Everyone Loves a Good Story

Today’s guest post is by Sarah Wilson, from the Logos Bible Software marketing team.

I love a good story. I was that kid hiding under the covers with a flashlight, catching up on Nancy Drew or the Chronicles of Narnia, long after lights out. With my love of reading and the written word, becoming an English major was an easy choice. In college, I studied plot devices, story arches, character development, point-of-view, literary theories, narrative structures, as well as things like grammar, punctuation, and citation systems. Studying the more technical aspects of novels, essays, and non-fiction pieces made my old beloved stories mean so much more—there are universal characteristics that make a compelling and appealing story.

The Bible is full of stories—the best stories because they are true. The stories of David, Moses, Simon Peter—heroes of the faith—inspire us, convict us, and provide context for our lives. Knowing the structure and literary background of the Bible is essential for general readers, professors, students, and anyone wanting to understand more about about the framework of the written Word of God.

As a book worm who geeks out over narrative ideas and theories, I’m really excited about David Jobling’s The Sense of Biblical Narrative (2 vols.), a Pre-Pub shipping tomorrow. In essay format, he goes into amazing detail on the narrative and theological structure of the Old Testament, covering literary theories such as myth, political and geographical ideologies, as well as providing invaluable exegetical and critical analysis of various Old Testament characters and passages, such as Jonathan, Ahab, and Numbers 11—12.

For those of you who want to get more out of your Bible study or sermon preparation, or if you love narrative ideas and background as much as I do, this incredibly helpful collection is a must-have. It’s in production right now—it will be going live the day before Thanksgiving. Get The Sense of Biblical Narrative (2 vols.) now.