Review of McKnight's Blue Parakeet #1

Recently, I was blessed to be able to receive an Advance Reader Copy of Scot Mcknight's the Blue Parakeet. The book hits the shelves in November. Based upon his blog and other books, I was looking forward to receiving this book to review.

McKnight begins by asking how one determines how to read Scripture. He then introduces us to a concept known as a "blue parakeet" - ways in which we read the Bible and attempt to "tame" those various passages. McKnight argues it shouldn't be attempted and can't be done. His foundation for his work is completed in the introduction (Chapters 1 and 2).

Section 1 (Chapters 3-5) then takes the reader into how McKnight teaches the Bible should be read, specifically, as Story. According to McKnight, too many go to the Bible and read snipets of a story, believing them to stand alone. For example, many choose to focus on God's promises or God's blessings, as they read. However, when one reads the Bible in it's entireity, one sees God's Story in 66 books.

I appreciated McKnight's example of wikipedia. After pointing out that wikipedia is a site of ongoing definitions, McKnight perceives the compiling of Scripture in that way. In other words, several authors describing one Story with their individual story. In the Story, McKnight points out 1) Oneness (the way God created); 2) Otherness (the result of the Fall and mankind's pride); and 3) Oneness (restoration of relationships including God, man, self, and others).

A review of sections 2 and 3 will follow next week.