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Project True Story

One of the great needs of our day is to retrieve the reading and understanding of the Bible in our cultures. Getting into the Bible is not always easy as it is a library of some 66 books written in cultures often very different to our own. A major key to unlocking the Bible is to come to grips with the overarching story the Bible tells, what we like to call The True Story of the Whole World. Once we discover how the whole fits together and then we can start to see how the parts fit within the whole, as well as how we fit within the grand story the Bible tells. 

This page introduces you to three major resources associated with KLC in this respect.

The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story

Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen. 2nd ed. (London: SPCK; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004)

The Drama of Scripture provides an engaging overview of the storyline and theology of the Bible. The authors work their way through the Bible as a drama with six acts – creation, sin, Israel, Jesus, mission and new creation. Their study provides an introduction to the Bible and a commentary on important passages, while helping the reader relate their story to the Bible story at each point.

The Drama of Scripture has turned out to be an international bestseller, having sold well over 100 000 copies. It was written as an undergraduate textbook but has been used in a variety of contexts apart from, but including, the lecture theatre. It is now available in one form or another in some 12 languages. The most recent translations are the French and the Mongolian ones. In 2024 Baker Academic will publish a 20th Anniversary 3rd edition.

Drama has been translated into many languages:

  • Translation into Russian (Cherkasy, UA: Colloquium Publishing, 2009).
  • Translation into Korean (Seoul, SK: Intervarsity Press, 2009).
  • Translation into Musselmani Bengali. Translated by Institute for Classical Languages Trust; (Muhammadpur, Dhaka, BD: Padma Educational Services Ltd., 2010)
  • Translation into Chinese (CN: Enoch Communications, 2012)
  • Translation into Spanish (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2017)
  • Translation into Portuguese (São Paulo, BR: Edições Vida Nova, 2017)
  • Translation into Romanian (Alba-Iulia, RO: Reintregirea, 2017)
  • Translation into Hungarian (Budapest, HU: John Calvin Publishing House of the Reformed Church Publishers, 2018)
  • Translation into Farsi (London, UK: Pars Theological Centre, 2019)
  • Translation into French (Trois-Rivières, QC: Publications Chrétiennes, 2021)

Audiobook version (Rapid City, SD: Two Words Publishing, LLC, 2020)

You can find more resources related to Drama by visiting https://missionworldview.com/.

The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama

Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2020)

The True Story of the Whole World explores the grand story line of the Bible, showing how God’s action in the world gives meaning to our lives and provides us with a foundation for our actions. This revised editions has been updated and streamlined throughout.

True Story has a fascinating history. SPCK in London published the first edition of Drama under the same title but as a more church, user-friendly version. Faith Alive in the USA picked up this more user-friendly version and published it very successfully in the USA as The True Story of the Whole World. True Story has sold well and recently Brazos Press (part of Baker) published a 2nd edition of it.

A revised version of True Story with Baker came out in 2020.

The book has also been translated:

  • Translation into Korean (Seoul: Holy Wave Plus Publishing)
  • Translation into Mongolian (Fellowship of Campus Students Mongolia)

The 30-Minute Bible: God’s Story for Everyone

Craig G. Bartholomew and Paige P. Vanosky. (Downers Grove, ILL: IVP, 2021)

We know about the Bible. We may know some Bible stories, or maybe we’ve even read large portions for ourselves. But what it’s really all about? How do all the different pieces fit together? Without a sense of the big story the Bible is telling, we’ll miss out on the good news God has for us. In The 30-Minute Bible, experienced Bible teachers Craig Bartholomew and Paige Vanosky present the story of Scripture in thirty short readings, each designed to take about half an hour. Each includes a passage from the Bible and a short chapter explaining how the passage fits into the Bible’s wider narrative. Written in straightforward and clear language, the readings are accompanied by Brother Martin Erspamer’s lovely illustrations. Discover the timeless story of the Bible―in thirty minutes a day for thirty days.

This book follows the same approach as the above two but is written at a wonderfully accessible level. The idea is that if readers will devote 30 minutes a day for 30 days, the book takes them through the whole story of the Bible. The book is ideal for group as well as individual study.

See more at https://www.30minutebible.com.

The 30-Minute Bible has also been translated into Korean: