Long Story Short: The Bible in 12 Phrases

by Glen Scrivener

The Bible is a big book and reading it can seem a bit daunting, especially if you’re not sure where to start. It’s also a very important book. Is has had a huge impact on the world – socially, morally, politically – and even on the language we use. This book is structured around 12 phrases that come from the Bible and uses them to explain the whole story – from the first book (Genesis) to the last book (Revelation). If you want to find out what the Bible is all about, and why it has changed the world, this book is for you.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Christianity, Theology, Biblical Studies

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2018

About the author

Glen directs the evangelistic charity Speak Life. He is an ordained Anglican who writes, speaks, and makes media to equip the church and reach beyond it. He is married to Emma and is the author of 7 books, including 321, Long Story Short and The Gift.

Reviews

[Rebekah Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great Christ- centred summary of the Bible, great for people who have never read the Bible before and very refreshing for people who read it a lot. I found the chapter about Jesus and the burning bush particularly amazing

[CM · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just not for me. I guess it's ok for some beginners.
I read it to see if I could recommend it to anyone. I can't.
1) it was too simplistic and
2) (since my friends are not white), there are a few ideas that they would not find helpful.
The author tries to make Jesus relatable but mostly to white people.
p.58 reference to Bieber as an angel...
And I wouldn't recommend it to my white friends because it would teach them things that are not biblical correct.
p.132 flesh that got sunburnt in the mediterranean heat...
Jesus and his whole family hid in Egypt. If they were white (or of a lighter skin colour) and could get sunburnt, then Herod would have found them quickly. But as it was, Jesus genealogy does not point to a white European background, else they couldn't hide in Egypt / in Africa at least not back then.

[Jason Pamblanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this as a younger believer. It took me far too long to see the Bible as a unified story about Jesus. No one explained it to me like this until well into my 20’s and to date, I’m not sure anyone has put it so simply. Sure, there are times it may even feel a little colloquial, but to me that is the brilliance of this monograph. Scrivener is down to earth, direct, easy to understand, and the colloquialisms are part of the creative bridge he intends to cross - using phrases from our everyday language and showing his primary audience (unbelievers in the UK) how those phrases are borrowed from the Bible! I will be giving this book to my atheist friends, and will widely encourage other unbelievers and new Christians to read it. It encouraged my soul to hear the “old, old story” once again! We will, after all, sing it for all eternity…

[Nathan Randel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love both of the Glen Scrivener books I’ve read, the other being 3,2,1.....

This is a great summary of the entire biblical storyline and helps to tie the Old and New Testament together in very simple summaries. The need for Jesus to come into the world is very clearly explained, although on a surface level, but nonetheless, clear.

[Nathan Bozeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent summary of the Bible's metanarrative. I would recommend to Christians and non-Christians alike to get a better grasp of what the Bible is saying from start to finish. I do not hold to PSA (Penal Substitutionary Atonement), and the author clearly does, so I'd disagree with any statement made in the book that was consonant with PSA, but other than that, great stuff!

[Alun Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the phrases are a little contrived ...by which I mean, not in common usage. The bible overview however is very accessible and we'll worth reading. Really enjoyed it..





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[Fay Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a helpful book to get to understand the books within the Bible more.

[Maged Zakher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Highly recommended!

[Deon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on #KindleUnlimited