The Just Love Story Bible (Jacqui Lewis, Shannon Daley-Harris, & Cheryl Thuesday) - Review
The Bible is a complex collection
of sacred writings that were written thousands of years ago. Bringing the
message(s) present in the Bible to children and youth has always been a
challenge. There are children’s Bibles, but they tend to be regular Bibles with
a few pictures scattered throughout. How useful they are, especially for younger
children, is questionable. So, the solution has been the development of story
Bibles. These books are often illustrated (likely the illustrations picture
biblical characters as white Europeans) and focus on narrative. Children can
catch stories more easily than doctrinal statements or prophetic announcements,
so that is understandable. Thus, the more didactic portions of the Bible are
summarized or omitted.
Even as translations of the Bible
involve interpretative choices, the same is true of story Bibles. For more
progressive Christians and especially Christians of color, many traditional
story Bibles fall short of expectations. The good news is that a new story
Bible has been published. Titled The Just Love Story Bible, this story
Bible not only brings to the fore stories that address issues of justice, but
the illustrations feature persons of color. I must say that the illustrations
provided by Cheryl "Ras" Thuesday are vibrant, colorful, and
inviting. This is a story Bible that the entire family can enjoy, while
reminding us that Biblical characters, including Jesus, weren’t Swedish (not
that there’s anything wrong with Swedes).
The creators of The Just Love Story Bible are Jacqui Lewis, the senior minister at Middle Church in New
York City, and a noted public theologian, along with Shannon Daley-Harris, the
Associate Dean of Auburn Theological Seminary. Previous to her current
position, Daley-Harris worked with the Middle Church to develop its Just Love
Families Initiative. They write/compile the biblical story in ways that are
inviting and help the readers hear a message that is liberating and affirming.
The illustrator, Cheryl “Ras” Thuesday, is originally from South London, but
moved to the United States as a child and lives in New York City. She brings
her Caribbean and Asian heritage to the illustrations.
Jacqui Lewis, who wrote the New
Testament portion, writes in her note to the book that the authors and
illustrator hope this Story Bible “will inspire your imagination. We hope you
will notice that all the people you see—no matter their skin tone—are created
in the image of God. We hope you will imagine how deep and wide God’s love is
for all of us” (p. 11). Shannon Daley-Harris, author of the Old Testament
portion of the Story Bible, writes that “the big message of the Bible is that
God loves us and created us to love God and each other, to do justice, and to
love kindness” (p. 13). The goal here is to lift up these messages by retelling
these stories that have been heard over several thousand years, so that the
readers will know that God is love and just.
The authors divide The Just Love Story Bible into eleven parts, six of which focus on the Old Testament
stories, while five focus on the New Testament. Part 1, titled "The
Beginning of Love," offers the foundational stories of creation, the call
of Abraham, and the restoration of a fractured family (Jacob and his sons). Absent
from this version of the biblical story are stories about Cain and Abel, Noah,
and the Tower of Babel. Part 2, "A Freedom Movement," focuses on the
enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt and the steps taken toward liberation in the
Exodus. Part 3 continues with stories from the Pentateuch. Titled "Daring
to Dream a Just Loving Community," they invite us into stories from
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Part 4, titled "God's People
Stand Up for Each Other," begins with Ruth and moves through the story of
the friendship of Jonathan and David (1 Samuel 18-20), and on to stories from 1
and 2 Kings (Solomon and his Temple, along with Elisha’s support for a family
in need), while ending in Esther. I will note that the authors have chosen not to
include stories from Joshua (the conquest) or from the Book of Judges (therefore,
you will not find the story of Samson and Delilah). Stories that involve
violence are generally omitted. Part 5 offers an introduction to two kinds of
psalms, lament and praise, in "Songs for the Movement." The final
section, Part 6, is titled "Speaking Out for Justice." Here we have
excerpts from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Jonah, Joel, and Zechariah. As can be
seen, they have chosen to omit such texts as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Daniel
(no Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). As you will note, several familiar
stories are not present, but they have made choices that emphasize God’s love
and pursuit of justice. Engagement with the other stories will come with time,
when children have reached a point of maturity so they can wrestle with those
stories.
The remainder of The Just Love Story Bible recounts the New Testament stories. Since most of the narratives in
the New Testament are found in the Gospels and Acts, that is where they focus
their attention. Part 7 is titled "Birthing a Revolution.” The first story
is titled Waiting for Liberation and Hope, which offers a prequel to the
Gospels, setting the Gospels in their larger context by focusing on the Roman
occupation of the land of Jesus and the hope of the people that liberation
might come for them. The remainder of this section focuses on the infancy
narratives found in Matthew and Luke. Part 8, which is titled "A Movement
of Love," begins with the message of John the Baptist, preparing the way
for Jesus, whom John baptizes. From there, the authors introduce the readers to
the stories of Jesus' life and ministry in Galilee. As one would expect, they
lift up Jesus’ statement about the Greatest Commandment, as well as taking note
of the message of the Sermon on the Mount. They also retell several parables,
including the parable of the Samaritan that provides an answer to the question “Who
is my neighbor?” Part Nine focuses on "A Week of Holy Conflict." The
stories here begin with the Palm Parade (something many children enjoy
reenacting) through to the crucifixion of Jesus, taking note of Jesus’ sense of
abandonment and death. These are drawn from each of the four Gospels. Part 10,
"The Power of Hope, focuses on the Resurrection of Jesus and his presence
with us. They don’t go into detail here, simply letting readers know that death
wasn’t the final word. Since it is Jacqui Lewis, who writes the New Testament
portion, I will share her message about the question of what happens when we
die. She notes that we can’t know for sure. However, “God loved the world
enough to send Jesus into it to teach us just how love lasts forever. Love
never ends, never dies. Love is a life-giving-spirit. It outlasts our bodies.
It rises up, in life and in death” (p. 255). Finally, in Part 11, they note
that "The Movement Continues." They point us to Pentecost and the
empowering of the Church by the Holy Spirit, the calling of Paul, and end with the
eschatological vision of Revelation 21. Although they draw from 1 John and
Romans, the letters, whether Pauline or otherwise, are largely omitted. Again,
that is not surprising because it is difficult to put didactic messages into a
narrative that children can understand.
I don’t often review children’s
books. However, every once in a while, something comes my way that I feel
called to share about. Having worked in a Christian bookstore during seminary,
I know that families come looking for children’s Bibles and story Bibles. I
often struggled to recommend something I felt comfortable with. When it comes
to The Just Love Story Bible, I saw in it something worth pointing
readers to, especially readers who work with children or have children of their
own. Now, I realize some people will not like what they find here. When I
posted my original review on Goodreads, I read several reviews that criticized
the authors for not focusing on messages about sin and the need for repentance.
If that is what you are looking for, you will want to look elsewhere. That is
not the story Jacqui Lewis and Shannon Daley-Harris want to lift up. The
message they wanted to share is a positive one that focuses on God’s love for
creation, including the human creation, and God’s vision of justice and
liberation. That is a message I think many children need to hear, especially in
this moment in history when the message being heard often is very different.
The authors have done a wonderful job retelling the biblical story, which I
believe will resonate with parents and children. As for the illustrations, Cheryl
Thuesday has done a magnificent job of putting the biblical story into pictures
that should resonate.
Copies of The Just Love Story Bible can be purchased at one's favorite retailers, including my Amazon affiliate and my Bookstore.org affiliate.
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