A theology book can rarely be read with the same gusto and fluency as an adventure novel or a great film. However, the depth and density of some theological textbooks are necessary for intellectual development. But other types of essays seem written for all audiences, as they manage to combine entertaining appeal, humor, and a seeming lightheartedness with the possibility of discovering pearls of great value and depth when the astute reader knows how to read between the lines. This is the case with this essay on the New Testament, in which its author, John Bergsma, focuses on the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letter to the Romans, and Revelation; although, he also offers a quick overview of the rest of the Bible, so that the reader has a complete view of the greatest story ever told.

And more than two billion people on planet Earth believe their lives have meaning, thanks to the protagonist of the Gospel stories. People inspired by Jesus of Nazareth founded universities and hospitals, traveled around the world, and gave names to numerous places and countries. They also wrote in new languages ​​to share Jesus’ message with all peoples.

In writing his book, Bergsma has taken risky but effective options, such as the childlike drawings that fill many of the pages and with which he introduces us to each biblical author he will discuss. Such caricatures may put off the adult reader, but in the end they make sense. Because the author combines this pleasant, even playful, air with a depth that may go unnoticed by the inattentive reader. To cite just two examples: the explanation he gives of the Lord’s seamless tunic in the Passion, which we will not reveal to avoid spoilers, or the explanation of the real reference to the city of Babylon in the Apocalypse (no spoilers), which differs from the interpretations of other authors, but which Bergsma justifies with historical and biblical arguments.

The selection of authors, with the exclusion of Mark, Peter, James, and Jude, is not arbitrary either. He aims to focus his study not on the entire Bible but on a single guiding thread: the Kingdom of God. Matthew shows the coming of the Kingdom, the Gospel of Luke and Acts, its growth, by showing the initial growth of the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth. Paul’s letters—Bergsma focuses on the Epistle to the Romans—instruct on how to live in the Kingdom (the Church), and John shows the end of history: the definitive state and eschatological fullness of the Kingdom of God.

John Bergsma was a Protestant pastor before his conversion to Catholicism. He is a father and professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville (USA). Reading his foray into the world’s most influential book, it’s understandable why he has been voted Professor of the Year by his students on several occasions.