Reading Scripture as One Story: A Journey Through the Biblical Drama
By Bryan Hickey
TL;DR
Introducing a new series to accompany the Bible Overview unit I'm leading at my church. We'll be exploring the Scriptures as one unified story and discovering our place in God's drama of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration through thoughtful reflection on Scripture's big narrative.
There's something both humbling and hopeful about beginning a journey through the Bible's big story. Humbling because we're stepping into a narrative that stretches from "In the beginning" to "Come, Lord Jesus"—a story that claims to explain everything. Hopeful because this story insists we belong somewhere in its pages.
Over the next few months, I'll be writing a series of long-form articles that accompany a unit I'm running called Bible Overview at our church. We'll be gathering to learn from Mike Raiter's videos in the Ridley Certificate unit. We'll also be working through Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen's The Drama of Scripture (2024), a book that has shaped many people to read Scripture as one unified story rather than a collection of disconnected bits.
This isn't academic exercise for its own sake. It's about learning to see ourselves rightly—as characters in God's ongoing drama of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Understanding the Bible's story isn't just helpful—it's essential.
The series of articles I'll be publishing provide more details than we will cover in our 90-minute teaching sessions. Article will be published after each session.
We will follow the six-act structure that frames The Drama of Scripture:
Act 1 — Creation: God Establishes His Kingdom
Act 2 — Fall: Rebellion in the Kingdom
Act 3 — Redemption Initiated: The King Chooses Israel
Interlude — The Intertestamental Period
Act 4 — Redemption Accomplished: The Coming of the King
Act 5 — The Mission of the Church: Spreading the News of the King
Act 6 — Redemption Completed: The Return of the King
We will explore what these acts mean, how they connect, and why they matter for how we understand ourselves and the world we live in. This isn't just about biblical literacy—though we'll gain that. It's about discovering what it means to live as people who know where the story is heading and what role we're called to play.
I want this series to feel like good hospitality. A space where we can sit with Scripture long enough for it to do something to us. Where we can wrestle with big questions without rushing to easy answers. Where the ancient words might become freshly alive.
The first article in the series will be published on the 6th of August, 2025.