Preface
Sleeve Notes
1. Creation
2. Catastrophe
3. Covenant
4. Community (Part One): Exodus
5. Community (Part Two): Sinai
6. Conquest
7. Crown
8. Conceit
Interlude
9. Christ
10. Cross
11. Church
12. Consummation
Postscript to the Reader
Sources and References
Suggested Scripture Readings
Bibliography
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.
"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."
*Fr. Rick Ganz, S.J., Marylhurst University, Oregon*
"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."
*John David Walt Jr., vice president for community life and dean of
the chapel, Asbury Theological Seminary*
"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."
*Reverend Dr. John Smith, president, God's Squad CMC, and founder,
Concern Australia*
"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."
*Travis Reed, founder, The Work of the People
(theworkofthepeople.com)*
"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."
*Christopher L. Heuertz, international director, Word Made Flesh,
and coauthor of Friendship at the Margins*
"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 . . ."
*Steven G. W. Moore, executive director, The M. J. Murdock
Charitable Trust*
"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!"
*Alan Hirsch, coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come, The
Forgotten Ways and Untamed*
"'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."
*Maxie Dunnam*
"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."
*Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author and new monastic
(jonathanwilsonhartgrove.com)*
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