In recent years academics and popular writers alike have come to a conclusion which any child knows instinctively: Stories are important. We don't just tell them for entertainment. We use stories to make sense of the world. Ask someone to tell you who they are and it's very likely that you'll get it in story form. "I was born in Dallas in 1964......"
And we don't just have individual stories. We tend to fit all of life into one overarching story. All the facts of life, our daily experiences, our way of looking at the world are all shaped by what we think "life is all about."
The crucial question is, What is the Big Story All About? If the story of the universe was a book, what would the chapters be called?
John Eldredge thinks that many Christians don't know what story we are living in. And because we don't understand the story, we miss out on what's important. Imagine Frodo telling Gandalf, "I don't really care about a silly Ring. Sauron Shmauron. Let's go to the Prancing Pony for a pint." Imagine Luke telling Obi-won, "Save the Princess? Restore the Republic? That's so old fashioned. I'm going back to my uncle's farm." But Eldredge argues that is precisely the attitude of many Christians who settle for much less than being a part of God's Epic Story.
Using the Scriptures, Eldredge lays out the chapters of the Big Story and where we fit into it. I could quibble at the way he structures some of his chapters. (For instance he gives the angels a much bigger part in the story than I think the Bible gives them.) But overall, he does a wonderful job of helping us understand our world by understanding our story - or rather, God's Story.
The book is quite short, simple, easy to read, and worth your time.
And we don't just have individual stories. We tend to fit all of life into one overarching story. All the facts of life, our daily experiences, our way of looking at the world are all shaped by what we think "life is all about."
The crucial question is, What is the Big Story All About? If the story of the universe was a book, what would the chapters be called?
John Eldredge thinks that many Christians don't know what story we are living in. And because we don't understand the story, we miss out on what's important. Imagine Frodo telling Gandalf, "I don't really care about a silly Ring. Sauron Shmauron. Let's go to the Prancing Pony for a pint." Imagine Luke telling Obi-won, "Save the Princess? Restore the Republic? That's so old fashioned. I'm going back to my uncle's farm." But Eldredge argues that is precisely the attitude of many Christians who settle for much less than being a part of God's Epic Story.
Using the Scriptures, Eldredge lays out the chapters of the Big Story and where we fit into it. I could quibble at the way he structures some of his chapters. (For instance he gives the angels a much bigger part in the story than I think the Bible gives them.) But overall, he does a wonderful job of helping us understand our world by understanding our story - or rather, God's Story.
The book is quite short, simple, easy to read, and worth your time.
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