When Heather
Kendall's pastor began teaching things with which she couldn't
agree, she found herself studying the Bible in depth on her own. The
result was a Bible study that morphed into A Tale of Two Kingdoms,
a 448-page book that traces the story, from Genesis to Revelation,
of the kingdom of God in collision with the kingdom of Satan.
In this
ambitious project, Kendall takes us on an overview trip through the
Old Testament, the inter-testament writings (Apocrypha), the New
Testament, and looks at a few post- New Testament writers as well.
Throughout the journey she draws attention to the unity of the
Bible's message, i.e. that it was God's plan to defeat Satan by
sending His Son (called the "promised Seed"), to die a
substitutionary death for sinful humanity, and then be resurrected
to render death and Satan's kingdom impotent.
The book is
organized into two main sections. "Part 1: Waiting for the Promised
Seed" - an 11-chapter section that covers the Old Testament, and
"Part 2: Responding to the Promised Seed" - a five-chapter section
that deals with Jesus, his life, death, resurrection, the birth of
the church and early church writings. An appendix, timeline,
endnotes, bibliography and index complete the volume.
Pages are
clearly laid out with white space separating the parts written by
Kendall from block quotes of others and italicized sections quoted
from the Bible. Bits of the text in non-outlined text boxes, one or
two per page spread, add more visual interest. The end of each
chapter lists "Points to Ponder," where the author summarizes the
main ideas covered.
Kendall is a
self-admitted lay person and writes in a language that's easy to
understand. However, she has obviously done lots of research, given
the number of expert opinions she quotes. She uses personal and
family vignettes as illustrations and these give the book a warm,
friendly touch.
A Tale of Two
Kingdoms will appeal to those interested in an overview of the Bible,
especially as it relates to the plan of salvation. Kendall
interprets the Bible literally. Her approach to it is uncritical and
enthusiastic, and she frequently invites readers to join her in her
faith.
People who are
entirely unfamiliar with the Bible may feel challenged in places
where Kendall gets right into things without explaining who the
characters are and precisely where they fit into the larger story.
But those who have even a nodding familiarity with the Bible
shouldn't find this a problem. Of course the time line at the back
of the book also helps keep all the people and events in order. The
bibliography is a great list of additional resources for the keen
student.
This
comprehensive yet concise guidebook would make a valuable addition
to any Bible student's library. For more information on the author
and a free pdf download of the first chapter, go to Kendall's
Web site.
Violet Nesdoly blogs more book reviews and lots of other stuff at
promptings
