FAQs

Do I have to be a member of the Allentown Church to participate in this discussion?

No, you don’t have to be a member of the church, or local to Allentown, NJ.  You don’t even need to be Christian to participate in this discussion.  We welcome everyone to be a part of the conversation.  In fact, we think a diversity of perspectives will be a strength to our understanding.

Is this one of those evangelizing efforts?  I mean, will you try to convince me I’m “lost” if I don’t become a Christian.

No, not at all.  We’re not going to apologize for our own faith, but Presbyterians believe that all of humanity is equally lost and wholly found in God’s realm.  We will respect everyone who participates in our discussion and welcome all opinions.  We expect that you will do the same.  We will not tolerate disrespect of anyone and will remove comments that hurt or damage the nature of our community online.

How long will it take to read The Story?

The reading is, of course, up to you.  We will be discussing approximately one chapter per week beginning mid September and continuing through June 2014.

What if I can’t keep up with the group?

Read what you can and participate where and how you want.  The online conversation will continue for as long as there are people participating.

Does The Story cover the whole Bible?

The Story is a redacted version of the New International Version (NIV) translation of the Christian scriptures.  The Story begins with creation and ends with the end times in Revelation and includes most of the highlights along the way (Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, The splitting of the Kingdom, David, Solomon, Ruth, Jesus, the crucifixion and resurrection and the early Christian church).  The stories included in the book were chosen for the impact they have on the overall narrative of the Judeo-Christian story.  They were put together chronologically and in a format that most resembles a novel for ease of reading.  Of course there is a great deal of our sacred texts left out of the book.  We encourage those who want to know more about certain characters or story lines to read more in their own Bible (many of which are available online).  At times we might reference more of the story in our comments; if so, we will try to link to the references on Bible Gateway.

Do you have other questions?  Leave them here, and we will do our best to answer them …