird things happened, and I have no idea how all of it fits together or why.

This book is a wonderful peek into the Bible.  I have lots of questions and notes scribbled throughout—lot’s of “HUH?  Why???”s.  So, guess what?  Call me the Nancy Drew of the Bible, because now instead of feeling like reading the Bible is a chore, I want to know more details!  (And, I don’t mind sifting through the boring stuff to find them out!).