Good Synopsis of the Main Biblical Themes

               In my perfect world, everyone would love reading the Bible—not just the exciting stories, but the whole of the text. I realize that not everyone has the reading skills or the patience to make their ways through the genealogies and some of the other less than thrilling passages, so maybe books of Bible stories are a way to get people interested. Or at least familiarize them with the grand themes of Scripture.  I got my first bible several decades ago, and Genesis was fun to read, Exodus was exciting for a while, but then come Leviticus and Numbers, and no matter how often I tried, it was hard to get through Exodus, much less what is often referred to as ‘insomniac literature’.

                So, for a generation that is growing up with ‘super-heroes’ and electronic devices, EPIC: The Story that Changed the World (B&H Publishing Group, 2019), retold by Aaron Armstrong and illustrated by Heath McPherson, may be the way to go.  The book contains 40 chapters or stories that make up the Biblical Narrative. It starts with the creation story, traces the history of God's people and their journey to the Promised Land, then chronicles their time there and in exile. The story of Jesus'' birth, life, death and resurrection is told, followed by some of the theology of Paul and the other epistle writers. Finally, the last chapter is a brief account of the Revelation. Or as is mentioned on the back cover: “from the creation to the cross and the resurrection to the revelation”.

                Each chapter includes a question to challenge the reader to think about a key theme of the chapter, and to get them thinking about how all the pieces of the bible, fit together to form one epic story about God and His Son- Jesus, the greatest super-hero of them all.

                The illustrations would be appropriate for someone of my generation, but I imagine the tech-savvy youth of today might find them a little less than inspiring.

                I agree with the ‘product details’ that suggest this book is appropriate for young people from 8 -12 years old (3^rd – 7^th grade). If you read aloud a lot to your child, or your child is an advanced reader, he or she may appreciate this book at an even younger age.

                The publisher sent me a copy of this book because I participate in their bloggers’ program. I was asked to write and post an honest review; there was no requirement to write a positive review.