The Heart Of It All: The Bible's Big Picture

by Samuel Wells

As a collection of 66 books spanning thousands of years, the Bible can be daunting in size and scope. In The Heart of It All, the Canterbury Press Lent book for 2020, Samuel Wells simplifies the Bible's complexity and presents the entire sweep of its narrative in eighteen key themes.Although its contents range from history to poetry, law, narrative, letters and even apocalyptic literature, at the Bible's heart are relationships between God, creation, Jesus, the Church, the Spirit and the Kingdom. Samuel Wells argues that this provides a lens through which the whole Bible can be understood.Rooted in the best of contemporary biblical theology and scholarship, The Heart of It All will deepen understanding of the Bible and increase confidence in reading it. It includes questions for reflection, making this an ideal resource for Lent groups as well as for individual reading.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2019

About the author

Samuel Wells (PhD, University of Durham) is vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church at Trafalgar Square in London. He previously served as dean of the chapel and research professor of Christian ethics at Duke University. Wells is the author of several books, including Be Not Afraid, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics, and Transforming Fate into Destiny: The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas. He also coedited, with Stanley Hauerwas, The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating way to look at the Bible. Hope our church uses it for a Bible study

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a different tack in explaining the Bible, by focusing on long familiar Bible stories that tell / foreshadow how Old Testament events are repeated in the story of Jesus Christ. He focuses on such key events as creation / the exodus from Egypt / the O.T. covenant / Christmas and Jesus' birth / Good Friday / Easter and the resurrection / and John's foretelling of the end of days in Revelation. But he posits, the overwhelming key event is Easter and the resurrection.

I had the chance to hear the author preach in our church and also teach a class about his writing and thinking at my church in Boston. Suffice it to say, Rev. Wells is both simple and complex for anyone trying to understand him.

This little book (96 pages) was a quick and fun read as he takes you rapidly through the greatest hits of Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments to make his points.

[Rrshively · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the Bible for someone who doesn't know it well. For someone like me who has been familiar with it for a lifetime, it was somewhat repetitious and redundant. However, the last part, which was the epilogue, was worth the whole book. Another great feature is that as a study book this had "wonderings" rather than questions. Those wonderings launched lively discussions with my study group. Another interesting feature is that the author started the stories of both the Old and New Testament in what many of us would call the middle. That gave an interesting perspective on the old, old story.

[Nina Tweddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small book - less than 100 pages. It tells the story of faith. I'm tempted to say from a Christian perspective but actually and more specifically from Rev Sam Wells perspective.

I can hear his voice as I read it. But if you are not used to his view of scripture and faith jn Christ, I'm not sure how easy it will be to understand it.

Having said that, a very rewarding read.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful take on the story.