Scripture Union have just published a set of books which tell "the 10 most iconic stories from the Bible'" - the 'Must Know Stories.' What intrigues me is how they decided which 10 to include - and why. Some would be in my top 10, others probably wouldn't. I am intrigued, and more than a tad disappointed, that the cover picture on three of the four features apples and snakes - could we not have had something that expresses God's love and creativity rather than human sin and finitiude (the fourth book, the second aimed at 5-8's has Noah's ark on the cover).
So here's their top ten - what would you change?
- The birth of Jesus
- Jesus' death & resurrection
- Adam & Eve/creation
- The good Samaritan
- The 10 Commandments
- The prodigal son
- Noah's ark
- David & Goliath
- Daniel in the lion's den
- Feeding the 5000
I hope they don't appear in this order - the Bible is confusing enough anyway but if we begin with Jesus (a good place, I'd agree) and then move all over the place in time then we might be causing as much confusion as we overcome.
I'm not seeting out to knock the books - I'm sure they are a great resource for people who know how to use them, just not sure these are my top 10 stories or the order I'd tell them.
Comments
One of the things that catches my attention about this is how hard we work to be trinitarian and what a shibboleth that is for us - and specifically Scripture Union, yet there's no Pentecost in their list. They'd sooner have Daniel in the lions' den because it's more 'classic'.
A question i've wondered recently, completely pointlessly, is if you could only pick three bits of the Bible (up to the size of a book) which would be all that's passed on to future generations, which bits would they be?
Damn it! i should have used that question on my own blog.
Hi Andy, tee hee, yes, you could have started a good thread there! So which would you pick? (And do we use Christian or Jewish splits on the OT books? And is Luke-Acts one or two...?!)
It's a superb question though...
Instinctively I'd probably pick NT stuff, but conscious that it doesn't quite work without the OT.... "It is written... but in a book we discarded..... that...." And then there are such ace bits in the 'minor prophets' - can I have all 12 as one book?!
Hmm, need to think hard on that question...
Or if you could only take one page of the Bible to your desert island, which page would it be?
And what sort of church would you have after three generations of verbal transmission of the rest? (Presumably you wouldn't be alone on the desert island... I just spotted that fatal flaw in the exercise in time).
Or would you have a church?
And who would do the ironing?
I think the ruling has to be from the Bible as it currently stands, so books as they stand now. Without having thought too hard about, ie at all, my instinct tells me Ecclesiastes, Mark and James.
I'd pick John & Revelation for sure. The last pick is more difficult and it's between Lamentations, (important to have something written in primarily emotional language as well as stuff written in historical or theological language) Acts (useful to have an account of Christians struggling with what it means to be Christian) and Exodus (for the liberation narrative).
As for the kids' books, I'd include 1, 2, 3, 6 and probably 4 (depending on how dumbed down the content is) but definitely ditch the others.
So that gives me 5 new picks - definitely the Exodus, definitely the Sermon on the Mount, definitely Pentecost (I'd include the great commission in that too), definitely Abraham nearly sacrificing Isaac & getting a promise from God, possibly the account of Samuel responding to God's call.
Perhaps we shouldn't exclude Revelations just because we're talking about kids, but then again we don't want to frighten away all the Sunday School teachers.
For the SU list, I would want to include Pentecost and the Sermon on the Mount and the story of Abraham (probably at the expense of 5,8 & 10.
As for three books - Psalms, Matthew and either Philippians or 1 Peter.
Wow, some great suggestions coming along here - more welcome!
I haven't thought much - been too busy doing pastoral visits - but I think probably the following is where I've got too...
If only one gospel - then Matthew because (a) it contains the two bits that specifically insprie my ministry and (b) its fulfilment motif and Jewish undertones would appease my great, great grandfather who was a rabbi!
If only one letter - James cos it's fab. And if the transition that Jesus' kid borther wrote it is true, well all the better
If only one OT then, hmm, Psalms, becuase they reflect every mood of life and contain some neat summaries of the OT as far as the establishment of the monarchy!
If only one prophet, then probably Amos or Hosea, though Micah is also pretty darned good.
If I could have one for fun then Proverbs cos some it just makes me laugh, and laughter is essential.
I know that's more than three, so I think I'd end up with Matthew, James and Psalms.