They say that the 21st Century is a century of the“ story.” A corporation needs a “story” to market its products and a politician without a “story” will fail to garner his/her constituency’s support. So why is the“ story”so important?
Could it not be that as material civilization advances ad infinitum, human beings become more in need of emotional and personal touch? That is why a good story must be interesting and inspiring. But, as you know, such stories are hard to come by. However, I, of late, have discovered a series of books which contain an unending supply of interesting and inspirational stories. The series is called the History of Redemption. Let me spin some yarn for you.

Story 01
Abraham, a man referred to as the father of faith... He leaves his home and heads out without a definite destination, simply in response to God’s command to “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household.”
However, when you read the sections of the Bible which record this story, one discovers something odd.
Acts 7 tells us that he left the “Ur of the Chaldeans (Mesopotamia)” whereas the Genesis 12 account tells us that he left a place called “Haran.” Are these two regions referring to the same area? No. Does this reflect an error of the scriptures? No. Upon a close and careful read of the Bible, one discovers in this tale of a journey, human frailty and doubt, and the resolve to overcome such shortcomings, which eventuates into a father-son parting, that is inspirational. The History of Redemption will fill in the details for the readers.

Story 02
Led by Moses, 603,550 (adult males only) Israelites escape from Egypt. However, due to their disobedience, they are left to wander the wilderness for 40 years. And after those 40 years, only two men, Joshua and Caleb, enter the Promised Land. A question comes to mind. At the time, the average life span was over 100 years.
Moses lived 120 years, and his brother Aaron lived 123. Out of the some 600,000 adult males that left Egypt, there should be more than a handful who are still in their 60s or slightly older at the end of the 40 years.
Did these men all die naturally at half the average age of most others? No. With the longanticipated Promised Land right before their eyes at Brook Zered, a most tragic and shocking event took place. Again, read the History of Redemption Series for further details.



For those who are somewhat familiar with the biblical stories, these snippets will have whetted your spiritual appetites. The History of Redemption series is filled with such interesting stories. I used to pride myself for my biblical erudition. However, after reading these books, my collective biblical knowledge seemed but dusts in the wind strewn about like useless debris.
Who, throughout the ages and the world, have unfolded the scriptures with such insight? The task of scriptural exegesis is prone to be sent off on wild goose chases led by various “authoritative” voices.
And even the slightest dissent from the norm can start a flurry of controversies. However, no objections of any kind, whatsoever, have been put forth since the publication of the History of Redemption series.
Rather, distinguished scholars from a vast spectrum of theological and doctrinal shades have heaped praise upon praise for these books. This was possible because the books solely exegete the scriptures using only the Holy Writ as its guide. “An amazing work which could not be accomplished without having mastery of both Testaments of the scriptures” said Dr. Yong-Guk Won, former Chairman of the Biblical Archaeology Society. “Bits and pieces of theology and history that the Bible is littered with have been gathered and put together to form a perfectly wondrous picture” (Dr. Suk-Tae Sohn, President, Reformed Theological Seminary of Korea). “The needs of the thousands upon thousands of books that have been written henceforth in history have been satisfied by this one book” (Dr. Eui-Choon Hwang, Chairman, International Unified General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea). “All the characters and events of redemptive history are grasped as if looking at a picture and that feeling is wondrous” (Dr. Gwang-Myung Jang, former moderator of the Methodist Church of Korea).
“A magnanimous achievement, unparalleled in the history of mankind” (Dr. Yeong-Su Ye, former Chancellor, Han Shin University).
The History of Redemption series is sort of like Cliffs Notes. Unless you were a genius, these companion guides were absolute necessities. And that is exactly why I recommend the History of Redemption Series to everyone who finds the Bible difficult.
Let’s return to our discussion about the “story.” A “good” story must be interesting and inspirational, but for such a story to be “great,” it needs one more element.
It needs a powerful message that can be applied in the reader’s life immediately. In other words, it must not remain a “history,” but it must become “my story.” The premiere scholar of Korean Church history, Dr. Kyung-Bae Min (Honorary Professor of Yonsei University) said, “The author (Rev. Abraham Park) has managed to breathe life into the biblical characters so that they come alive just like you and I, thereby taking the Bible from history to my story.”
He’s absolutely right. Six thousand years ago when Adam and Eve fell, God had already scripted the story of mankind’s salvation by clothing the couple with garments of skin. Then God developed the genealogy of Jesus Christ to act out that script-this is that most dramatic and magnanimous story... The prototype of all human stories is God’s story of redemption. The History of Redemption series is not a series of books merely retelling an ancient story in an interesting way.
They are a series of books which provide spiritual insight for living in comtemporary time.