The book, titled A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible, is published by Zondervan and will be available from 3 February.

Dickson, a historian, minister and writer who heads up the Centre For Public Christianity (CPX), says the book is one you could put in the hands of someone who doesn’t know what to make of the Bible.

“It is not an attempt to prove every trick bit in God’s word,” he told Eternity. “It’s more an effort to show how the biblical narrative suggests a view of the world, and a way of living in the world, that answers the deepest longings of our culture, of every culture.”

Dickson says there are many who think the Bible might be important from a cultural perspective, and maybe even a spiritual one, but just aren’t sure whether it’s true or even relevant.

But he believes every adult should read at least 100 pages of the Bible. In an interview in 2014, Dickson said that the Bible’s classification as a literary classic should be impetus enough to read it for those who would never dream of opening the Bible for its spiritual value.

He says The Doubter’s Guide to the Bible is not an exercise in “apologetics” ­– trying to prove the truth of the Bible ­– but rather a simple outline that invites people to look at the world with the lens of the Bible.

The book is short: just over 200 pages. For a book that purports to summarise the Bible – a book that itself has over 780,000 words (depending on the translation) – this might seem like an impossible task with such a word limit. Dickson doesn’t think so.

“The Bible has a pretty coherent narrative, so as long as you stay on track with the main story, you can summarise the Bible… it’s actually pretty easy.”

So while Dickson admits there is lot of the Bible that readers of his book won’t get to hear about, they’ll have a good overview of the thread that runs throughout.

“[The book] explains creation, fall, Abraham, the exodus, the Law, the kings and prophets, and how it all points to Jesus and the kingdom which restores us to God, to each other, and to the physical creation itself,” says Dickson.

“If I’ve done my job right, your average thoughtful, non-churching friend will have a good idea why the Bible is the most successful book of all time.”