The Story of God, the Story of Us - (Forge Partnership Books) by Sean Gladding (Paperback)

About the Book

Travel with Sean Gladding between the lines of the Scriptures to listen to the conversations of people wrestling with the Story of God for the first time. Whether by campfire in Babylon, at table in Asia Minor or by candlelight in Rome, you'll hear a tale that is at once familiar and surprising.

Book Synopsis

"The ever present ache of exile rises above the comforting sounds of the river, as the image of the house of the LORD in ruins breaks the peace. . . . Despite the warmth of the fire, he feels a chill. He wraps his cloak around him and looks into the eager faces of his people, then closes his eyes. 'Picture this scene . . .'"Before the Bible was a book, it was flesh and blood.In this book, you can travel with Sean Gladding between the lines of the Scriptures to listen in on the conversations of people wrestling with the Story of God for the first time. Whether sitting around a campfire in Babylon, reclining at table in Asia Minor or huddled together by candlelight in Rome, you'll encounter a tale that is at once familiar and surprising.The Story of God, the Story of Us can be read alone but is especially rich shared with a group. Sean Gladding presents an account of the Bible that pays attention to its audience as well as its message. He introduces you to people who may remind you of yourself or your family, friends and coworkers. As much as the Bible is a story about God, it's also a story about you--and all of us--as we encounter God in a new way.

Review Quotes

"'Why another book about the Bible?' The author asks that question. I answer: We don't need 'just another book' . . . but we need this one. Sean enables us to enter the 'Grand Story' by using 'story' and dialogue as effective communication. His style and language make his message easily accessible, enabling us to experience the great movements of the Story, and that's a redemptive dynamic. An added dimension for me is that I know the author, and he lives the Story. The Story of God, the Story of Us makes the Story real for the reader."

"Despite our insistence on the authority of Scripture, we Christians too often let Washington and Walt Disney tell us our story. But whoever tells our story directs our lives. Sean Gladding invites us to hear God's story anew-to hear it as our own story-and to let it direct us toward the beloved community we're made to be. Listen to him. Commit this story to memory. Tell it to your kids. Let it direct your life."

"Everyone loves a story, but even more so when that story sweeps us into its narrative as does the gospel. Sean Gladding shows us how, in fact, his story is our story. As artful as it is significant!"

"I love it when someone tells a story that we can get lost in, a story that sparks our imagination and connects the dots. Sean Gladding is a great storyteller who draws us into a story of which we have heard bits and pieces. As the story unfolds we realize it is our story-yours and mine-and we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. And the story is not over, and it's not just a story after all . . ."

"In The Story of God, the Story of Us Sean Gladding takes the reader on an imaginative and fresh stroll through the Scriptures. Reeling in distant theological and historical abstractions, Sean makes the whole of the Bible intimate and readable. Parlanced in an accessible, down-to-earth renarration of the Scriptures, Sean fuses biblical tradition with captivating story, compelling dialogue and nuanced reflection."

"It is fascinating how the wheels of history and culture turn. The ancient cultures of human civilization transmitted wisdom and the tools for survival via story and myth. Now, even in the highly intellectualized corridors of the academy, the story has again become the dynamic instrument of communication. Anecdotal evidence, once frowned upon by modern research methodology, is now sometimes viewed as more enlightening than the static recording of standardized surveys. Thus Sean Gladding has grasped the postmodern method to illuminate us with the drama of redemption by skillful storytelling through the heart of a storyteller, in the heartache of exile.
"Jean Vanier, scholar and lover of the poor, thrilled my heart and mind by a storytelling account of the Gospels' content. This work of Sean's is perhaps even more intriguing in its journey through the redemptive Story pre-Garden to post-apocalypse. The inclusion of a psalm-singing musician in search of the meaning of the divine drama and human suffering is a delightfully contemporary touch for generations whose inspiration and envisioning may come as much through a U2 song as a Sunday sermon. While the language is conversational, and at times as spellbinding as the Australian campfire yarn, it does not lose the complexity on the other side of its simplicity.
"The conflict between original grace and original sin, the stress of balancing mercy and judgment, the mystery of the us-ness of the one trinitarian creator-God, the consistency of God's seeking love through the diversity of cultural evolution, the intimate needs of the individual in the context of social being-all these and many other areas of mystery, controversy and general ignorance are explored with courage and winsome imagery. This is as engaging as storytelling to my grandchildren, but as challenging and invigorating as a discussion after a graduate class in theology. As the writer has declared, I do not know of any other approach quite as innovative and useful for community dialogue over the biblical story. When the heart is warmed, convictions are aroused and the mind is challenged-all in one item of literature-you know this is a good thing. One hasty read for this analysis will not be enough for me. It will be revisited. I challenge you to join me in a journey in which faith and reason are made delectable through story. It is a book to be read and read, alone and with others who thirst for the truth in love."

"It is only the person who is long in the study of the Scriptures, and in the contemplation of God through them, who may be granted the capacity in the Spirit to experience the Scriptures freshly, with more of the Light shining in the words and the spaces between them. And if that person is Sean Gladding, then he might write in such a way that a reader is startled at how much he or she missed when studying the same biblical passages. In the classic spiritual tradition of the 'application of the senses' way of reading the Scriptures, Gladding shows us how freshly to see, to hear, to taste and to touch each biblical scene."

"Sean invites us to find ourselves in Scripture. He points us back to the Story. It's not a new story; in fact, it is as old as humanity itself. But it is still very much our story, showing us what we already know and feel: that we, like the Israelites, and like all of creation, are in exile, longing for redemption, in search of the promised land. Sean invites us to see that this Story, God's Story, is our story."

"There are those who tell about stories and then there are storytellers. Sean Gladding is of the latter variety. He has learned to tell the Story of God from the inside without succumbing to the elitism of an 'insider.' In fact, he demonstrates a way of telling the Story to outsiders such that they want to come inside. I commend this book to anyone exploring the bestselling, least understood book in the history of the world. As well, I recommend it to leaders and practitioners who long for a fresh approach to teaching Scripture."

About the Author

Sean Gladding is a member of Communality, a missional community that serves as one of the host "schools for conversion" for the New Monasticism. There he and his wife, Rebecca, acclimate guests and new participants to life in community, provide pastoral care for the community members and curate the weekly fellowship gathering. He presents The Story of God, the Story of Us to large groups and small gatherings throughout the United States and internationally as well.