The Magnificent Story: Uncovering a Gospel of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth

by James Bryan Smith

We are story-making people. We love reading stories—and we love hearing the personal stories of others. We need stories, or narratives, to make sense of our world. And those stories shape our lives. What is the story you have been told about the gospel? About God? About the Christian life? About Jesus? About the cross? About yourself? About heaven? Your answers to these questions will form a story that will determine how your life will go. The answers reveal your ability to trust, to love, to hope—and even your capacity for joy. Any story worth giving the power to shape our lives must pass a simple Is it beautiful, good, and true? If it is, then it is a magnificent story—and that is where transformation takes place. From James Bryan Smith, author of the bestselling book The Good and Beautiful God, comes this spiritual formation resource meant to help both individuals and groups understand the magnificent story of Christ in their lives. The field-tested material within includes spiritual practices at the end of each chapter and a group discussion guide. Uncover the true story of beauty, goodness, and truth that will satisfy the ultimate longings of your heart.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2017

About the author

James Bryan Smith (M.Div., Yale University Divinity School, D.Min., Fuller Seminary) is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, KS and a writer and speaker in the area of Christian spiritual formation. He also serves as the director of the Aprentis Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University.

A founding member of Richard J. Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré Smith is an ordained United Methodist Church minister and has served in various capacities in local churches. Smith is also the author of A Spiritual Formation Workbook, Devotional Classics (with Richard Foster), Embracing the Love of God, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven and Room of Marvels.

Reviews

[Philip Yancey]

You can find many books complaining about Christians and how they don't present the Gospel as Good News. (I've written some myself!) James Bryan Smith knows firsthand about the watered-down Gospel and the shaming Gospel. In this book, however, he steps back and presents the story of God and creation through the lens of ancient philosophy: Is it good? true? beautiful? A fine summary of why Jesus' message is truly good news, and an appeal to people of faith to get it right.

[Dawn Dishman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am conflicted about this book.

On many levels I loved it and agree with Smith's truth of the Gospel being full of beauty, goodness, and truth. His suggested practices at the end of the chapters are helpful and engaging. After reading I am filled with awe and wonder at the grandeur of God and the continual love God pours out on His creation and people.

Smith writes, "The central question of the gospel is not, 'how can I be saved?' but 'Who is Jesus? Your relationship to Jesus unleashes redemptive power. I hear people say, we need to get people to make a commitment to Jesus. My response always is, we need to get people to know Jesus. If they come to know Jesus in His beauty, goodness, and truth, they will naturally make a commitment to Him."

I love this! This is the good news of the gospel. He ends the book beautifully describing how Jesus came to make things right again in the world-to restore what is broken in us and in the world. His second returning will be the final chapter in the story that God is still writing. He is restoring us to completeness now, not just when we die. This is a message the world needs right now!

But...there is a lot in the book that didn't settle well in me, which may be more about me than the book.

Smith pushes against the predominant form of the message of the gospel delivered in the 1970's and 80's. It was the message that Jesus died for our sins, bridging the gulf separating us from a holy God. It promised life eternally with God in heaven. It was a message of hope for me, especially after being in an accident that killed my friend in high school and a youth leader taking time to share with me the hope of heaven after I watched my friend die in front of me. I didn't know where I might have ended up had I died instead of my friend in that accident. I knew I was a sinner and I needed forgiveness.

Smith calls this the "shaming gospel" and he unpacks his own journey and how that message affected him in negative ways. I get it. I can name the problems with this message now-looking back. But in the context of culture in the US, the predominant belief that the world might end by nuclear war or Jesus's imminent return, this was a message of hope that people responded to in that time and space of history. Even though we can point to some fallout of that message now, is it fair to call it wrong?

I believe the message of the gospel is delivered and speaks differently in times in history. It is a message that brings hope to each generation and like a beautiful diamond reflects a different angle depending on the light shining on it. So, I wish Smith would emphasize the beauty of the gospel and how it needs to be communicated today without discounting the beauty of the gospel communicated 45 years ago and the millions of lives transformed by that message of sins being forgiven and eternity in heaven. It wasn't a wrong gospel-it was a different angle of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus transcends all cultures, events, histories, time, and even our feeble attempts at communicating the mysteries of God. God doesn't change, but how His message gets delivered does.

I do not want to discount the good work in this book. Smith has endured a pain and suffering that, in my estimation, is one the greatest forms of suffering a person can endure. God has ministered and met him in beautiful ways, which is revealed in this book. For that alone, I would recommend the book to others. But do not lose sight that the centrality of the gospel is Jesus is God and in His great love for us, came to restore us to a right relationship to Himself and others. It's all good news-if that is what's being communicated. And the "magnificent story" has many chapters, is still being written, and apparently the Author isn't concerned with wrapping it up any time soon since we are still grappling with how to tell the story with others.

[Kelly Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We are creatures with a mystery in our heart that is bigger than ourselves.”

This is the fourth book that I have read of James Bryan Smith’s. I really like how he draws out false narratives that so many of us have accepted as truth and challenges you to look at things differently.

This particular book draws out how we are part of God’s story, the magnificent story, which is being told right here, right now.

“God is the hero of the only story that will satisfy us.”

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smith reminds us, with insights from Dallas Willard, CS Lewis, Hans von Balthasar, and NT Wright, how the gospel is beautiful, true, and good. When we lose sight of this, our theological outlook may become distorted. Such as a Do-Good-Works Gospel, which “relies too heavily on human beings. It shrinks the gospel to goodness, leaving out the truth of Jesus’ resurrected life, ignoring the beauty of sacrifice and redemption.” Or a Shaming and Scary Gospel, where “you are bad and God is mad, but Jesus took your blame, so believe in his sacrifice and you get to go to heaven down the road.”

Thanks for the gift, ATM!

[Janae Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

His measuring and sifting of the different views of the Gospel through beauty, goodness, and truth, as well as with the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (finding truth through scripture, tradition, reason, and experience in that order) was both intriguing and inspiring. I came away from the book feeling like the story of the Gospel, a relationship with Jesus, and getting to live this beautiful life are all incredible gifts, of which I often forget to be deeply thankful for, and Smith’s writing was a really good reset.

[Cindi Shroyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We do not need beauty to live. But we need it to live well."
James Bryan Smith
I came to this book after journeying through Smith's Good and Beautiful series. Storytelling is a hobby of mine and Smith tells a magnificent story here in keeping with his format from that series.
In each chapter he gives us nuggets of truth to mull over. These chapters challenged my own thinking about my faith journey. They gave me insight to struggles I've had for the past 46 years when I said a prayer to commit to following God.
Our narratives are not always correct. The world feeds us false narratives all the time. "The Magnificent Story" examines our narratives through the lenses of beauty, goodness, and truth. You may already know what Smith is teaching here, and his words will serve to reinforce what you know. But I am guessing most, if not all readers will find a nugget of truth to add to their story. They will find a new way to experience the beauty the Trinity created for us. They will see or begin to see the beauty the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created in each of us.
The book follows the format of Smith's previous books, providing the reader with soul training exercises that at first glance (and compared to the others in his previous books) may seem simple and easy. I would say that depends on the person and how accustomed they are to searching for beauty in life. There is also a section of questions and such for group study.
I am looking forward to another read for personal use as well as bringing this to my community to share. I can't wait to see the transformation we will experience as our narratives shift once in light of the magnificent story Smith shares.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

That all this could be a beautiful, good, true eucatastrophe in the end is about the most comforting idea imaginable.

James is a good writer. He tells stories with emotion and conviction. A really lovely short little book.

(Didn't do study guide.)

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories/narratives we believe shape the way we live. This is true in general, and it is true in the church, where we tell stories of God and faith that set up the way we interact with God, within the church, and outside the church, even if we are not aware of those stories. James Bryan Smith builds on this principle and challenges the church to return to God's initial plan for humanity as described in Genesis. When God created the world, he saw it as beautiful, good, and true. He asks, why would God change his plan and proposes that three-part standard for evaluating God's narratives, the ones we should be embracing.

Smith describes two narratives which he claims the church has embraced. At first I was turned off my Smith's two-narrative approach: The god who is distant and allows people to do their own thing and the shaming, angry god who just wants people to do the right things. I thought, are there really only two narratives? And I seem to have synthesized both of those narratives. I feel like I need to do everything myself (distant god) and I feel like God will be disappointed in me (angry shaming god).

After a while, the binary narrative didn't bother me because I began to see how both these narratives and versions of these narratives have shaped my life and how my reading and my experiences have been reshaping the narratives/beliefs I live by and the way I understand God.

In challenging the common narratives and laying out a case for adopting a new narrative, he explores the Trinity, the incarnation, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the second coming in new ways, ways that are beautiful, ways that highlight the love of God, his beauty, his goodness, and truth.

If Smith's ideas are new, if readers haven't encountered them before, they may hesitate, and indeed, there were places where I asked, "Is that true? Can I find that in Scripture?" Smith understands that some of his claims may be too much for his audience, and he uses a four-pronged approach in testing truth: 1) Is it true in Scripture: 2) is it true in tradition? 3) is it true logically? 4) is it borne out in experience?

For example, in chapter 5 (Embracing Our Goodness), Smith challenges the narrative that humans have no worth outside of Christ. He asks, "Is it true that we are rotten-to-the-core sinners? Is that what the Bible teaches? Is it supported by the tradition of the church? Does it make sense? Does it match without experience?" (Certainly, this is the narrative I was taught.)

In answering this, Smith goes to Genesis. We are made in God's image--therefore, we are--"in our essence----beautiful, good, and true. The original image cannot be distorted or marred or vandalized by our sin" (76). He then adds that we are also made in God's likeness and points out that the early church taught that we, by our sin, can distort our likeness to God.

I found this next part very moving. He says, "When I realize I am made in God's image, I understand I am sacred and valuable." I paused there. Such a profound idea. And not just me. Everyone I encounter is sacred and valuable. I am still reeling when I think about this.

This doesn't negate the impact of sin, and Smith continues: "When I understand that I cannot alter this image by my foolish, sinful ways, I am grateful to God. When I accept that by my actions I am either moving closer to or further from God's likeness, I take sin seriously. The shaming story does not say much about sin, other than it separates us fro God. In truth, our sin separates us not only from God but from ourselves and others. It was not what we were designed for" (76). There's more, but I'll pause there.

I almost decided not to read this book because he recommends at the beginning that readers should go through it with a group. I would like to read with a group of people someday and explore these ideas with others, and I will definitely read this again on my own.

Thank you, Sabrina, for recommending this book. I might never have discovered it without you!

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In an age when truth and goodness are met with so much resistance, perhaps only beauty can break through these barriers and reach into our hungry hearts." Not to mention the sound bite. Bullet point, scan happy minds of the digital smartphone age…how do we overcome the practicality of modern evangicalism and reclaim the fullness of joy in the magnificence of the story God has brought us into?

James Bryan Smith reintroduces us to the transcendentals of beauty, goodness, and truth as the proofs in telling the missing fullness of The Magnificent Story of the Gospel. His premise is that our contemporary storytelling is flawed in its presentation of the beauty, goodness and truth of God as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as our approaching life in this story through the lens of the transcendentals.

Herein we have a needed philosophical approach intended to bring us back to the joy of first glimpsing the grandeur of God in all His eminence, what little we can truly comprehend and understand in the enormity of such a an overwhelming concept as Him.

Smith's approach is straightforward to confront a present and pervasive view with biblical and historical proof that may challenge the reader about their long held beliefs and traditions. It did me - so much so, as an early reviewer, I emailed him for clarification (and he responded personally!). I encourage anyone feeling the same to persevere - by working through the presentation; your concern will be rewarded as his premise unfolds.

For example, the Roman Road of witnessing is used as an example of how the beauty, goodness and truth of God is not communicated to new believers. This well trod path makes sense to the mature believer who has the map but suffers "trinitarian deficit disorder", and a disjointed presentation of the true nature of God and role of Christ in the Roman Road script.

It is not the type of concept that can be unpacked in a straight-line presentation. Smith uses the ‘shaming gospel’ as well as his personal story of a daughter born with tragic challenges and experiences with the late Rich Mullins to unfold his premise: the practical apologetic format has overwhelmed the transcendent story that turned the world upside down.

Smith provides an on-going activity to take the reader along with each topic, along with a study guide at the end.
I do not see it as a 'one and done' read but a working experience, a learning progression, training one's eyes, heart and mind to recognize beauty, good and truth in all aspects of life and faith, for they are one and the same. As the first volume in a series, The Magnificent Story promises to begin a larger conversation about how we see ourselves in God’s Kingdom, relate that experience to fellow believers, and share it with seekers and new coverts.

Philosophical, requiring a theological background, and willingness to accept challenges to tradition and past interpretation, this book is short but thought provoking. Much like the “precept – principle – promise” approach, it is now hard NOT to seek the beauty, goodness, and truth in all things…and even more joyful to see God where I had not before!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always impressed with a book that quotes some of my favorite authors and this is one of them. I like how he highlights the uncovering of the gospel by using the word magnificent defined by beauty, goodness and truth. It was a unique concept I had never seen before. It worked for me though. I did the first exercise after chapter 1 on Beauty. With the covid-19 pandemic these past few months, we do a lot of walking so this exercise produced an even more amazing experience for me than the other couple of months of doing walks. ”Beauty (as well as goodness and truth) is not ultimate (the last) but penultimate (the second to the last). The point is not the beautiful sunset, …etc. That would make the beautiful thing ultimate, thus making it an idol. Beauty is designed to point to something else — God. God is the Creator of all things, so when we experience beauty it is right and good to thank God, as God is the ultimate…Let the ”wow” be your way of giving thanks.”

Thank you, BTM, for this Mother’s Day gift.

[D.J. Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

In keeping with the title of this book, the writing and content is beautiful, good, and true. The stories within The Magnificent Story are enlightening and encouraging. Smith's storytelling has both clarity and style. In the stories, we see examples of how to live the beautiful, good, and true life or how to miss the same. Stories alone inspire but may not lead to goodness. Smith includes with each chapter a suggested practice -- not a "must" do, not a "should" do, not a "shame on you" if you don't do -- just a "try this" and see if it leads you into more deeply loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And, if it does, goodness benefiting oneself and others results. Then, there is the true. Smith's exegesis and hermeneutics are solid. The beautiful narrative, the good practices, line up with the true Word. I highly recommend this book. I continue to buy copies to share with others.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting presentation of the Christian message, emphasizing its overarching narrative rather than its doctrinal points. Throughout he book, Smith also uses beauty, goodness and truth as measuring sticks to evaluate various ideas and teachings of popular Christianity that don't really amount to good news. Drawing insight from authors like Willard and N.T. Wright, Smith re-examines topics like human sinfulness, eschatology, the Trinity, and the way of salvation, and re-expresses them as good news, in light of the Magnificent Story.
You may not agree with every point he makes, but the overall idea is quite helpful.

[Stewart Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to rate this 3 star’s, but the last two or three chapter were so solid that it bumped up the rating. What I loved most about this book is that it helped me re-focus the lens through which I look at the world. If I can be frank,I relearned that we live on God’s earth that He loves, amidst people that God deeply cares about, and made it possible for everyone who would like to live in a beautiful new earth forever and ever. It’ll be full of joy and peace (which sounds awesome), and we can go there because God offers this as a no-strings-attached gift to us. This is a magical worldview, and I’m in!

[Gregory Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on my own, but it's clear it's written for a small group activity. The stories are thought provoking and largely satisfying. I get the sense that it's written to speak to different levels of people who are Christ followers, from new Christians to people who have been reading the "maginficent story" for a long time. I found it to be appropriately challenging and reassuring. There were some great fundamentals (Trinity, grace, and the story of his dog Winston) that will stick with me.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smith does a wonderful job of debunking wrong-headed and shrunken ideas of what the story of Christianity is all about. Spoiler alert—it’s not “Do Good Works Even Though Jesus Isn’t God and the Bible Isn’t True” nor is it “You Should Be Ashamed of Yourself for Being a Terrible Sinner God Is Sending to Hell.”

The bulk of the book, however, focuses on the real story, the magnificent story that is good, true, and beautiful. Smith opens up these three dimensions with clear enjoyment. What he says on goodness and beauty offers fresh perspectives especially for Protestants who can focus rather coldly on truth. We thus see the gospel more deeply, gladly, and fully. The simple exercises at the end of each chapter allow us to not just know but to experience this grace.

Highly recommended.

--
Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. I especially appreciated the discussions on false narratives, that is ways in which the Christian story has been wrongly read, interpreted, and internalized. I recommend working through it as a small group.

[Michael Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smith’s thesis is that the gospel is a magnificent story of great importance, but that story has been distorted with false narratives. He wants us to regain the magnificence of that story. The magnificence of the story is born of three transcendental qualities: beauty, truth, and goodness. Most of the book is unpacking those three words and seeing how they make the gospel a magnificent story.

In general, Smith’s goal resonates with me. His analysis of false narratives (e.g., the do-good-works gospel and the shaming and scary gospel) is well stated, especially his emphasis that these less-than-magnificent stories do contain some truth. They are distortions. Any good story can be distorted into something harmful. What didn’t resonate as well with me is the way he used the truth, beauty, and goodness to do his analysis. It seemed rather subject to me. Just because he or I find a story lacking in beauty or goodness doesn’t mean that other will; they may see it as a magnificent story. False narratives can be analyzed using other categories, and I wonder if his way of doing it is superior to other forms of analysis.

I really appreciated his use of Josiah Brown’s exercise in having students describe God then Jesus, and then pointing out to them that Jesus reveals the Father to us, so any discrepancy in the descriptions made by the students must flow from an incorrect understanding of who God is. I will likely us this exercise myself one day when the opportune time comes.

His critique of the “fluffy heaven story” and the false narrative that drives it is a refreshing reminder that the salvation Jesus brings is not an escape, not just a future event, not experienced in isolated individualism. We are resurrection people now.

His book does leave me with many questions, mostly stemming from statements Smith makes without elaboration, proof or even footnotes to further exploration. Here are just a few examples focusing on his discussions of beauty:

When he speaks of the transcendentals, he says, “They are real, perhaps more real than the physical realm. They are invincible and unbreakable . . .” (p. 6). What he means by that exactly? How are they unbreakable? How are they more real? He then references Plato without elaboration. Does he believe these transcendentals are Platonic Ideals? When he speaks of beauty on page 12, he says, “To be beautiful, something must contain the previously mentioned characteristics (clarity, harmony, tone, and so on).” Says who? How does he know this? Will everyone agree?

While Smith tells us a great deal about what beauty does to and for us, I am still not certain what he means by beauty. It just seems to be something we just recognize (that make us say “wow”). But what exactly is it? How do I know if what I experience as beauty really is beauty? Who determines what is truly beautiful? Is it entirely subjective (beautiful to me)? If not, what is the transcendental standard for beauty?

Lastly, Smith says, there are “two characteristics of beauty: it never stays, and it never fully satisfies.” Unless I am misreading Smith (entirely possible), he is saying that beauty has a shelf life. It’s effects diminish over time. Therefore, beauty must not reside entirely in the object we deem beautiful. It must be in our minds. It is more a quale, than a quality resident in the object. What does this mean for the beauty of the gospel?

[Melyssa Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered this book, sight unseen and in hard cover, which I never do, simply based on the blurb. I'm a library girl, so this was high praise and I couldn't wait to read it. That being said, I liken most devotional books to my experiences and feelings about Yoga. There is the very basic/simple/beginning where I practically drift off in boredom, wonder why my hand is asleep, and mentally plot my escape while watching the clock, and there is the advanced where I feel like everything is over my head and makes me feel dumb and like quitting. Where is the Intermediate Level? This devotional was more like the first (Yoga for Beginners): it's very simplistic in its writing style (Smith may be a wonderful preacher, I don't know, but his writing is more like note-taking or jotting down the ideas for a first draft). The best parts are in the description, much like a movie trailer. While I appreciated the theme of this book very much, it left me skimming parts. I did enjoy other areas and like I said, the over-all theme and point: The "Shaming" Gospel and the "Do Good Works" Gospel are both false narratives. Everyone has spiritual baggage, whether a devote Christian or a hard-core atheist or someone in between, so if you're searching for why you believe what you think you believe, this is a decent place to start, and hopefully will leave you wanting more.

[Becky Heatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I began reading The Magnificent Story, the discussion of “the three transcendentals” of beauty, goodness and truth made me think that I was in for some very pleasant reading and an uplifting look at our glorious God. Which it certainly was. But what I didn’t expect was the depth of theology that I would encounter. Chapter three is a beautiful explanation of the Trinity, successfully described to us non-theologians in a way that would make many pastors envious. Smith continues in his easy-to-read style, to take us deeper into discussions of things like Christmas, Good Friday, Holy Saturday… you know, the elements of the magnificent story of God and how He has chosen to interact with humanity. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a desire to be drawn closer to the Triune God, but particularly to those who are afraid of God for any reason or who feel like they don’t know enough about God. This is a presentation of a gospel of beauty, goodness and truth – a story you don’t want to miss.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: I have read 5 previous books by James Bryan Smith. And I have read Richard Foster and several by Dallas Willard and other spiritual formation authors. So there was not really anything that was here that was new. But part of the reality of this school is that we are not changed by knowledge of what is true, good and beautiful but by what is experienced of what is good, beautiful and true. Smith always has 'soul practice' exercises in his book. He always wants people to read these books as part of a group. For people to be in community together so that they can encourage one another toward experiencing God as he suggests.

My critique of Smith's writing is that he can be a bit cliche. I don't know how you solve that when writing content and from a philosophical position like what Smith is doing. But the cliche does annoy me a bit.


My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/magificent-story/

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook as a follow-up to my church's women's retreat held in April 2018. James Bryan Smith was our featured speaker who shared highlights from his book. The focus is on God and the Christian life as a story of beauty, goodness, and truth with spiritual practices at the end of each chapter. The reality of our world is sometimes ugly, bad, and full of fake news so far from the truth we really don't know what to believe. I found this spiritual transformation resource to be a breath of fresh air but not enough on its own to make me feel good about our universe. What gives me the greatest hope is my biblical understanding of our God who loves unconditionally and who is always with us through His gift of the Holy Spirit. We have a place in heaven where we will experience beauty, goodness, and truth that will be so glorious and something that we can't even begin to imagine!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try to read everything I can of the "Bible as story" genre. Having read a couple of the author's previous books and enjoying them I picked this one up looking for his take on scripture as the story of God. While I hope this book enjoys a wide reading, there are several other of this type that I have personally found to be more helpful. The author quotes a large number of other writers, so large that it almost feels like name dropping. By all means, give credit where credit is due but if one's to write a book and I'm to read it I want to know what the author has to say for himself. If I want NT Wright or Dallas Willard I'll go to Wright or Willard directly.

[Kristin Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. Consider reading again. He seems to put what NT Wright is saying in a simpler form. His point seems to be that the Gospel is SO MUCH BETTER than the what we are typically taught in this day and age - the Works Gospel (Jesus is a good role model for us follow and to do good works) or the Scary Gospel (God is angry with us and we need Jesus to appease that anger or we will burn in hell). God deeply loves us and longs for a relationship with us. His death, burial, and resurrection began "a revolution" that changed everything.

[Amanda Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a small group class, I probably would have never picked it up on my own. As someone who grew up in the Western Church of the 90’s and early 2000’s this book painted a much better picture than the “Left Behind, fear-based” gospel I had been taught. It helped me reframe my thinking from God being a Father of punishment and disappointment to one who has a story for me that is Good, Beautiful, and True. This is a book I will keep on my shelf to refer back to probably many times.

[Robert Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that does a good job presenting and dispelling some of the false narratives around Christianity, and speaking some nice platitudes and sound bites about the right way to approach the story of the gospel. There are some “soul training exercises” included that essentially boil down to journaling often. The book is presented as best in a group setting of studying and I could see that leading to some good conversation, but it’s not bad to read on one’s own either.

[Tim Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magnificent Story is all that and more! James Bryan Smith once again paints a winsome picture of the Gospel that is good, beautiful and true. This book draws you in. It helps you see all that the Trinity has done for us and wants to do in us today. Read this book and say, "Wow! "Thanks!" and "Yes!"

[Brian Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pushes back on unhelpful narratives within evangelicalism, instead seeking to tell the good and beautiful gospel. James Bryan Smith writes well and portrays the beauty of topics like the Trinity and the incarnation. Still, the book doesn't suffice for an in-depth study of theology, and I felt the evangelical view was sometimes treated a bit dismissively.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the story of the Gospel? The author frames the Gospel through the lenses of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth.

First in a series which continues with The Magnificent Journey this fall, then The Magnificent Mission next year.

[Eric Rath · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two chapters of quality thesis, followed by a long and meandering, unfocused ramble to the end.

And when 50-60% of the text is direct quotations of or references to other authors it is, at least to me, a red flag.

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took pages and pages of notes on this one. Would be a great book to work through and discuss with others.

Truth. Goodness. Beauty. The transcendentals that lead to the ultimate good: God and his amazing restoration of all things.