Seamless
Seamless: Understanding the Bible as One Complete Story
By: Angie Smith
“The entire Bible is a vast library, written by over 40 authors over 1,600 years. You can explore the nooks and crannies for a lifetime. But the amazing thing is those 66 books tell one seamless story about the God who made us, loves us, redeems us, and has a future for us.”
[Shout out to my friend, Laila, for recommending this book to me!]
A lot of people like to brush past the Old Testament (save Psalms) and spend most of their Bible reading time in the New Testament. It feels more accessible and applicable. But if we do that, we miss out on the broader picture of what the Bible is. The Bible is not firstly a story about us and how we should live. It is firstly a story about Jesus. And the Old Testament paves the way to his birth.
Angie takes us through the Bible, following the threads that weave the story of Jesus, and shows us connections that describe and point to our Savior.
She covers 66 books in 7 weeks, so if you’re looking for an in-depth study of Scripture, you’ll want to supplement with other studies.
Here’s the breakdown of chapters:
The Beginning
The Patriarchs
Exodus & The Promised Land
The Kingdom and the Prophets
The Messiah
The Letters
Each week you have 5 days of homework (3-4 pages, very short) and at the end of the week (theoretically) you would meet with others, discuss the review questions, and watch a video. I did this study by myself. I think doing it as a group increases its value because by myself, I’m more likely to skip over questions or not really meditate on the material like I would if I were to discuss it with others. I also did not watch any of the videos, as you must purchase access to those separately.
Based on the design and writing voice, this study is marketed for women. I’m not sure if there is an equivalent male-targeted comprehensive study of Scripture somewhere, but if men can look past the femininity, the content here is universal and applicable to their faith as well.
I also saw this same study but noted ‘for teenage girls'.’ I don’t know what, if anything, is different about it, but I think teenage girls would get a lot out of this (or that) study and would find it very engaging! At that age, the concept of viewing the Bible holistically probably isn’t even on their radar and this would be a great primer and framework they can organize new information the older they get and the more they learn.
As to the layout and design and to give you an idea of what the homework looks like here are a few pictures:
Some days have fill-in-the-blank sections. Some have charts, maps, or graphs. There are also short answer questions or copying verses in the margins. The answers are all very straight forward and do not require a lot of thought or study. I think part of that is just a way for her to get you familiar with your Bible- looking up verses, etc.
I think one of my favorite/useful parts is the book summary in the margins. As she progresses through the Bible she will add each book of the Bible as it comes up and gives the general point of the book. I think copying these down in order they are in the Bible would be a helpful resource to refer back to or even memorize.
As you can see in the picture above, Angie provides icons for each week to depict a part of the story and to help us remember the progression. I think this is a big strength in this study. You can practice drawing out the icon map and labeling each part. If you can memorize the pictures, you’ve got the general Bible story completely memorized!
I would say Seamless is probably MOST useful and targeted for new believers or believers who feel unfamiliar with their Bible. It’s for people who view their Bible more as individual books than one comprehensive story. I think that is going to be where the most growth happens.
I am neither of those and I still found value in this study. I’ve done a lot of study of the Bible and took a class similar to this (though more expansive) in high school so the content was not new for me. But it’s always good to be refreshed on how connected the Old Testament is to the story of Jesus. To be reminded of how purposeful, inspired, and intentional all of Scripture is.
I love how she points out patterns and fulfilled prophecies, emphasizes where people exemplified incredible faith, explains word meanings, and presents a clear gospel message. While I mentioned I “knew” all of this already, I did learn or catch a few new things or saw them in a new light after doing this study.
Here’s the thing. I can understand other reviewers’ criticism on her writing style and humor attempts. I think that type of writing voice is very engaging for a lot of women/readers and helps them connect more as they’re reading, but can be a turn off for others. I tend to be more critical of those types of books, especially if I think their content is shallow or misfocused. I am not a fan of ‘fluffy’ books and prefer my devotionals to be meaty and deep. I don’t really need to feel like I’m friends with authors of my devotionals.
HOWEVER. I find that this book is an exception for me. I’ve read other books with far more annoying ‘we’re totally best friends, cry on my shoulder’ vibes than Seamless. And this book has really good content.
It’s truthful, helpful, and not often written about. It’s a topic that too many Christians don’t care about or don’t know they need to care about.
God gave us the entire Bible because we need the entire Bible. If you don’t know why, then this study is for you! You can look past the colloquial verbiage and absorb the biblical meat that will beef up your faith and understanding of God’s word. It lays the essential framework into which all other Bible study fits.
For more in-depth, topic-specific, or book-of-the-Bible-specific reading, explore the links below.
Pin this to Pinterest!