More on the Story

Previously mentioned (March 26, 2017) was a brief introduction to The Story, written by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee, both from the apostate Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. It has been copyrighted at least two times by Zondervan in 2005 and 2008. And it has a study and discussion guide that can be purchased to go with it, which is the reason some churches are using it for a basis of study.

What do the authors claim is their purpose for writing a book that looks like a novel in its appearance, containing fewer than 500 pages? They say The Story tells of the true God who made the way of salvation available to all. The purpose of the stories that are included (their terminology; we would have chosen to use historical events) is to show the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Then they assert that the same God of the Bible is concerned about us today, which is true, but they relate it more to people’s daily struggles than to salvation for their sins. God forgave David’s failures, they say. Certainly, that sounds good and is correct, but they neglect to mention that God also punished David for his sins. They cite God rescuing Jonah from the great fish but neglect to say God appointed the fish to swallow Jonah in the first place.

They close with a prayer that the “stories” included in their book will encourage the reader to “listen for God’s call in your life” (vii). Really? A call like what—the one Abraham heard? Or Moses? What exactly is the meaning of these words? They also insist that God will help the reader to write his own story (also on page 471). Is that intended as figurative or literal? If literal, then today’s events are as important as what God caused to be inspired in the Scriptures.

What is the rationale for the authors to omit so many passages of Scripture? They say their work “opens a door to God’s truth.” Perhaps, but it is not all of the truth because they left out such significant portions of it. They further explain that their product includes the “actual, God-breathed words of the Bible” (ix). This statement is true, but so is this one: “The Story omits actual, God-breathed words of the Bible.” In fact, it excludes about three times as much as it includes.

The authors insist that the sections of Scripture they included “were thoughtfully and carefully excerpted” (ix). This personal assurance ought to put everyone’s mind at ease—not. Sometimes they used italics to summarize omitted portions. Sometimes they just used spaces to indicate omissions. They do not number the verses so that the reader can easily find a particular text. They do have a chart at the end of the book saying what texts were used (494-95). From that we deduce that the following passages are absent.

Old Testament Omissions

Genesis 5, 10-11, 14, 18-20, 23-31, 34, 36, 38, 40, 49.

Exodus 8-9, 18, 21-23, 26-31, 35-39.

Leviticus (the entire book is ignored)

Numbers 1-9, 15-19, 22-24, 26, 28-36

Deuteronomy 3, 5, 7, 10-28, 33

Joshua 3-5, 7, 9, 12-22

Judges 1, 5, 9-12, 17-21

1 Samuel 5-7, 14, 19-23, 25-30

2 Samuel 1-5, 7-10, 13-17, 20-21, 23-24

1 Kings 9, 20-22

2 Kings 1, 3, 5, 7-16, 20, 22

1 Chronicles 1-16, 18-21, 23-28

2 Chronicles 1-4, 8-32, 34-35

Ezra 8-10; Nehemiah 3, 5, 9-13, Esther 10

Job (the entire book is ignored)

Psalms 1-22, 24-31, 33-50, 52-58, 60-150

Proverbs 4-5, 7-19, 22-31

Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon are absent.

Isaiah 1-2, 4-5, 7-12, 15-48, 50-52, 54-66

Jeremiah 3, 6-12, 14-20, 22-28, 32-52

Lamentations 4

Ezekiel 3-5, 8-35, 38-48

Daniel 4-5, 7-12; Hosea 1-3, 6-7, 10-13

Joel is omitted; Amos 2, 6-8; Obadiah is omitted.

Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah

Zechariah 2-7, 9-14

Missing from Genesis are some key events, such as the Tower of Babel, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob’s marriages to Leah and Rachel, and other significant events. Exodus contains three chapters of laws that God gave after Sinai (21-23), which are excluded. All of Leviticus was deemed unworthy—even the Day of Atonement in chapter 16, as well as the three feast days Israel was to appear before Jehovah. Leviticus has many subjects discussed that can be found nowhere else. The authors could not even reference the tremendous lesson to be gained by observing what happened to Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1-3). Without Leviticus, a tremendous emphasis on holiness is lost—including: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” And how about the second greatest commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself (19:18)? It cannot be found in The Story.

Missing from Numbers is the story of Balaam (22-24), the example of the man stoned for gathering sticks on the Sabbath (15:32-36), the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (16), etc. The covenant of blessing and cursing is absent from both Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The prohibition of intermarriage with the people of the land was overlooked (7).

Although the authors kindly included Ruth, they omitted the crossing of the Jordan River, the defeat at Ai, and the covenant that Israel was tricked into signing in the Book of Joshua (3-5, 7, 9). Lucado-Frazee cut from Judges Abimelech (9), Jephthah (11), and life as it was under the judges (17-21) More than once the reader finds this statement: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did that which was right in his own eyes” (17:6; 21:25).

From 1 Samuel 5, Dagon’s falling down before the ark of the covenant is absent. 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings (with occasional references to 1-2 Chronicles) is all very spotty, although they did retain some very significant events. Nehemiah 13 should never have been left out, and neither should the entirety of Job.

And how can anyone omit the very first Psalm (even in a summary) or the Messianic Psalms 2, 16 (which Peter cited on Pentecost), 22, and 110, which foretells Jesus being both King and Priest after the order of Melchizedek? Can there be no mention to Psalm 119, which is an extended praise of the Word of God? Perhaps, in light of the way they chop up the Scriptures, it was appropriate to leave this Psalm out!

So much wisdom was omitted from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; could they not even include the wonderful verses describing the worthy woman? How on earth can the virgin birth (Isaiah 7) be overlooked? So is one of the greatest prophecies in Daniel (7:13-14). The authors mentioned Jonah in the Preface but they don’t list his book among the Scriptures included on pages 494-95.

New Testament Omissions

Matthew 8, 10, 12-13, 15-16, 18-20, 22-25

Mark 7, 13; Luke 3-7, 11-14, 16-21

John 5, 9-10, 15; Acts 11, 15, 24-26

Romans 2, 7, 9-11, 13-14, 16

1 Corinthians 2, 4, 7-9, 11, 14; 2 Corinthians (all of it)

Galatians 2, 4; Philippians (all); Colossians (all)

2 Thessalonians (all); 1 Timothy (all); Titus (all)

Philemon; Hebrews 1-10; 12-13; James (all)

1-2 Peter (all); 1-2-3 John (all), Jude (all)

Revelation 6-18.

Although most of Mark and Acts are included, along with Ephesians and 2 Timothy, look at what is missing.

Many readers will notice the absence of the Limited Commission in Matthew 10, along with the parables of chapter 13, but what really is conspicuous by its absence is Jesus promising to build His church (16). The practice of the Jews’ saying, “It is Corban,” made the worship of the Jews vain is a significant omission from 15. Can the Lord’s teaching on marriage (19) actually be absent? Apparently (although Mark 6 is retained). The correct approach for brethren to resolve problems (including the withdrawal of fellowship) is gone. For Matthew 22-25 to be excluded is unimaginable.

Just a few of the teachings missing from Luke are the crucial lesson of repentance (13:1-5), counting the cost of putting Christ first (14:25-35), the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31), which is the only passage in the New Testament that affords us a look at what happens to the spirit after death, the prayers of the Pharisee and the publican (18:9-14), and the story of the salvation that occurred at the house of Zacchaeus (19:1-10).

Two amazing healings are skipped in the gospel of John—that of the lame man (5) and that of the man born blind (9). Excluded is the Jerusalem conference in Jerusalem that dealt with the Judaizing teachers from Acts 15. 1 Corinthians 11:22-33, dealing with the Lord’s Supper, is gone. And is it just coincidence that 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2 are missing? These two passages relate to the role of women in the church. It is strange that they are both absent. Likewise, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 both give the qualifications for elders, but they are not referenced in The Story. How is it that both of these invaluable books ended up excised? The Book of Colossians does handle the same subjects as Ephesians, but it also includes the authority principle: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17). Lucado lopped off this invaluable verse.

2 Corinthians did not deserve to be axed—especially as it deals with the new Christian life (5), proper giving (8-9), and warning against false teachers (11:13-15). How can one do without Philippians, the epistle that emphasizes joy in the Christian life? And what of 2 Thessalonians, which describes the second coming of Christ (1), which is preceded by the man of sin (2)? How essential is Titus 2:11-14, which begins with: “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men”?

That 90% of Hebrews should be cast aside is unthinkable. Who in their right mind could skip James? Was that because of 2:14-26? 1 Peter deals with so many relationships; 2 Peter emphasizes holiness, false teachers, and the end of the world. How does someone determine to do without those sections? 1 John repeatedly stresses the importance of love; Jude charges brethren to contend for the faith. Revelation does not need to be condensed, either. If The Story shows one thing, it is that one cannot successfully dispose of various portions of the Scriptures and that the attempt to do so is folly. The finished product proves that the idea was not a good one.