The Simple Truth

Starting with Genesis 1 and going to Revelation 22, Wangerin adopts the storyteller's approach of continuous building from one of the 55 sections (short chapters) to the next. Without any of the divisions created by Bible chapters and verses, readers can move through the drama without interruption. And drama it is! Section headings like "The Great Flood," "A Tale of Two Brothers," "Going Home Again," and "The Final Journey" are enticing titles even when the story is already well known. And Bible characters have fresh appeal -- Moses is a stuttering, escaped murderer who returns to the scene of his crime; Mary, a surprised, pregnant teenager whose life is swept up in holy adventure; Paul, a man completely transformed from arrogant persecutor to bold proclaimer. The climax of Jesus' death and resurrection is really moving told in one account drawn from all four gospels.

But Wangerin the scholar very rarely embroiders in the interest of making the content more dramatic. If anything, the style is simplified in everyday language and completely focused on telling the story without exaggeration as sometimes happens in children's story Bibles.

And that brings up another question -- who is this "Bare Bones Bible" written for? Teenagers? New Christians? Nonbelievers? Youth ministers? The answer is all the above. And don't forget vacationers looking for something to read, prisoners with time on their hands and needs in their souls, and pastors who want a fresh account of a particular text for their congregation. Wangerin reached the objective he stated in the Introduction: "to give you a taste of God's Word and leave you hungering for more."