The Gospel: Reading "Along" or "Across" the Bible

Wednesday morning, I had the privilege of visiting Dr. D. A. Carson. I studied Greek, Greek Exegesis and Pauline Epistles under Dr. Carson years (ok, decades) ago. But this conversation focused on The Gospel Coalition. I must say, he is very enthusiastic about this subject!

Afterward, I returned to the Gospel Coalition website to explore the growing wealth of resources. I was struck by the Theological Vision for Ministry. While the whole document is worthy of reflection, one element relates to previous posts here re: the gospel itself.

What is the essence of the gospel? How do we best read the Bible in understanding the gospel? Here are the two contrasting (or complimenting) approaches (as delineated by the GC):

• Reading “along” the whole Bible. To read along the whole Bible is to discern the single basic plot–line of the Bible as God’s story of redemption (e.g., Luke 24:44) as well as the themes of the Bible (e.g., covenant, kingship, temple) that run through every stage of history and every part of the canon, climaxing in Jesus Christ. In this perspective, the gospel appears as creation, fall, redemption, restoration. It brings out the purpose of salvation, namely, a renewed creation... [God] providentially brings about his eternal good purposes to redeem a people for himself and restore his fallen creation, to the praise of his glorious grace.
• Reading “across” the whole Bible. To read across the whole Bible is to collect its declarations, summons, promises, and truth–claims into categories of thought (e.g., theology, Christology, eschatology) and arrive at a coherent understanding of what it teaches summarily (e.g., Luke 24:46–47). In this perspective, the gospel appears as God, sin, Christ, faith. It brings out the means of salvation, namely the substitutionary work of Christ and our responsibility to embrace it by faith... Jesus Christ acted as our representative and substitute, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

After reflecting on what happens when believers focus on one or the other exclusively, the "Vision" concludes:

• We do not believe that in best practice these two ways of reading the Bible are at all contradictory, even though today, many pit them against each other. We believe that on the contrary the two, at their best, are integral for grasping the meaning of the biblical gospel. The gospel is the declaration that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has come to reconcile individuals by his grace and renew the whole world by and for his glory. (Emphasis mine)
  

That last line is a nice (concise) statement of the "essence of the gospel."

Which do you prefer to communicate in evangelism? The storyline gospel (such as, Life@Large) or the gospel outline (such as, Knowing God Personally)?