Book Review

The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee

The purpose of this book is to build upon and explain each chapter in "The Story." I did not enjoy "The Story" nor do I recommend it (you can read my review here).

Therefore, I didn't think I would enjoy this book either, however, I was wrong. At least partially. The book seems to have developed from sermons the author preached at his church. The author does an okay job at describing the heart of Old Testament. In my opinion, however, he fails with the New Testament. There were a few factual errors in the text as well, for example, regarding our solar system.

There were even a few things that he seems dogmatic about that I question. For example, on page 203, the author states, "It became clear early in his ministry that, even though he was the only child of a humble carpenter from Nazareth, he was special." Only child? Really? I wonder how the author explains the many references to Jesus' brothers then? Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 are pretty clear. As is Mark 3:31 and John 2:12. There are many other Scriptures to review in this as well (John 7:3-4, Luke 8:19-21, Acts 1:13-14).

Overall, this was an okay read. It is a short, fast read as well. If you choose to read this book, you can probably stop at the end of the Old Testament section. You will be disappointed with the minimal coverage of the New Testament material.