Author Mark Young Discusses How Understanding God's Redemptive Mission Changes Our Lives

Our Daily Bread Publishing has announced the upcoming book, One True Story, One True God: What the Bible Is All About by Mark Young. The book is now available in paperback and eBook formats wherever books are sold. 

One True Story, One True God shows how God has moved through history with redemptive, missional intent and gives readers a glimpse of how God will use them to further accomplish His plan. From Adam's creation to Jesus's return, the book shows where we've been, where we are, and where we are going. By seeing the historical context of God's redemption plan, readers will have a fresh understanding of God's big story and where they fit in it.

Q: Mark, thank you for doing this interview with us. Tell us a little about yourself.

I have served as the President of Denver Seminary since 2009. Since 1982, my wife, Priscilla, and I have been involved in theological education. We started in Vienna, Austria, working behind the Iron Curtain. Later we moved to Poland and co-founded a theological school there. We moved back to the US in 1995 and I joined the faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary. I also served on the pastoral staff at Stonebriar Community during our time in Dallas. By training I am a theologian and by profession I am an educator, but mission is my passion.

Q: I believe you are a professor at Our Daily Bread University. What do you teach there?

On their website, I have a free online course entitled, "What's that Book About?" This course formed the foundation for my book that Our Daily Bread Publishing just released "One True Story, One True God: What the Bible is All About"

Q: You have a new book "One True Story, One True God" out. Briefly, what is the book about?

This book is about reading the Bible as the story of God's redemptive mission. It helps the reader see the parts and details of the Bible in the framework of the overarching story that it tells.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

Several years ago on a flight out of Paris, a man seated next to me pointed at the open Bible on my lap and asked, "What's that book about?" Even though I had two graduate degrees from theological seminaries, his question stumped me. I know a lot about the Bible. I knew how to break it down and analyze in Greek and Hebrew, but I didn't readily know how to give a simple answer that encapsulated the whole of the Bible. That conversation started me on a journey of discovery in reading the Bible as a coherent story, not just a collection of individual stories and passages.

Q: You mentioned in the book that knowing about God's redemptive mission changes how we live. What do you mean by that?

Reading the Bible as the one true story of the one true God's engagement in human history from creation to the end of time, gave me a much bigger sense of who God is, who I am, how he relates to all people. It gave a much deeper appreciation for the gift of the Bible and it allowed me to see how my life participates in God's mission to redeem all things. That's powerful!

Q: How does God's redemptive story change, for instance, the way we pray?

When we see ourselves as part of God's redemptive story, it turns us inside out. By that I mean, it causes us to see our own relationship with God in light of how he calls us to participate in his mission for all people to know and worship him.  So much of my prayer life used to be about just my own needs. But our calling and privilege is to enter into the experience of the lost, least, and the last in prayer no matter where they may live.

Q: How does it change the way we give?

As we make decisions about where to give, we ask, "Does this gift directly contribute to God's redemptive mission?" "Does it embody God's heart for all people to know and worship him?"

Q: In what other ways can this new book help our readers in their walk with the Lord?

Our biggest challenge is remembering who we are as the people of God and why we are who we are. This book grounds our identity and sense of purpose in God's redemptive mission. That grounding gives us a reason to get up each day and gratefully embrace the privilege of participating in that mission no matter our circumstances.

To purchase One True Story, One True God, click HERE.

 

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